Attractions and other places we visit.
We had a guided tour of the Seattle Mariners’ ballpark, T-Mobile Field.
But first, a stop at the team store for some swag:
T-Mobile Park home plate entrance:
The tour started at the club level:
Press boxes and suites:
Selfie:
Mariners history:
A look in a suite:
Ramp up to the 300 level:
Batting practice:
Home plate entrance chandelier:
Mariners hall of fame:
Bullpen:
An interesting tour of T-Mobile Park:
While our coach was at home, we spent a couple of nights in a hotel in Seattle (across the road from the ballpark), to attend a couple of Seattle Mariners games vs the New York Mets, at the Mariners’ ballpark, T-Mobile Field (which I’ll always think of Safeco Field).
The first game was an evening one.
We went in early via the bullpen gate, and grabbed some nachos from Edgar’s Cantina:
The crowd out by the bullpens:
Out-of-town scoreboard:
Retired numbers:
Dave Niehaus, late voice of the Mariners:
The Walk-Off Market, where you can just pick things up and walk out, via Amazon technology:
Root Sports TV set:
Welcome to T-Mobile Park:
Later we got some clam strips from Ivar’s Seafood & Chowder:
Cal heading to the bullpen:
Cal info:
Heading back:
Catching:
Run scores:
Salmon run:
Exploring the ballpark:
Seattle skyline:
Retractable roof over train tracks:
Hit It Here Cafe:
Moose:
Mariners win:
As soon as most people left, flocks of seagulls swooped in to scavage the waste food:
We like it when the Mariners win.
After visiting Little Bighorn Battlefield, we stopped by Custer Battlefield Trading Post & Cafe on the Crow Indian reservation.
Swag:
Cafe:
Menu:
We’re big fans of Indian fry bread, so had Indian tacos for dinner:
We visited Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in Montana.
Just a quick visit, after a long drive of our coach on a one night stop.
Map:
Temporary visitor center:
Custer National Cemetery:
Battlefield drive:
Battlefield markers show where soldiers fell:
Custer’s monument:
A scenic drive up Mount Coolidge in Custer State Park, then anti-clockwise through Wind Cave National Park (which is still not available for cave tours), and back through Wildlife Loop in Custer State Park, with lots of bison seen.
A fire lookout at the top of Mount Coolidge, at 6,020 feet elevation:
Views:
Bison in Wind Cave National Park:
Pigtail loop in Wind Cave National Park:
One lane bridge in Wind Cave National Park:
More bison in Wind Cave National Park:
Out of the park, along a dirt road:
To an entrance back into Wind Cave National Park:
Then joining Custer State Park’s Wildlife Loop:
Bison Center:
A map showing where the wildlife was at the time. We told the ranger that the burros were actually in the corrals in front of the Bison Center (the fence was open, so they wandered in to eat the tasty food):
Wild burros and fans:
Following that map, we found a large herd of bison:
Nice.
We enjoyed a super scenic drive though Custer State Park, along Iron Mountain Road and Needles Highway, with multiple narrow tunnels, fun twisty roads, and impressive views. Then went along the Wildlife Loop.
The map from their website; click or tap to see larger:
An interactive map of our route; we started at the Legion Lake Campground, heading northeast towards the Norbeck Overlook waypoint along the Iron Mountain Road, continuing anti-clockwise to Sylvan Lake, where we had lunch and a walk, then through the middle and clockwise around the Wildlife Loop, back to the campground:
A narrow and low tunnel:
Two narrow and low tunnels:
The second tunnel emerges to a bridge and corkscrew:
Another narrow tunnel:
This one has a peek of Mount Rushmore:
We went past Mount Rushmore on the route (been there before; not worth stopping again):
The first tunnel on the Needles Highway:
A selfie at Sylvan Lake:
We strolled along the lakeside after lunch; one of our favorite places:
Needle’s Eye:
Needle’s Eye tunnel:
More interesting rocks:
Wildlife:
While staying at the Legion Lake Campground in Custer State Park, we wandered across the road to the Legion Lake Lodge and the Dockside Grill for dinner, followed by a stroll along the lakeside.
A view of our coach from the lake parking lot:
Lake and lodge:
Turtle:
Gift store:
Dockside Grill:
A stroll along the lakeside:
A nice lake.
We visited the Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village in Mitchell, South Dakota, which includes a museum and a covered archeological dig site.
Exhibits in the museum:
Sculpture:
The “Archeodome” covers an archeological dig site:
Interesting stuff.
We stopped by the World’s Only Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota (Wikipedia info). It’s a multi-use arena decorated in corn and other grains, with the decorations changing each year:
Inside continues the corn theme:
Sheets for coloring:
The arena was set up with swag for sale, with more corn art around the walls:
We bought some interesting popcorn:
An interesting place.
We visited the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area.
According to Wikipedia, it is the largest mall in the United States, the largest in the Western Hemisphere, and the twelfth largest shopping mall in the world.
We had dinner at Shake Shack (first time we’ve seen one since we visited New York years ago):
In addition to being a huge mall, the center is filled with an amusement park:
Minnesot-ah!:
It’s an impressive mall… but still just a mall.