We were the only passengers to take the 1880 Train ride to Keystone and board the tour bus there. The rest of our tour bus passengers took the all you can eat pancakes and chuck wagon dinner package starting at Fort Hays.
Our Tour Guide, Bill Martin, was great. He shared his knowledge of the history of the area with his own personal experiences, the experiences of friends he knew, and incorporated music and humor to keep us enthused about our tour the entire day. He had jokes to keep the children interested. In a word, he was fantastic.
The bus was very comfortable. We were on a tour bus the day before in 94 degree temps in Deadwood where the air conditioning could not keep up with the hot temperatures and we couldn't open any windows. The contrast of riding the two buses was remarkable.
It was so nice not having to drive to all these different sites and just be able to sit back and enjoy everything.
Our trip to Mount Rushmore was excellent but we were disappointed that the Parade of Flags section was closed because of renovations (not the tour company's fault).
We only saw 2 bison in Custer State Park but again that was not the fault of the tour company.
Had a chance to taste bison at the lodge eating bison stew. It was very tasty.
The highlight of our tour was in the tunnel at Needles Highway but I will not give away what happened there so others can enjoy the same experience. Bill was outstanding and had the entire bus in stitches and clapping.
All in all, this was just a fantastic bus tour and I highly recommend it to everyone. I hope you get Bill as your tour guide.
Also want to say the tour company itself was excellent. They answered all my emailed questions prior to our trip and sent an email reminder to us the day before the tour so we knew where to meet and at what time for the tour. Great customer service!