While the hotel breakfast did offer such things as fruit and bagels, it also had these colorful health hazards.
Instead of starting the drive home right away, we squeezed in a morning at the Reptile Gardens.
As early as 1935, Earl Brockelsby (1916 - 1993) recognized the importance of bringing tourists to the state. The Black Hills Reptile Gardens would eventually become the largest collection in the world.
The center section (or Safari room) of the large Sky Dome contained a vast array of tropical plants and animals. The top level ring housed countless exhibits of snakes and lizards, while the lower level ring was filled with spiders, bugs and many crocodilian species.
The center of the dome
Bird of Paradise ... Dutchman's Pipe
An African Gray parrot poses for Sean.
Macaws
This fun carving was a storyboard from Papau New Guinea. It depicts traditional stories, history and daily life... often with amusing or frightening events that have happened to the village.
A view of the inner dome from the top level ring
Looking down on the macaws
The start of the snake exhibits
Sharing a moment together
Snakes shed their skin in one continous piece anywhere from 4 to 12 times per year.
