Baa-ing Sheep and Lantern Light

WanderWest Day 5 Adventures

I started the day with a walk around the Rapid City neighborhood and couldn’t figure out the pattern behind the street names—Dolphin Ln, Steeler Ln, Colt Ln, Patriot Ln, Bronco Ln, Bengal Dr, Viking Dr, and Milehigh Ave. As I climbed a big hill, it finally dawned on me: the entire neighborhood is NFL-themed! A quick look at Google Maps confirmed it—there were even streets called Eli Dr, Giants Dr, and Marino Dr. Such a random and hilarious discovery to kick off the morning.

After packing up and checking out of our Airbnb, we set off for our next adventure: the Historic Lantern Tour at Jewel Cave deep in the Black Hills Forest.

Before the tour even began, we made a core memory that had us all in stitches. As we pulled into the parking lot, a herd of Big Horn Sheep leisurely crossed in front of us. Olivia and I rolled down our windows to snap photos, and she started making baa-ing noises. One sheep paused, locked eyes with us, and started heading straight for the car. Without missing a beat, Dan said, “Don’t call it over! If it rams the car, I’m going to be so mad at you.” For a second, we weren’t sure if he was serious—then the whole car burst into laughter. Dan insists the sheep was giving us shifty eyes, and he was genuinely worried. Okay, Dan. We’re still cracking up about it—maybe we were just delirious.

Ranger Tom, our guide (fun fact—he’s from Maryland!), led us into the cave’s historic entrance, where we quickly descended into pitch-black darkness lit only by our lanterns. The half-mile route wound through low, narrow passages and included about 500 steep wooden steps (basically ladders). We bent, stooped, and duck-walked along the unpaved, rocky trail—good thing none of us are claustrophobic, because it was intensely close quarters.

Since we didn’t bring our phones, all we have are our memories. Maddie’s highlight was spotting a tiny bat fluttering near the entrance. Olivia enjoyed the adventure but was disappointed there weren’t any stalactites or stalagmites. Dan loved the steel ladders and tight crevices we squeezed through. My favorite moment was in the Heaven Room, where we all turned off our lanterns and stood together in total, perfect darkness—it was absolutely surreal.

We came, we conquered, and we all agreed it was an unforgettable experience…but one we probably don’t need to repeat.

Finally, we said goodbye to South Dakota and drove 395 miles through Wyoming and into Montana. The ride was long but beautiful—snow-dusted Big Horn Mountains, Devil’s Tower silhouetted in the distance, and dramatic rainstorms sweeping across the plains. We somehow managed to dodge every storm and stayed dry the whole way.

When we reached our next Airbnb, the girls needed to burn off some energy, so we explored the most charming neighborhood. We capped off the evening with ice cream from a cute local coffee shop before heading back to relax.