I spent the morning hiking and driving the Needles Highway in Custer State Park. Tonight I went to the nighttime illumination at Mount Rushmore. In between, I enjoyed a nap, cider, and some pasta for dinner.
Needles Highway I left my hotel at 6:20AM this morning in order to beat the crowds on the Needles Highway and find a parking spot at the Cathedral Spires trailhead. The Needles Highway is named for the needle-like spires on the northern side of the drive and passes through the “Needle’s Eye”, a narrow, 8-foot wide tunnel through the spires that resembles the eye of a needle. The road twists and turns through the needles and then winds down to rolling hills near the southern end.
Cathedral Spires Trail I had read there is limited parking at the Cathedral Spires trailhead and wanted to be sure I got a spot; hence, my early morning arrival. I needn’t have worried, as there were only two other cars there when I arrived. The Cathedral Spires trail is 2.2 miles round trip and ends at the base of some of the spires. The trail is marked as strenuous due to a little boulder scrambling in the middle. It was cold (46 degrees) and I was wishing I had picked an outfit other than shorts for the day. It took me about an hour to complete the hike, including some time at the top/end. Since I was alone for most of the hike, I got to enjoy the solitude and birds chirping most of the way.
Legion Lake and Sylvan Lake By the time I was done hiking, I was hungry. I drove the rest of the Needles Highway and ended up at Legion Lake Lodge, where I enjoyed a plate of (enormous) pancakes on the patio by the lake. To work off my breakfast, I walked the trail around the lake. I then headed back on the Needles Highway as far as Sylvan Lake where I took the lakeside trail around the lake. It was starting to get cloudy and a few raindrops were falling so I didn’t get to enjoy the walk as much as I would have had the weather been more cooperative.
Food This afternoon found me taking a short nap and then having a glass of cider at Miner Brewing Company while I read my book for a while. Since I was ready for dinner at that point, I headed right over to Mangiamo for an Italian meal. My penne with vodka sauce was delicious, but would have been even better had I gotten a knife to cut the chicken with and had they not brought my salad at the same time as my main course. For dessert, I enjoyed a vanilla ice cream cone at Mount Rushmore, made with Thomas Jefferson’s original recipe.
Mount Rushmore Illumination Since I started planning this trip, my dad has told me that I need to go to the evening lighting ceremony at Mount Rushmore, and tonight was the night. Despite the chilly temperatures, I enjoyed learning more about the history of the memorial and found the ceremony quite moving. The presentation begins with a short speech/reflection, followed by a video about the four presidents whose faces appear on the monument. The actual illumination takes place with the playing of “America the Beautiful” and then the audience is invited to stand and sing the national anthem. The ceremony concludes with active and former military members joining the host on stage to retire the colors. It seemed like a fitting end to my last night in the southern Black Hills.
Traveling with Laura 