The first stop of the day was at Tantanka: Story of the Bison. This is an attraction created and owned by Kevin Costner and is found a few miles north of Deadwood.
The museum is small, but has interesting displays and a small gift shop. Our tour guide was very informative about bison and the animals' role in the life of the Lakota (Sioux). She also spoke about Lakota history and how they lived before white men moved in to the area. The guide was actually of Cheyenne heritage. She has a degree in American Indian Studies and has lived in South Dakota most of her life, I believe.
Outside the main building there are tipis and then the pièce de résistance, a huge sculpture of a bison hunt. This larger than life bronze sculpture features 14 bison pursued by 3 Native American horseback riders. It is very impressive.
We then drove through Sturgis, home of the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, on the way to Rapid City. The Rally is usually held the first part of August, so we did not have to compete for camping space during our stay in the Black Hills. We DID see many motorcyles in this whole region of South Dakota. It's almost like bikers like to make a "pilgrimage" to Sturgis even if they don't attend the event.
We did some needed grocery shopping in Rapid City and decided to head towards Keystone. It just wouldn't be a Black Hills vacation if we didn't go to the Black Hills Maze, so that was the first order of business. The promotional material states that it is one of the world's largest mazes. Over 1.2 miles of walkways, bridges, and stairs are included. A new, challenging configuration is created every two weeks. Visitors search their way to all four towers, stamped a card at each, and then find the exit. Staff stamp your card at the beginning and the end so that you can see how long it took to finish the Maze.
Chris finished first, two minutes before Kathy. Both took about 1 hour and 20 minutes to finish. Luckily we were not quite slow enough to be included on the posted "Board of Shame" that shows the slowest times for the last few configurations! Traveling through the Maze can be extremely frustrating, but it's also fun to face the challenge and finally finish! Highly recommended for all types of families! (The last time Kathy and her kids visited, all four teens finished well ahead of her. They sat on the hill side outside and heckled while she continually back-tracked trying to find the way to the final tower!)
More to come...
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