Adventure Date: 08/24/2020 – 08/31/2020
The first few stops of our All-American Road Trip was the Badlands National Park, Mount Rushmore, and Crazy Horse Memorial (shown in a different post). Since these were within proximity of each other, we figured it would be a good thing to have these as appetizers for our road trip.
Badlands National Park
One of the goals for our road trip was to spot as much wildlife as possible. While in the Badlands National Park, we were able to spot pronghorns, bighorn ram, bison, and prairie dogs. Fortunately for us, I had rented a telephoto lens for my DSLR, so we were able to view and take pictures of wildlife from a safe difference without disturbing them. There was a decent amount of people going through the Badlands, but everyone was practicing social distancing and wearing masks as needed when they weren’t able to social distance outside. It was a cloudy day with some sun shining through around parts of the park with temperatures still enjoyable to be outside.
Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore was pretty packed when we got here. Most people were wearing masks, but there were some who weren’t wearing them even in crowded areas. We avoided getting close to any crowded areas to stay safe. The gift shop made it mandatory to wear a mask inside, so if you didn’t have one they had some available to hand out. I did notice a few people trying to get inside without masks but the lady handling the front door had her foot planted pretty well denying anyone without a mask. Since this memorial is in the Black Hills National Forest, explore the surroundings when you’re done! The interagency pass will NOT work for this memorial. You will have to pay separately to enter.
