Origin Stories, Elaborate Graffiti, and Aliens!

National Parks side quests - Wind Cave, Mount Rushmore, and Devil's Tower

I admit that Wind Cave was an afterthought. It isn’t on my list of must-see parks. But it is only five miles from Custer State Park, so why wouldn’t we make the trip, nock another park off the list, and maybe see something cool?

Unfortunately, tours of the cave were closed until sometime this fall due to a complete replacement and modernization of the antiquated elevator system.

I was bummed.

Wind Cave is one of the world’s oldest and most complex cave systems, with rare features including intricate boxwork—thin calcite formations that resemble honeycombs.

The cave earned its name from how air rushes in and out of the natural opening. The site is called Maka Oniye, or “breathing earth” in the Lakota language.

Above ground, the park includes the US's largest remaining natural mixed-grass prairie.

It is also a site deeply sacred to the Lakota and Cheyenne.

In their oral creation story, the cave is the birthplace of the Lakota nation. It is the place where the Pte Oyate (Buffalo Nation) emerged from Mother Earth to become Ikce Wicasa (Common People).

I feel like I missed out on experiencing something deeply spiritual, but it was well worth the drive through South Dakota’s Black Hills and over the pristine mixed-grass prairie.

Sometimes, things are beautiful, even when they don’t go the way you had planned.

Mount Rushmore was also a side quest on my national park tour. It’s only a half-hour drive from Custer State Park. It seemed un-American to be that close and not see it, so we decided to swing by on our way to Yellowstone.

The drive to get there takes you through winding back roads with amazing views of South Dakota’s Black Hills. You get your first glimpse of Rushmore right outside of the park. It pokes up well above the treeline, and the sculpted faces shine oddly white against the more subdued grays of the rock face.

It featured prominently during the entire drive, popping up perfectly framed in road tunnels repeatedly. It felt like some cheesy patriotic music should be playing in some background soundtrack.

Honestly, I think the best views of Rushmore are on the drive, but if you want to get up close and personal, a trip to the super-crowded visitor center is a must. And elbowing your way through crowds and getting shoulder-checked by tourists are all part of the Rushmore experience.

This isn’t about nature at all.

“I can’t believe there is this much ruckus over a defaced mountain.”

“Oh, I think there are plenty of faces on that mountain,” my husband answered. Sliding in a cheesy dad joke seemed somehow appropriate for the occasion.

The mountain the sculptor Gutzon Borglum chose to carve the likenesses of presidents Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln into was known to the Lakota as the “Six Grandfathers.” It is surrounded by pristine ponderosa pine forests and gorgeous granite spires.

The carving was completed over 14 years by a team of more than 400 men using dynamite and jackhammers. They removed more than 450,000 tons of rock during the process.

I drove away thinking I would have much rather seen the mountain. It’s an impressive feat, but it’s really just excessively elaborate graffiti.

We decided to squeeze in one final side quest before heading to Yellowstone - Devils Tower.

Devils Tower, one of the most impressive geological formations in the US, rises 1,267 feet above the Belle Fourche River.

The Tower, also known as Bear Lodge, is a sacred place to over twenty Native American tribes. Indigenous tribes have held ceremonies and told stories at the site for thousands of years. It is central to the oral histories of Plains tribes, who believe the site has spiritual powers that protect tribe members.

Devils Tower was designated America's first national monument in 1906 (Thanks, T.R.!), long before it appeared in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

It was well worth the extra travel time. I found myself just muttering “wow” over and over again.

No extraterrestrials were spotted during our visit.