This morning was the most relaxing we've had since we've begun our trip. We were able to sleep in and take our leisurely time getting ready. We decided to go spelunking today, although it was more like "caving" since we took a path that was already laid out for us and we were led by a tour guide. The cave that we visited was called the Wind Cave.
Wind Cave is a large cave, approximately 100 miles, discovered by the Native Americans, though they never explored it because they saw it as sacred. In the 1890's a young man named Alvin McDonald came across the cave and began to explore it and map it out himself. Using only a candle, he was able to map out many of the extensive passageways that contain boxwork, popcorn, and frostwork formations. Wind Cave is not home to any animals and has very few stalactites and stalagmites. In McDonald's diary he wrote, "Have given up the idea of finding the end of Wind Cave." Even today, the cave is still being explored and mapped out.
We stopped for lunch in a homey little place called Dahl's Restaurant before continuing on to the Mammoth Site. The Mammoth Site is an indoor excavation that holds the fossils of 58 Columbian and woolly mammoths. We took a tour through the excavation site and were able to see the new discoveries that had been made. It was so interesting to see the whole skeleton structure of a mammoth cemented in limestone. Not only were there mammoths found but also camels, lions, wolves, and giant bears that became trapped in a sinkhole thousands of years ago.
This is our last day in South Dakota. When we got here we weren't sure what to expect but we ended up in a nice cozy cabin near town. It truly is beautiful here but we are ready to move on. We will take a day before we reach Yellowstone National Park where we'll be staying for a week.
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