So on Thursday, May 1st, T.J. and I drove into Rapid City to see the Chapel in the Hills, also known as "Stav Kirke". This Norwegian-style wooden chapel is a replica of the oldest and best preserved stave church still standing in Norway, built in 1150. The chapel in Rapid City was dedicated in 1969 by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
The grounds have three distinct buildings. Of course, the most notable is the chapel itself. It had detailed woodwork in medieval style.
There was also a museum that was a restored 1800's log cabin originally owned by Norwegian settlers. The third building was a sod-roofed gift shop.
Later that same day, we drove to Mount Rushmore again, this time to see it lit up at night. It was neat to see, but we all agree that it is better to see it in the daytime.
The next day we prepared to leave the area, and Steve's airplane was supposed to arrive in Rapid City that night. However, due to inclement weather in Colorado, he ended up sleeping in the Denver airport and arriving in Rapid City the next morning. Regardless of the rough night, we still packed up and headed out of the Black Hills on Saturday, May 3rd.
