Hey Guys!
This post continues our time in the Dakotas, Wyoming & Nebraska.
Read Day 1 here, Day 2 here, Day 3 here, Day 4 here, Day 5 here, Day 6 here, Day 7 here, Day 8 here & Day 9 here – Click here to see links to all of my blog posts
After having coffee at our hotel in Chadron, NE, we checked out and headed to our first stop of the day, the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, SD.
The Mammoth Site is located approximately one hour from Chadron, NE.
It was an hour drive of nothing but flat, prairie land!
Arriving to Hot Springs
Shortly after arriving, we arrived to the Mammoth Site.
After getting parked, we headed inside.
The Mammoth Site is a museum and an active paleontological excavation site.
After getting inside, we purchased our tickets.
Ticket prices were $14 pp for adults ages 13-59.
Near the ticket counter, is a huge replica of a wooly mammoth.
The remains of 61 mammoths, including 58 North American Columbian and 3 woolly mammoths had been recovered at this site. 
This is the only site in the world where Colombian and Woolly Mammoth have been found together.
In 1974, a construction worker had unearthed bones while the area was being prepared for a new subdivision. His son recognized one of the finds as a mammoth tooth.
The landowner agreed to have the site further investigated and during the investigation, a complete skull and tusk were found.
So, he agreed to donate the land and mineral rights to a nonprofit organization. After being excavated by professional excavators, they decided to build a building around the dig site and turn it into a museum.
It was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1980.
The museum now contains an extensive collection of mammoth remains.
You could start your self guided tour with a short film about the dig site.
After watching the film, we headed to the dig site.
The facility encloses a prehistoric sinkhole that formed and was slowly filled with sediments during the Pleistocene era.
Each area was labeled with the types of bones that had been unearthed.
There were QR codes, all along the boardwalk that surrounded the dig that you could scan with your cellphone and it would play a short description of the area you were standing in front of.
We couldn’t believe the size of some of these bones!
There was a lot of signage describing the bones.
Besides the mammoths, many other animals have been found here such as, the rare Giant short-faced bear, the American camel, llama, wolves, coyotes, shrub oxen, other smaller mammals, bird, fish, and invertebrates.
Tip: The Mammoth Site also has a small attached museum that holds additional Ice Age relics, including models of frozen mammoths from Siberia and a model of a complete Giant short faced bear skeleton but we skipped that.
During the month of July, there are volunteers from Earthwatch that participate in excavations.
There was one there when we were visiting.
We spoke to him for a few minutes and he told us that the way they determine if they have found bone or not is they stick it on the tip of their tongue and if it sticks, it’s bone!
Due to bone’s more porous nature compared to rocks, the moisture from a tongue will stick better to it and reveal which parts of a potential discovery are bone and which are rock.
Read more about that here
The ancient pond is approximately 120 by 150 feet across, and bore holes show the pond is at least 65 feet deep approximately 1200 bones and fragments have been discovered so far.
Mammoths and other animals would enter this pond, but due to the steep sides, they often would get trapped and eventually die.
Only around 20 feet of the 65 feet deep pond has been excavated.
There’s an area where you can watch paleontologists clean, repair and catalog the discoveries. You are welcome to ask them questions as well.
A few more shots of the dig site
There’s also a gift shop located near the dig site where you can purchase t-shirts, books, coffee cups and all sorts of souvenirs.
After spending about an hour here, we headed to find something to eat.
Read reviews for the Mammoth Site here
We ended up at a Mexican restaurant called, Jalapeño’s Grill.
Click here for restaurants in Hot Springs, here for more things to do in this area & Click here for some nearby swimming holes
We were seated right away.
This place was huge on the inside and really nice!
After looking over the menu, I ordered the Pollo Cabrito which was grilled chicken chunks covered in cheese sauce served with rice and beans.
I don’t remember what the hubby ordered but we also ordered a side of their delicious guacamole.
The food was really good but the service was slow.
Read reviews here
After lunch, we headed to our next stop, Wind Cave National Park.
The park is located just 15 mins from the Mammoth Site.
Driving through the small town of Hot Springs.
There was quite a bit of construction work going on so it took us a little while to get through town.
Apparently, from what I’ve read online, it’s been going on for over two years!
We passed this beautiful mural while driving through the town.
We also passed this restaurant called, Two Cows Creamery & Bistro.…wished we would have seen this before the Mexican restaurant! Just look at their burgers and ice cream they have pictured online!
The downtown area is full of historic buildings.
After arriving to Wind Cave, our first stop was taking our picture in front of the park sign!
Tip: An entrance pass is not required to access Wind Cave National Park.
