South Dakota Day 2 - Jewel Cave, Deadwood, Mount Rushmore

We rose early on Day 2 to try and get tickets to Jewel Cave, which we were told sell out early. The first group arrived by 8 am but the line was already very long. But we were pleasantly surprised when we got to the front of the line that they were still celebrating the 100th birthday of the National Parks. Not only did we get to participate in the Historic Lantern Tour, which starts at the historic entrance found by the cave's discoverers but the tickets were free! Another bonus. Our other group arrived just in the nick of time for the start of the tour. While our guide was a bit off, we all enjoyed the tour which explored the cave through narrow and winding passages.






We then headed to Deadwood, the last resting place of "Wild Bill" Hickok. We arrived just in time to watch the daily renactment of the murder of Wild Bill in front of the Historic Franklin Hotel. The kids were invited to participate as "witnesses". We then enjoyed a beautiful rooftop lunch at the Deadwood Social Club, overlooking Main Street, which had been closed for a special summer concert. We also stopped by Saloon #10, where Wild Bill was shot and Buffalo Bodega, the oldest bar in South Dakota. Before heading out of town, we experienced a crazy, crazy hail storm and then stopped by Mount Moriah Cemetary to take a picture in front of Wild Bill's gravesite. Fun afternoon.










We ended our day with the illumination ceremony at Mount Rushmore. This was definitely a highlight of our trip. Before the ceremony, we enjoyed a walk around the monument and then watched an inspiring film about America and our country's accomplishments. We were also privileged to to see American servicemen present be honored on stage, including our friend Nick Hedlund. And then it was a crazy drive home in the dark to our cabin in Custer State Park. An amazing, amazing day!