Day 6 - Black Hills Tour

Today was very busy. We started out by riding the 1880’s steam train for a two hour trip through the black hills. The engine that pulled our train was originally used for logging operations. Our rail car was built in 1913, but was totally refurbished only two years ago. We were a little worried when it pulled out of town. We went by some of the best trailer parks that the town had to offer. However, when we cleared town the scenery improved greatly. The ride was relaxing and interesting as we learned about some of the local history and saw the sites for several old mines. At one point, we passed an elderly gentleman, Leonard, who puts on his conductor’s hat and waves at the train as it passes his house each day. There was also Fred, a man in his sixties, that rides his bike along with the train for the 20 mile round trip.







Although we’ve been to many caves and caverns before, this was the most unique trip we’ve ever taken through a cave. Wind Cave is the third longest cave in the US. It is very close to Jewel Cave, the second longest, but Wind Cave offered something we wanted to try. We took a two hour candlelight walk through the cave. We were given gloves to wear so that we didn’t hurt the walls of the cave if we needed to touch the walls for support or balance as there were no paths or handrails in the section that we went. This portion of the cave, about 210 feet beneath the ground, has remained the same since the early 1900’s.

It was a bit of a drive to get there and it was already 3:30 when we finished at the caves. We debated as to whether or not to make the two hour drive to Devil’s Tower, but we’re glad we did. It was pretty amazing! Millions of years of erosion of the sedimentary rock has exposed Devil’s Tower and many nearby buttes. The tower rises 867 feet from its base and stands 1,267 feet above the nearby Belle Fourche River (pretty fork river).



We walked the mile and a half trail around the tower. There were two points on the trail that rock climbers could be seen if you looked carefully. 5,000 people come from all over the world to climb the tower each year. We also saw our first rattlesnake in the wild! It was about 30 inches long and crossed the path in front of us and slithered under a rock. Jon was able to get a few quick pictures. After that we both found ourselves looking more closely at the ground around us than the tower above us.



Many local Native American tribes believe the tower to be sacred. Tied on to many of the young trees are prayer flags or prayer bundles filled with prairie grass, seeds, and sacred tobacco. One interesting story has been passed down from the Kiowa Indians: “Eight children were at play, seven sisters and their brother. Suddenly the boy was struck dumb; he trembled and began to run upon his hands and feet. His fingers became claws, and his body was covered with fur. Directly there was a bear where the boy had been. The sisters were terrified; they ran, and the bear after them. They came to a stump of a great tree, and the tree spoke to them. It bade them climb up upon it, and as they did so it began to rise into the air. The bear came to kill them, but they were just beyond its reach. It reared against the tree and scored the bark with its claws. The seven sisters were born into the sky, and they became the stars of the Big Dipper.”