Well, if you're of a mind to do so, send me a PM and we could arrange a hook up! Or maybe we'll at least see you at church...
Which church do you attend?
Oh wow, yeah, no… we stay up in Spearfish. No way I’m driving down to Rapid City for church. But thanks anyway!
No, virtually all of the original visitor facilities were replaced in the 1990's. The new facilities are nice and better suited for handling a large visitor load, but they're also less charming and intimate. As a kid I worked at a nearby ice cream shop for a man that had worked with Borglum carving the mountain, and he arranged for us climb to the top, in 2003! Quite a privilege...
I went to elementary school in Hill City for a few years - a looong time ago - and it's really turned into a nice town since then. Recently had lunch at the Alpine Inn there - great German food!
I see you're in Windom, MN. My Dad's family is from just up the road in Mt. Lake (all gone now). One of my Aunts worked at the Windom hospital during the 1940's. Small world...
Do you know if they close down in the off season? I’d love to go visit in early Nov!
That certainly is a privilege! There's a camp that one of my friends counseled at on the way to Hill City from Rapid. He once took me on a hike that brought us up to the federal property line behind the faces - that's the closest I ever got to being on top of Mt. Rushmore!
You're in luck - they're open year round! They serve a full German menu for lunch, and a very limited but scrumptious filet mignon based dinner. Quite resonable South Dakota prices too. Oh, and they're cash only, but there is an ATM in the lobby.
Must have been Camp Judson, a Baptist church camp that also rents out to other Christian groups. Nice place, been there a few times over the years.
There's two in the pictures, Bridal-veil and Roughlock, both in Spearfish Canyon.
Yeah, that's the one! I never attended the camp, just used the grounds for hiking with my buddy. I don't know much about the camp itself, but the scenery is beautiful, as evidenced by the rest of the Black Hills in your photos!
Alpine Inn is great for a special meal in Hill City, but my wife and I loved taking the drive out to Custer so we could have Burger and Bun Co's burgers. South Dakota beef and bison, doesn't get much better than that. Also Armadillo's ice cream in Rapid.
Yeah, the owners of Armadillo’s are old family friends and go to our church!
Whaaaat, that's awesome! When we lived there, my wife and I would stop all throughout the summer for their limited time flavors. I'm not proud to admit this, but our last week there, we probably went to Armadillo's every night. We couldn't bear the thought of parting with the delicious soft serve!
