There were scattered showers in the morning with a temperature in the low 50s. The drive through Wyoming was beautiful with wide expanses of grasslands, mountains in the distance, cows, sheep, pronghorns, and a few cowboys herding cattle. We also saw quite a few oil wells and a coal mine. The trains near the coal mine were miles long. We stopped in Wright, Wyoming for gas and the lady at the gas register gave me a latte for free! Near the gas station there was a corral with about a hundred buffalo.
On our way to Custer, South Dakota, we saw a sign for Jewel Cave National Monument and on a whim decided to visit. Online the tours were booked so I asked the person at the ticket booth, and it turned out that they had a few walk-in slots, and we were able to go on a cave tour. The scenic tour lasts for about an hour and half and starts with an elevator ride down 300 feet. The tour route passes through many different caverns with nail-head spar and dog tooth spar, types of calcite formations. There are also stalagmites, stalactites, draperies, flowstone, and a ribbon drapery that looks like bacon. Along the ½ mile loop underground there are 734 stair steps. The guide was knowledgeable and entertaining, and we thoroughly enjoyed this very cool experience.
After the cave tour we drove to Custer State Park hoping to find a campsite, but they were completely full. We drove back towards town and stopped at a campsite, it turned out they had plenty of room and we had our pick of sites. We ended up with a great site with a view of a granite outcropping. The staff are very friendly, the bathrooms are clean, there is a laundry room, and best of all, a camp kitchen where we can do laundry. Sometimes it is the little things in life that make a difference.
In the evening there was a thunderstorm with pouring rain. The thunder echoed off the nearby hills so it sounded very dramatic. There was very little wind so it was comfortable and dry in the tent.
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