Black Hills South Dakota and Jewel Cave

Black Hills of South Dakota

I heard about this place, many claimed it to be the most beautiful of the National Parks, Teddy Rosevelt among them.  So I had high hopes for the infamous Black Hills of South Dakota.   They got their name from the granite mountains rising from the ground perfectly framed by dark green pines.

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Summer really brings out the best of the colors.  Throughout both the national and state parks of the Black Hills views like this were common.

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One of the fun parts of the drive through the parks is the getting a chance to drive the roads and see the amazing solutions that went into building a road in this park.

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Check this tunnel out, just big enough for one car at a time.

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Like a bowl of spaghetti the roads bend and weave over one another around the hills.

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Then came the pigtail bridge, who needs a ride, if you can handle the loops it’s tons of fun, especially when driving.

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Once I got through the fun roads I made my way to the Norbeck Overlook in the Black Hills National Forest.

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All throughout the forest logs and branches were piled neatly.  I never did find out why.

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On another day I took a drive on the other (east) side of the park and passed by what looked to be a cool ski restort, www.skimystic.com I would like to get back to the black hills in the winter, bet the snow is amazing and the place looks completely different.

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Passed through the town of Lead.

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Took a hike at Roughlock Falls.

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Apparently this is where part of Dances with Wolves was filmed.

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Jewel Cave National Monument

On my last day I decided to head over and see Jewel Cave.  Large and small caverns run for miles underground, many of which have yet to be explored.

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An elevator takes you down to one of the largest caves.

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It’s hard to see in the photos, but it’s a large room, complete with stairs to lower levels, quite impressive.

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