Wind Cave became a national park in 1903 and is the first cave to be designated a national park. The cave features the world’s largest concentration of rare boxwork formations and is the sixth-longest cave in the world.
Prior to leaving for our trip, I had read that the cave tours were closed due to the park replacing the elevator but the park encompasses almost 34,000 acres and is always open to visitors!
Tip: If you want to visit a cave while in this area, you can also see Jewel Cave National Monument. Jewel Cave is the third-longest cave in the world and features calcite crystals and formations of boxwork, cave popcorn and a long ribbon drapery known as “cave bacon.”
I had also read that there were lots of bison in the park so, we were hoping we would get to see them.
Tip: The park has over 30 miles of hiking trails
Driving through the park
A few minutes past the park sign was a small pullover that had some informational plaques describing the area.
After this stop, we headed to the visitor center.
The visitor center was constructed in the 1930s.
It’s opened year round, with the exception of holidays, from 8:00 am – 4:30 pm with expanded hours during the summer.
After arriving, we headed to the site of the natural opening into Wind Cave. The natural opening is a small hole in the cave and is one of the only known natural entrances into the cave.
The natural opening is located about a 5 min walk behind the visitor center where the cave tours take place.
There were wildflowers blooming all along the trail 
Wind Cave has very few natural entrances and this entrance is the largest and most well-known naturally formed entrance and is only about ten inches wide.
Near the natural entrance, there is a sign that talks about the importance of this site to the Native Americans.
It’s a sacred site to them so you will notice prayer cloths in this area. They are not to be touched or disturbed.
Also near the natural entrance, is the trailhead for the Prairie Vista Trail.
The trail is an easy, one mile loop trail.
We walked a short distance and discovered the burial site and a memorial plaque for Alvin McDonald who was the first explorer and guide of the cave.
From the age of 16 until his death at the age of 20, McDonald discovered and mapped the first 8 to 10 miles of Wind Cave using candlelight.
His exploration and mapping was so extensive and thorough for the time that it was not until 1963, 70 years after his death, that major new passageways were discovered in Wind Cave.
Read some excerpts from his diary here
A shot of the elevator building from the trail. This is where the cave tours start.
The elevator building was completed in 1938 and the elevator shaft itself was completed in June, 1934 with the first elevator being installed a year later. The elevators have been updated a few times since then.
We then headed inside the visitor center.
There were lots of exhibits and displays ranging from how the Plains Indians used the bison to how the park manages the prairie.
The cave exhibit room explains cave formations, the development of the cave, and the park’s history. A movie, Wind Cave, Two Worlds, about the cave, the prairie, and the park is shown in the auditorium.
The first cave tourists visited the cave without electric lights, concrete stairs or an elevator.
There’s a gift shop located here as well 
After spending a few minutes in the visitor center, we headed back to our car to drive through the park in hopes to see the bison.
Shortly after leaving the visitor center, we spotted our first bison!
It was very close to the road!
We also saw tons of prairie dogs nearby!
As we continued our drive, we came to another small pullover.
There was an informational plaque nearby and what looked like a trail so we decided to walk a short distance along the trail.
There were tons of wildflowers blooming all over!
The views from the trail were really pretty.
After leaving here, we continued our drive.
We passed the historic Beaver Creek Bridge.
The bridge was built in 1929 and is 225 feet long and sits 115 feet above the canyon floor.
It is also visible from a pullout near the Centennial Trailhead.
We spotted the historic fire tower. You can hike to the tower via the Rankin Ridge Trailhead.
Shortly after passing the bridge, we spotted a ton of bison!
Bison were reintroduced to Wind Cave in 1913. The park continues to maintain a herd of several hundred animals and is considered one of the most diverse and genetically pure herds of bison in the world.
Tip: In September and October, male elk can be heard bugling
As we continued our drive, we spotted another huge herd of bison!
We saw more bison here than anywhere we had been so far!
Click here to see a map of the park & Read reviews here
As we exited Wind Cave, we noticed we were now in Custer State Park.
Hwy 87 that runs through Wind Cave connects to Custer State Park.
Tip: Be sure to explore the gravel roads in Wind Cave as you can usually spot wildlife on these roads
We passed the Wildlife Loop Road in Custer State Park.
After leaving Wind Cave, we decided to head to Keystone for some ice cream.
Our drive continued along Hwy 87 thought Custer State Park where we spotted three bighorn sheep right next to the road!
We then passed the Legion Lake Lodge.
This is one of the five lodges that can be found inside Custer State Park.
See a map of the park & every town in this area here
Tip: They have a restaurant located inside the lodge
The lodge is located 30 mins from Keystone.
