Sightseeing Day:
- Chapel in the Hills
- Black Hills Caverns
This morning we still weren't sure which attractions we were going to see, but after a call to the Chapel in the Hills, we found out that they were open today. So that was our destination. We really wanted to go to church on a Sunday--we miss communing with God in His house.
We arrived about 10 AM and were delighted to see this Lutheran church that is an exact replica of one in Scandinavia. The details are just beautiful in their simplicity. We sat inside for quite a while and just enjoyed being in the serenity in God's house.
Although we decided not to climb the hill to the full-fledged garden, we did peek at a few of the sculptures.
They also had a replica of a sod-roofed home. The surroundings were just beautiful and we thoroughly appreciated the craftsmanship.
Our next stop was the Black Hills Caverns. I had found two caves that were touted as easy and good for senior citizens. So, I thought that would give us a bit of the flavor and yet keep us save and level. But, I was sure in for a surprise.
Just about 10 feet inside the entry, Dave put on quite a show for us. His foot hit a wet spot that was clay slurry and off he went down the slippery slope. He did the splits (almost), but he was still upright. He continued to slide, legs apart, spinning around 180 degrees. People were trying to grab him without losing their own footing. I was behind him and all I could do was make noise--ooohhh ooohhh ooohhh. Finally, as he's sliding backwards, legs apart, he smacked into the side of the cave's jagged walls and hit his head and shoulder with a thud. He didn't get cut, so that was a good thing.
Just prior to our going down into the cave ourselves, a young girl had slipped and was taken to the hospital for 12 stitches. So, you'd think I would have said, "Nope, not for us." But, oh no, not I.
About a quarter of the way into this cave, I said, "And, whose idea was this?" Of course, it was mine. I couldn't believe we were carrying on, but what else could we do except follow the crowd. We took the EASY route, which was a 30 minute tour. I was ready to head back after 5 minutes. But, we finally made it out, as you can tell. I thought I was going to pass out for sure. I had forgotten how moist a cave is and I didn't have any of my asthma meds with me. By the time we were done, I was huffing and puffing from lung incapacity as well as exhaustion from walking uphill, downhill, ducking, sliding, and bounding off the walls. All Dave could think of was getting Advil!
Naturally, you are not supposed to touch the walls of the cave; but hey, I wasn't going to risk falling to keep a few rocks from growing forth--I think I touched every inch of the cavern along the walkway.
This photo (as dark as it is) shows the walkway we traveled. The light in the center of the picture illuminates the walkway.
We limped back to the RV and got some lunch. Dave worked on his genealogy and I worked on the blog, wrote some letters, and took a nap.
I made two dinner meals tonight so we have one ready for another day. Tonight we had chili con carne. Right now we are having a major storm with flash-flood warnings. It really sounds mean out there, we are rocking and rolling, and the hail is pounding down really hard. So, guess I'll sign off for now.
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