Overnight in Gillette, WY; on to Billings, MT

Today was mostly spent driving to Billings, MT. I stopped in Gillette, WY where I did laundry.

Had lunch in a very nice Mexican restaurant downtown. It's a friendly and quiet little town. Spent the night at the Gillette Walmart parking lot.

The drive to Billings the next morning was scenic. Now I understand why they call it Big Sky Montana!

Arrived in Billings in the late afternoon; went to the Riverfront Park near the city to rest up. Did a short hike, took some photos, emptied my cassette toilet.

Then went to the Yellowstone Cellars and Winery for some wine tasting. It was next to where I would be spending the night, so I did not have to drive far after imbibing. The wine was so good that I got a bottle to go. The Winery was also a Harvest Host site but since I am not a HH member, it was a Cracker Barrel parking lot for me. The RV parking area was full and Nadine was already parked there. I had a restful night. Could not remember if I had breakfast there the next morning.

Custer State Park, SD

After my morning tour of Jewel Cave NP, we went to Custer State Park, described as a must-visit place due to the landscape and wildlife. I would have loved to camp there (they have several campgrounds) but due to its popularity, the campgrounds were fully booked months in advance.

I left my RV parked at the Elk Mountain Campground and we went in Nadine's RV to save on the entrance fee which was $25 per vehicle. First stop was the large Visitor Center (above) to get maps and tips on where to go. They wrote down wildlife sightings reported by visitors and rangers on a large board in the visitor center.

Above: the grounds around the visitor center. We looked at the map, saw cautions on some of the scenic roads, e.g. Needles Highway with low tunnels which would be challenging for RVs. Decided on the Wildlife Loop; a good choice since we saw lots of wildlife from the vehicle: bison, deer, elk, burro (donkeys). The weather has turned cloudy and cold, so it was good not to get out.

Burros, lots of them, with people getting out of their cars, feeding them and taking selfies (which they should not do). Looked like the burros were used to visitors.

And lots of bison, just hanging out next to the road, some of them with calves. Cars were stopped along the road to watch them, with a few visitors ignoring rules to get close and risk getting gored.

It was getting late, cold and cloudy but we decided to check out Sylvan Lake. This was a beautiful area, worth staying a few days to hike, kayak and to watch wildlife. Added this to my list of places to return to. Nadine did a hike around the lake but I opted out since I did not have warm clothing with me.

We headed back to downtown Custer where we found a restaurant and had dinner. Would love to go back to Custer when it is warmer and visit the quaint shops there.

Tour of Jewel Cave, SD

Booked a ticket for an early morning Scenic Tour at the Jewel Cave National Park. This was an interesting place, not much to see on the outside, just the small visitor center with some exhibits. The Park itself was the underground cave system and it was huge, with 220 miles of mapped caves with a lot of area unmapped. They warned us that the scenic tour can be strenuous, with 734 stairs, took 90 minutes. We took an elevator down to the starting point. The ranger led tour was really interesting and informative; below are some photos of the cave.

Natural Entrance Tour of Wind Cave

Got up early to stand in line for tickets to the guided cave tour at Wind Cave National Parks. This was one of the main attractions recommended by earthtrekkers.com. Advanced timed ticket ($8 for seniors) were sold out at recreation.gov, the Park reserves 50% of the tickets for same day purchases. One has to be there 30 minutes before the Visitor Center opens as tickets tend to go fast. I was there an hour early but there was already a line. Chatting with the folks in line made the waiting go faster; I enjoyed hearing where they were from and where they have been.

Above: wait area for the tour group to gather at the start

Original natural entrance to the cave, we could hear and feel the wind at the small entrance. We went down the cave through another entrance, down some stairs.

Boxwork on the ceiling of the cave and other formations...

The tour was short and not very exciting. We came back up through an elevator.

Wind Cave National Park, SD

Running out of time trying to catch up documenting my adventures. From here on, I may just put captions on photos to remember where I was and what happened!

Drove to the Wind Cave National Park for tickets for the cave tour in the afternoon (see next post). Wanted to hike where I can see wildlife; the park ranger recommended a couple of trails; decided on Cold Brook Canyon Trail.

Met a fellow hiker at the start of the trail. He's from New Zealand but touring the US, we chatted a bit but he was a fast hiker and went ahead. Encountered at least two prairie dog towns ...

This prairie dog was making loud chirping noises to warn others of the stranger walking in their territory ...

A solitary bison, a good distance from the trail ...

with droppings and hoof prints marking where it (or other bison) had been ...

After the hike, I parked at a pull-out off the main road to heat up some lunch. There was a herd of bison on the hillside--what a view. Other vehicles also stopped to take photos.

Why did the bison cross the road?

To check out that human eating in her RV! The above photos were taken from the driver seat. I quickly closed my windows before the curious bison decided to stick their head inside. That was quite the experience!

Note: I stayed at the Elk Mountain Campground just outside of the Wind Cave National Park. It's very affordable: with the senior pass, it was just $12 a night. No electric but there was water nearby and decent bathrooms (no showers). The big negative was the lack of cell coverage, this was true for most of the area. I ended up parking my RV outside the Wind Cave National Park Visitor Center to use their wifi. They had spacious lots designated for RVs.