Return east: Day 3.1, Devil's Tower to Rushmore

IT'S LIT UP FROM THE OTHER SIDE!!

As you can see, it's a very nice campground, nice old trees and the tower right there. Not so nice: just outside the monument, at a little junction with a post office, a convenience store, and a KOA, was probably the only music venue for 100 miles, and they were playing a very loud rock concert with a band covering late standard, fairly boring late 90s mainstream rock. Good thing I had earplugs!
 
Prairie dogs...prairie doggin'.

Sammy in the Prairie Dog Town (the official name). Prairie dog burrows stretch as far as the eye can see across this huge flat area. Some burrows go under the concrete walkways.

A work of art by a Japanese guy. He also installed sculptures at the Vatican and at a sacred Buddhist site.

Some turkeys wandered through the campground but Sammy kept me safe.

Seriously, right Greg?

A big cave, apparently. Below is a map of Jewel Cave, which, according to Wiki, has 157 mi of caverns. I didn't get to go in because access is limited to ranger-guided groups and I would have had to wait around a while.

Detail of the map.

What it might have looked like, had I been inside:

 Then I went to Mt Rushmore. Big carvings which may look familiar:

I ran a very brief loop around the grounds below the carvings themselves, because Sammy was in the hot car.

Interestingly, again according to wikipedia:
Mount Rushmore is controversial among Native Americans because the United States seized the area from the Lakota tribe after the Great Sioux War of 1876. The Treaty of Fort Laramie from 1868 had previously granted the Black Hills to the Lakota in perpetuity. 

Oops, sorry guys!




Then we drove to a trailhead to the nearby Black Elk Wilderness we (I) had some  PB&J, followed by a hike.

At left is Mt Rushmore's backside. Also neat.

Other mountains. Quite a bit of rock climbing to be had around here.

Then we got back in the can, I mean car, and drove down to Badlands NP. I was thinking of skipping it in the name of laying down some actual miles for the day, but a lady working at a highway rest area/visitor center said I'd end up being disappointed if I drove right by it (it's not much off I-90). It turned out to be very cool. Next installment.