After arriving to Keystone, we passed several historic buildings.
We saw a sign pointing to the oldest schoolhouse in Keystone so we decided to check it out.
It was an old log cabin that was built in 1895.
Right next to this schoolhouse, was another old schoolhouse that was built in 1899 and served as a school until 1988. It is now a museum.
So, we walked over to check it out.
After seeing that it was free to tour, we headed inside.
The museum housed early day mining tools, historic pictures and photo collections, rock and mineral collections, and historic displays.
We were surprised when we walked into one of the rooms and saw lots of items that once belonged to Carrie Ingalls!
Yes, the same one from Little House on the Prairie!
She had moved to Keystone at the age of 41 and passed away in Rapid City in 1946 at the age of 76.
She is buried in the Ingalls family Cemetery in DeSmet, SD.
Her husband David, stepson Harold, and David’s first wife are buried in the Keystone Cemetery.
Carrie had graduated from DeSmet High School in 1888. She worked in the newspaper business most of her life.
There were also pictures of her parents and sisters.
After leaving this room, we headed upstairs.
There were two rooms upstairs that were still set up as classrooms.
It was so neat!
Read reviews here
After leaving here, we headed to find parking in downtown Keystone so we could continue our mission to find some ice cream.
We passed the Halleys Store that was built in 1895 and is the oldest continuous business in Keystone.
After getting parked, we headed to a place called Turtle Town.
When we arrived, people were lined out of the door!
This place has been in Keystone for 30 yrs.
They specialize in homemade chocolates, confections and ice cream…they also have a coffee bar and a gift shop.
We both purchased two scoops of ice cream and some of their homemade chocolates.
It was so good!
Read reviews here
As we were sitting at one of the tables outside eating our ice cream, we saw a sign hanging on the building about a free walking tour of the town. There were free maps below the sign that you could take for the tour.
After our ice cream, we headed back to our car to head to our last stop of the day, the Chapel in the Hills in Rapid City.
The chapel was located 30 mins from Keystone.
After arriving, we headed to a small museum that was located on the grounds.
The museum was located in a log cabin that was built in 1876 by Edward Nielsen, a Norwegian immigrant gold prospector from Hole, Ringerike, Norway.
It was moved to the Chapel grounds and is now the home of many Scandinavian antiques.
There was a replica of the church inside the museum.
After checking out the museum, we headed over to the church.
On the way, we passed the gift shop.
The gift shop was housed in an authentic grass roofed building that was built in Norway and shipped to Rapid City and reassembled.
We then arrived to the incredible chapel.
The Chapel in the Hills is an exact replica of the Borgund stave church in Norway.
The Borgund stavkirke was built around the year 1150 and is considered the most completely preserved stave church still standing in Norway.
Tip: There are four replicas of this chapel that exist in the US……besides this one, there’s one in Lyme, Connecticut, one on Washington Island, Wisconsin, and the fourth in Minot, North Dakota
Read here on why this church was built in Rapid City
The chapel is absolutely beautiful!
Of course, I took pictures from every angle!
After taking pictures of the outside, we headed inside the chapel.
The inside is very small.
The woodwork was amazing!
They still held church services here.
On the wall near the door, was a button that when you pushed it, played a narration about the building of the church.
There was intricate woodwork around the entrances of the church.
After taking pictures of the inside, we headed back outside where we noticed a “prayer walk” trail. behind the chapel.
So, I decided to go check it out.
The trail led you through the woods.
There were several statues along the trail with each of them including a small plaque with a saying from the Bible.
After walking to the end of the trail, we turned around and headed back towards the chapel.
Read reviews for the chapel here
After seeing the chapel, we decided to call it a day and head to our final hotel in Rapid City.
We had booked our last stay at the Best Western.
Our room had two queen beds and a nice size bathroom.
From our room window, we could see cows grazing in a nearby field.
Read reviews for the hotel here
After getting settled into our room, we headed back out to find something to eat.
We saw a nearby restaurant called the Dakota Steakhouse so decided to go there.
After arriving, we were seated right away.
However, this place was really busy so I would recommend you make reservations if you can.
It was a Friday night around 6 pm so I’m sure it was busier than a week day would be.
After looking over the menu, I decided on a steak with Brussel sprouts.
The hubby ordered a burger with a side of the fried macaroni and cheese.
The food was delicious and the service was great!
Read reviews here
After dinner, we headed back to our hotel that was located just 2 mins away.
Later, I had to try out one of the chocolate pecan turtles that we had purchased earlier from Turtle Town.
It was so good!
After watching TV for a while, we called it a night!
Thanks for reading!
Stay tuned for Day 11!
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