Spearfish, SD

Fri (8-26-11):   Travel day today up to Spearfish, SD.  We are camped at Chris' Camp (Good SAM) [800-350-2239] for the next 4 nights. There is a Walmart Supercenter here at 2825 1st Ave and a Culvers nearby too. After we checked in, we drove over to Sturgis to see what Buffalo Chip looked like after bike week and also went thru the motorcycle museum in town.

Entrance to Buffalo Chip in Sturgis, SD

Then we headed into Deadwood where the action was--it is Kool Deadwood Nites Car Show Weekend in Deadwood, SD.  We ate a buffet dinner of - guess what - crab legs.  Not quite as good as the ones back at the Terrible's Casino in Iowa, but good enough.  Then we walked down the street to where the bands were playing.  The street is closed off to traffic and people had set up their chairs to listen to the bands.  You could buy beer and take it outside and drink it as long as you stayed in the event area. The hit of the night was "The Spinners".  There are still two of the original singers still performing.  Saw a guy dressed in "Crown Royal" pants so had to take a picture.  We (Patty and I) had a great time dancing on the sidewalk to all the old tunes the bands played.  Some folks even sat in the windows on the second floor of the businesses up and down the street.

The Spinners

Crown Royal Pants

Our View of the Stage in Deadwood

View up the Main Street in Deadwood

Sat (8-27-11):   Drove out to see Devil's Tower today with some other stops along the way.  As we drove into WY, we stopped at the Wyoming Visitor Center and picked up some brochures for our sightseeing there.  Wyoming's State Flag has a bison on it.

WY Visitor Center

We noticed that there was a Vore Buffalo Jump just up the road so we decided to stop and take the tour for $5.00 each and we sure are glad that we did!  Today was the perfect day too because the owner of the land was there to give the tour so we got to talk to him about his huge family ranch and hear about his grandfather and grandmother, who had homesteaded the land there.  This jump is a natural sink hole.  Different Plains Indian tribes used it as a bison trap throughout the 1500-1700's.  They have discovered that there are 22 layers of well preserved bones and artifacts. 

Amazingly Preserved Bison Bones at the Vore Buffalo Jump

When we left the buffalo jump, it was time to find a picnic spot for lunch.  We drove into the little town if Aladdin, WY (population 16) and had our lunch across the street from the Aladdin General Store.

Aladdin WY Country Store

Devil's Tower from a Distance

Prairie Dog Town below Devil's Tower

Can You Find Me?

 

Two Women Climbers Almost to the Top

After we left Devil's Tower, we stopped in Sundance for Happy Hour.  Saw the jail where they locked up the Sundance Kid.

Sun (8-28-11):  Drove the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway today and stopped for lunch where we got another Indian Fry Bread.  The picture in the middle of this website looked just like what we had.  This one was even better than the one we had back in the Badlands.

Mon (8-29-11): My Birthday! Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Mrs. April SMITH!

 

Checked out the town of Spearfish, SD today.  Few neat shops but not much more.  Decided to try the  Spearfish Chophouse and Whiskey Bar for dinner which we had noticed yesterday as we drove down the Spearfish Scenic Byway, and the food was wonderful. Didn't expect such a wonderful meal out here in this area. Mojitos were to die for and only $3.00!

 

Hill City, SD

Sun (8-21-11): Traveled from the Badlands to Rapid City for a stop at the Wal Mart to stock up and then on to Hill City, SD.  We are here at Rafter J Bar Ranch (Good SAM) [888-723-8375] for the next 5 nights.  Would highly recommend this campground--spacious campsites, WiFi, etc!  Central location to all that we will be touring this week.  This afternoon we drove up to see the Crazy Horse Memorial and then drove back into Hill City this evening for a little shop browsing and buffalo burgers at the Desperado Restaurant.

Crazy Horse, Patty Hellrung and Donna Tolson

Mon (8-22-11): This morning, we took a hike around the Sylvan Lake, a drive down the Needles Highway and through Custer State Park.  And as usual, we packed a picnic lunch and ate in the park.  Later that day we had a beer at a swinging door bar, did some shopping and had dinner in Custer, SD.

Sylvan Lake

 Sylvan Lake Hike Took Us Through This Tunnel

Eye of the Needle

Chuck and Larry in Front of Tunnel that we had to Drive Thru on Needles Hwy

This big Buffalo was walking down the road just before we found the picnic area in Custer SP.

Our Custer SP Picnic Lunch

 

Custer State Park Antelope

Tue (8-23-11):  Morning downtime today for us while the Hellrungs rode the 1880's train from Hill City to Keystone and back.  This afternoon we drove over to the Wind Cave NP and took the Fairgrounds cave tour which lasted 1-1/2 hrs and required negatiating 450 stairs.  This was a great thing to do has it was very HOT outside this afternoon and about 54 deg in the cave!  This cave is unlike any of the other caves that we have ever toured.  The formations were boxworks (thin, honeycomb-shaped structures of calcite that protrude from the walls and ceilings), popcorn and frostwork formations.  This cave is dry inside and nothing is dripping inside.  There is only one natural opening to this cave which was found when two brothers, Jesse and Tom Bingham, heard a loud whistling noise.  The sound led them to a small hole in the ground.  The wind was said to blow with such force out of the hole that it knocked Jesse's hat off.  There are colored ribbons hung from the tree above this cave entrance as the Native Americans consider this cave as sacred.

