Whoo hoooo! First FULL DAY of Vacation!! We were up & atom (Adam?) bright and early on Tuesday, July 4, and ready to explore a myriad of offerings in Keystone!
Yes, yes, Keystone, South Dakota is most noted for being the home of Mount Rushmore, but don’t be fooled: There is PLENTY to do in the teensy town of Keystone (Population: 527!), all geared to the tourist industry. The Keystone Mercantile is one of many merchants and purveyors of local crafts, T-shirts, Native American fare, knives, and floofy doofies of all sorts.
The town has exactly one traffic light, and you can see one car stopped at it in the distance. The area has a Disney-esque feel to it … and if that idea horrifies you (LOL), I simply refer to the fact that it is very clean, family friendly, and although I’m certain that every person we encountered certainly don’t work for the same company, they were all uniformly friendly, accommodating, and welcoming. No Mickey Mouse or Goofy anywhere, FYI. 🙂
Our first stop was purely for a Lulu photo-op … we had absolutely no intention of partaking in mini golf this trip, but I’d found this place early on in my research, and vowed to get the following shot:
Awwww, Lulu … you’re not a holy terror!!! LOL
Our next stop … a mere 15 minute drive away … was Rushmore CAVE, actually in Black Hill, SD. Only connected to the chiseled presidents by name, this is a natural cave through which several types of tours are conducted. Gerry & I only qualified for the walk-through tour (LOL … more later on that.)
As we were the first ones who showed up (at 8:00 AM on July 4) … and ummmmm … the ONLY ones who showed up at that point, our delightful tour guide, Ethan, brought us on in to the cave. Let me just say this about that: The cave was a FASCINATING place to visit … and it took it outta me. (Seemed to have taken it outta Gerry, as well) No rappelling involved, but MUCH climbing of stairs and rock formations.
Ethan, our guide, was full of very valuable and interesting information. He pointed out purple streaks on the rocks are magnesium oxide, caused by people touching the rocks and leaving oily deposits from skin. We were, therefore, charged with NEVER touching the rock formations, but rather only the handrails. This proved impossible, but Ethan saved the day by saying, “If you feel yourself slipping, don’t take one for the team, put your hand on the rock.”
Some of the formations were really gorgeous!! Below is a formation called a “column.” These form when a stalagtite (which grows down) meets up with a stalagmite (which grows up.) The only reason it broke is because the ground underneath shifted and settled, causing the bottom half to pull away.
Lulu and Gerry got all tuckered out (yeah, me, too LOL)
As we ascended the final ramp toward the exit, Ethan mentioned two other cave exploration tours available … both requiring not only to crawl on one’s hands & knees for a few hours, but also to squeeze through rather small areas. I actually laughed out loud when he was describing.
You’re a good sport, Ethan!! 🙂 
Lulu got a sticker, AND met a new friend! 🙂 Below is the “Squeeze Box” … if you can squeeze through these openings, you’ll fit through the various tight squeezes on the Adventure & Mystic tours. LOLOL
LOL No. We didn’t.
Next it was back to the center of Keystone, to board the 1880s Steam Train, but not before Lulu met another new friend in one of the shops on Winter Street.
(Scariest damn mannequin I’ve ever seen!)
The train is quite darling … chugging through the South Dakota countryside, as the announcer points out a number of geographical and historic facts. You ride from Keystone to Hill City (10 miles away), and then back again.
All in all, a wonderful start to July 4th!
Next up … we FINALLY arrive at the National Memorial!!