Read more about the article Jewel Cave National Monument – Hot Springs, SD

Jewel Cave National Monument – Hot Springs, SD

It was the last day of our South Dakota trip and we had one more thing on our itinerary – Jewel Cave National Monument. Fortunately, we booked tickets ahead of time and we’re glad we did. There were no tickets available for walk-up visitors.

Jewel Cave is home to the third largest cave system in the world and the second largest in the US behind Mammoth Cave National Park. Discovered in 1900 by mining prospectors, Jewel Cave became the first national monument to protect a cave in 1908. Until the 1950s, cavers only discovered two miles of passageways. Today, explorers have mapped 215 miles of trails and still haven’t found the end.

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Read more about the article Devils Tower National Monument – Wyoming
Devil's Tower National Monument, WY

Devils Tower National Monument – Wyoming

Look at any guidebook to the Black Hills in Southwestern South Dakota and you’ll see a section about Devils Tower National Monument in neighboring Wyoming. If you’ve ever watched the movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” you’ll immediately recognize the huge rock monolith that stretches up to the sky. But to get there, you will go to the Northern Black Hills first.

Just 40 miles from the South Dakota state line, the large rock structure appeared in the far distance. One of our first clear views of the tower featured cattle grazing nonchalantly on the hilly grassland nearby. Several cars pulled over to take pictures. 

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Read more about the article Minuteman Missile National Historic Site and Wall Drug Store, SD

Minuteman Missile National Historic Site and Wall Drug Store, SD

We visited the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site on the way to Badlands National Park. The Cold War may be a thing of the past, but for many years people lived in constant fear of nuclear attack. I even remember the yellow and black fallout shelter signs posted in buildings. Until the 1990s, the US and Soviet Union adopted a strategy of “Mutually Assured Destruction.” Simply put, a country wouldn’t launch a nuclear attack because they feared nuclear retaliation by the other side.

To prepare for a nuclear attack, the US government installed hundreds of Minuteman missiles throughout the Great Plains. Offering the shortest distance over the North Pole to the USSR, the Great Plains states also provided more rural land. The Minuteman Missile National Historic Site explores this period of history with three sites, the visitor center, Delta-01 launch control center, and Delta-09 missile silo.

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Read more about the article Mt. Rushmore National Memorial – South Dakota

Mt. Rushmore National Memorial – South Dakota

We finally arrived in South Dakota – a trip two years in the making due to the pandemic. After settling into our cabin in Hill City, the first thing on our agenda was to see nearby Mt. Rushmore. 

As a huge fan of Alfred Hitchcock’s “North By Northwest,” I’ve always wanted to see the iconic monument dedicated to the four presidents. Although several friends who’d been to Mt. Rushmore said they were disappointed that it only took an hour or two to see, I was still eager to visit.

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