Iron Mountain Road - South Dakota

We didn't work at the campground today so we took a drive up Iron Mountain Road. So many U-turns you had no idea what direction you were going. We almost didn't get out of Custer because there was a parade down Main street so we meandered around the residential areas trying to bypass Main Street. At one point we almost ended up in the parade.

Iron Mountain Road is really, really twisty. Has three really narrow tunnels and you can see Mt Rushmore framed in the tunnels. Carole took a pic of the Bug going thru one. We came across a herd of buffalo and stopped to take pictures - they were only about twenty feet away from us. Down the road a little further we found the loose donkeys!! Apparently the miners just turned them loose when the mines closed. They hang out by the roadside begging from the drivers. We started out with a loaf of bread and fed the entire loaf to them. At one point we had three trying to put their heads into Carole's window - it kind of scared her. They're so tame that they won't hurt you. I got out and was feeding them especially a mother and her baby.

We next stopped at a place called the Wolf People. They have two really tame wolves - one white and one black. The black one is only about 17 months old and still pretty much a baby. He comes to the fence and whines to be petted. You can reach thru and pet him and he licks and licks your fingers. The white female trys to get some attention but the male pushes her away. He wants it all for himself. They also had some really nice bronze statues of wolves, buffalo and an elk.

The weather has been perfect for me (too cold at night for Carole). The days are in the low 80's and the nights are in the fifties - good sleeping weather.