June 8, 2014. Custer State Park. Rapid City, South Dakota

Breakfast fit for a president!

Although the morning was a little on the rainy side, we thought breakfast at the State Game Lodge in Custer State Park sounded like a nice idea.  We took Hwy 16 through the Black Hills National Forest and were oohing and ahhing the whole way.  We even let out a little gasp upon meeting a small motorhome as we drove. What was he thinking??

We had just passed this tunnel when we met the motorhome.

The State Game Lodge was the summer White House of President Calvin Coolidge in 1927.  President Eisenhower also stayed there in June 1953.  

Our breakfast was great, however, I was greatly disappointed in the dining room.  It was not a part of the original building and was very different from what I had imagined.  I was able to see the original presidential dining room and even peeked into the suite of President Coolidge.

After breakfast we continued our drive through the park.  Some distant buffalo and a few donkeys were the only wildlife we saw within the park.

After leaving the park, we passed some bighorn sheep on the roadside just outside of Hill City and then saw another on the opposite side of the highway.  We were so excited!  We found a place to turn around and went back to get pics, but as we approached the second sheep, we discovered they were actually statues.  I can only imagine the people sitting inside their house laughing at us!  Oh well.

We spent two nights at Whispering Pines Campground on Hwy 385 between Rapid City and Deadwood.  It was a cute and peaceful little park.  When we met the owner, we discovered that he and his wife were from Idaho!