round trip fee (45 minutes to Keystone, a brief stop, then back to Hill City), because the train ride was a disappointment. It meanders through the countryside, crossing the same road 19 times one-way, so it’s not exactly a wilderness experience. There was a commentary along the way, but there wasn’t enough to see to make the narrative very interesting. The part we disliked the most was the smoke and smell; instead of wood or coal, which couldn’t be used because of fire regulations, the engine used recycled motor oil for fuel. Environmentally a nice idea, but the reality was a constant cloud of blue smoke that watered our eyes and didn’t do much for the scenery. At the end of our ride, we both felt that the train would benefit from actors staging a holdup, or something to make the trip more interesting. We were also very glad that we were able to ride free…. 
Our next stop was “Bear Country USA”, which bills itself as “the home of the largest privately owned collection of black bear in the world”. Sure, we thought – after all, how many would it take to be the “largest privately owned”? Ten? Twenty? Big whoop, we thought. Then we drove through “Bear Country”……yikes! Wall-to-wall bear in all directions; sleeping, eating, walking around, sleeping, and of course, sleeping. Well over 100 bear of all sizes and colors, big ones, small ones, friendly looking ones, and not-so-friendly looking ones. As we drove through the enclosure with our windows up and doors locked (some of those bears looked sneaky!), we marveled at how many color variations there were; every shade of brown, different shades of black, even a blond or two. Unfortunately, the tinted windows and sun through the windshield resulted in poor pictures, but I did catch this one bear as he sat in one of the shaded pools – it sure looks like he’s smiling!The drive through enclosures contain separate sections for Elk, Reindeer, Bighorn Sheep, Mountain Lion, and others. After the drive, we parked to visit the more traditional “zoo” area. There were large enclosures with Badgers, Lynx, Fox, and other small animals, and they were well done….but then we came to the enclosure housing all of the bear cubs born this year. What a hoot it was! Dozens of little bears, playing, sleeping, running, jumping on each other….it was quite a show! They were all busy doing baby bear things when suddenly they froze…and all stood up on their hind legs, heads pointed in the same direction as if the move was choreographed. It was the food truck! Suddenly it was a baby bear stampede as the 30 or so hungry cubs charged the lady with the barrel of food. She quickly tossed her delivery of what looked like a nut bagel around and each bear selected one, only to quickly decide that the one that the bear next to him looked better. There were growls, bellows, squeals, and bears running everywhere – what great entertainment! There can’t me anything much more endearing than a little bear cub! Brenda, of
course named them all and wanted to take them home. Fortunately, the enclosure walls were too high for her to climb over, or our cat would have a lot of company. Our passes gave us a free admission, but even at the $16/adult fee, we’d go back and certainly recommend it to area visitors.
We’re truly enjoying our stay here in the Black Hills and have more adventures to share, so come back soon!
