We were talking the other day about how each state we come to seems better than the last. We had no idea that we would love the Dakotas so much!
On the way to Custer we spent a few nights in Spearfish, SD.
Hike to falls:

Fishing:

Beautiful scenery along the drive:

Camping in Custer State Park:

Drive to Mt. Rushmore:
In the second tunnel you can see the faces in the distance:

Night pictures of Mt. Rushmore:

It was a moving experience to see how these four great men in our history have been honored. Yes, they had their flaws but were men of integrity who each, in their own way, fought for the people. It’s hard to imagine that either of our two presidential candidates would ever be worthy of such honor.
The quaint town of Keystone and surrounding area:

Wild life we saw in Custer State Park:
Pronghorn antelope:

Bison. They have so many bison babies born every year that the state rounds up all the bison each September. The ones behind the fence will be auctioned off. Think bison burger. The ones in front of the fence are free.

Wild burros hang out on the road hoping for treats. We gave up part of our lunch.


Wild turkeys:

Deer:

A ranch just outside the state park had some long horn cattle. We never even saw cattle with horns this long in Texas.

A drive along the Needles Highway includes narrow tunnels, granite spires and “the needle”.

Fishing at a beautiful lake:

Stopped for lunch at a cool restaurant in the town of Custer. Individual televisions at each booth. Great. Now I can yell at the tv in a restaurant too.

We didn’t know where we were going to stay between Fargo, North Dakota and mt Rushmore in South Dakota. A couple we talked to at Itasca told us we had to go to Theodore Roosevelt National Park which was about half way. So we took their advice. I do not know how this place was not on my trip planning radar! It is one of the highlights of our trip.

But first, the trip across North Dakota:

Theodore Roosevelt grew up in New York but went hunting in North Dakota. When his wife died shortly after childbirth and his mother died of typhoid in the same house on the same day, he went back to North Dakota to grieve. Later he became president and started the US Forest Service. When the National Park Service was established, this national park was established in his memory.

Prairie Dogs in the front and wild turkeys in the background:

Hike. Yes, that is snow from the day before:

A snowball fight is about to happen:

On our way to another hike:

Came upon this old guy laying on the trail. Just had to wait until he decided to move:

More prairie dogs:

Bison at the entrance to our campground:

You will need to zoom in, but there are prairie dogs, wild horses and bison in this pic:

On to Mt Rushmore and Custer State Park.

We have seen more fall color! Here’s some pics from our travels from Wild River State Park. We followed the Great River Highway along the Mississippi:

Itasca State Park:

An old fire watch tower:

Yes, we went to the top:

The headwaters of the Mississippi. John is standing on the rocks between Lake Itasca and the beginning of the Mississippi. It said in the visitors center that it takes three months for a drop of water to makes its way from this spot to the Gulf of Mexico. I wonder how they know that. Did they send a rubber ducky down the river?

Now heading west to the Dakotas!

We left the Wisconsin Dells and headed towards Minnesota. We knew the route we were taking but not where we were staying. No worries. We spent two nights at two different casinos. Casinos usually provide free overnight camping in their parking lots. It’s a great option when Walmarts are not available.
Stopped at a National Park Visitor Center and took a hike along the Mississippi:

We never knew that the drive in Iowa along the Mississippi would be so beautiful:

After staying at the casinos we had no idea where we would stay next. We stopped at a view point on our route and met an older couple who lived in the area. I asked them about the best places to see fall color and they told us about a road to Wild River State Park. So we veered off our course following the Mississippi and headed to the St Croix River and the Wild River State Park. It was such a beautiful place:





So now back to our route towards the headwaters of the Mississippi. Thank you, Lord, for letting us experience such beauty!
Oh. And one more blessing after months of HOT weather:

We spent several days camping at Devils Lake State Park. Originally we were just going to spend a couple days there but it rained for several days and so we stayed longer than planned so we could explore the area in nicer weather. That’s the beauty of taking a longer trip with no particular schedule.
Campground:

We drove in to the town of Wisconsin Dells on a drizzly afternoon. It’s a total tourist trap. Remember Myrtle Beach?

Hike to Parfrey Glen. It was a trail until it wasn’t a trail. Had to walk on rocks through the river. It was muddy and slippery. But so beautiful:

A boat ride on the Wisconsin River to Witches Gulch:

Some fall color: