drive and once again the weather was great. We are staying at the Rafter J RV Ranch near the town of Hill City. Hill City, like most Black Hills towns, grew out of the great gold rush in the 1800's. The little town is centrally located in the region, set smack-dab midway between the world famous mountain carvings of Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse in a picturesque mountain valley.
We found a small winery in town called the Prairie Berry. Their wines are made from some grapes but mostly from berries and fruits native to South Dakota.
They are getting ready for the Sturgis Bike Rally here next week. There are bikes everywhere. We did not go over to Sturgis but like Daytona one area is not large enough to hold everyone so the area is full!!!
When we left the city we ventured up to Mount Rushmore. We entered the area at Custer State Park, near Sylvan Lake Lodge. Rich in history and natural beauty, Sylvan Lake (top photo) holds the designation as Custer State Park's crown jewel. the lake was created in 1881 when Theodore Reder built a dam across Sunday Gulch.In 1921, this unique lake became a part of the newly-created Custer State Park.
Along the highway through Custer State Park to Mount Rushmore there six tunnels along the winding roads, they range in size from 14'0" Wide 12'9" High down to 8'4" Wide 12'0" High. One tunnel near Sylvan Lake is 10'6" Wide and 10'7" high. Needless to say, we did not take the RV on this trip. We did see a tour bus coming through one of the tunnels. it was a very tight squeeze to say the least.
