We skipped breakfast and FINALLY made it to our first Planet Fitness for two hydro massages and a work out. We showered there, and then headed to Deadwood. The Planet Fitness was in Rapid City and was 45 minutes from Deadwood and 35 minutes from our campground in Keystone. Straight from Keystone to Deadwood is just a little over an hour.

Deadwood is a gold mining town founded in 1876. Today, it is filled with casinos, restaurants, and shops, so there’s lots to do. It has a very fun and historical vibe with stagecoaches passing by and reenactments in the street often. There is a public parking garage that has a flat rate of $10 to park for up to 24 hours.

We were able to watch a free, live reenactment of Wild Bill’s death inside Saloon No.10. It was really informative and entertaining. Very worth the wait and FREE!!

We were bad and ate out for lunch (but we had worked out AND we had skipped breakfast 🤷‍♀️). We had burgers and fries at Mustang Sally’s on Main Street. I had the “86” burger covered in fried jalapeños and onions, and Jim had a bacon cheeseburger. I’m not sure if it was because we had been eating healthy meals in the camper or just that the burgers were actually delicious, but either way – they were delicious. The price wasn’t terrible either in such a touristy area. The burgers were $15.95 each and came with a large helping of fries. Service was fast and friendly.

After Deadwood, we drove back to Keystone (just over an hour) and walked its Boardwalk. It’s A LOT of souvenir shops, restaurants, and snack shops like ice cream and candy. It did have an “Old West” feel to it, and it was enjoyable to walk around. If my Dad’s reading this—you would definitely call it a “Tourist Trap”. 😆

There are famous chainsaw woodcarvers in Keystone named the Dahls. We stopped to look at their work and get a picture with the “World’s Largest” Big Foot carving. They are set up in a parking lot that’s free to park and you can park close.

After walking the Boardwalk at Keystone, we headed to Mount Rushmore (only 10 minutes from Keystone). We had a whole new appreciation for its creation after watching a free movie in the museum showing how it was made. The use of dynamite and workers hanging on swings carving and drilling was unbelievable.

Mount Rushmore has free admission, but costs $10 to park. The parking pass is good for a full year of entry. It’s open from 5 am until 11 pm March – September. It’s open every day of the year except Christmas. They light up the sculpture at 9:00 every night. We were too tired to stick around for that. 🤦‍♀️

After touring, we tried Thomas Jefferson’s very own vanilla ice cream at “Carver’s Cafe” on site. They claim to use the original recipe of Thomas Jefferson himself. It was delicious (apparently the theme of the day😆).

For dinner, we ate healthy again with salads. It was a very full and fun day. I’m still not used to the 2 hour time change though!