First Discovered Entrance to Wind Cave and Ribbons in Tree Above

Wind Cave Boxworks

Wind Cave Frostworks (left) and Popcorn Formations on Left

 

This park also has many animals roaming the fields around the cave--buffalo, prairie dogs, antelope, and even saw a herd of elk late in the afternoon.  We also saw many, many deer out in the fields at dusk on the way back to campground.

Wind Cave National Park Buffalo

Wed (8-24-11):  Mount Rushmore and Keystone, SD; free wine tasting at the Prairieberry Winery (bought some Red Ass Rhubard--GOOD), dinner and shopping back in Hill City.

Upclose View of Mt Rushmore

 

Gutzon Borglum Model of What he was Going to Carve on the Mountain

 

Donna and Chuck Tolson at Mt Rushmore, SD

Thu (8-25-11):  Down day to get laundry done and rest up.  I'm having a rough day with a cold.  Hope to be better tomorrow!

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Mitchell, Badlands, Wall, & Interior, SD

Thu (8-18-11):  Got up this morning and headed over to visit the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD.  We got there just in time to see an interesting movie about the Corn Palace and then got a tour of the inside with an explanation of the corn murals.  Of course they have a gift shop set up just inside where you can shop after the tour--imagine that!  NOTE:  Just click on a picture and it will enlarge!

Corn Palace Panel

Inside of the Corn Palace

DonnaT and PattyH Shopping at the Corn Palace

We continued driving west on I90 where you could see for miles and miles because of the gentle rolling hills.  Saw lots of corn and wheat fields and also fields and fields of sunflowers.

Miles and Miles of Sunflowers Along I90 in SD

We drove south thru the Badlands National Park to Interior, SD where we are camped at the Badlands/White River KOA [800-562-3897] for the next 3 nights.  We ate at the campground tonight and each had an Indian Taco made on Indian Fry Bread which was very good.  This was cooked by one of the Full Time Work Campers here at the park.  [They were work camping in Virginia Beach up until last June.]

Fri (8-19-11):  Destination today was looking for the white prairie dogs, visiting the Minuteman Missile Control Center and Silo, Wall Drug, back thru another one of the roads in the Bad Lands, and a drive thru the very depressed town on Interior, SD.

Badlands SD White Prairie Dog

Wall Drug--LarryH Checking Out the View

Remind you of Stan and Ollie?

LarryH Trying on Hats at Wall Drug

Wall Drug--PattyH and DonnaT Getting a Hug from a Cowboy!

Minuteman Missles Control Center

Door to the Control Center Where the Keys to Launch are Contained--WORLD-WIDE DELIVERY IN 10 MINUTES OR LESS OR THE NEXT ONE IS FREE!

Control Room Where the Keys Are Kept in Red Box for a Missile Launch

Minuteman Missile II Site off I90 in SD

Buffalo In the Badlands

Burrowing Owl Hiding Behind a Buffalo Chip--CUTE!

Prairie Dog With Hole Right Next to the Road

A little hard to read here, but it says:  "I was born of wagons west.  The oldest town in the Badlands.  I've known drought and winters fierce storms.  Three times fire has swept my streets yet, my rodeos were known through out the N west.  Yakima Knute - Stroud - Earl Thode, champions all have ridden my arenas.  The great Jim Thorpe has played my fields.  The early music of Lawrence Welk has sounded in my nights.  This is a land that bred great indian chiefs and mighty warriers.  A land of neighbors.  WELCOME - TRAVELER."

This evening it was pretty windy at the campground, so after happy hour, LarryH decided to get his trick kite out and we headed for the field behind the campground.  It was fun watching his maneuvers and nose dives!

Happy Hour at Badlands/White River KOA

Larry Hellrung Flying his Trick Kite

Sat (8-20-11):  Went to the Badlands Visitor Center this morning and watched an interesting film about the Badlands.  Then we headed out to take another road where there were some hiking trails.  We did a short trail, but it was a strenuous one almost straight up.  At the end, we were high above the valley up on the meadow plateau.  What a wonderful view!  On the trek down, we found a fossil sticking out of the rocks.  Of course we left it there, but took a picture.  After all this exercise, we continued on up the road looking for an empty picnic table!  Being Saturday, shaded picnic tables were hard to come by, but we finally found one. 

View of Badlands from Visitor Center

Donna on Trail up to the Top of the Badlands

Looking Down from the Top of the Trail

View of the Grasslands at the Top

Fossil Sticking Out of the Rock We Found on Our Hike to the Top

 Yellow Rock in Badlands

Lunch in the Badlands in the Shade--Larry and Patty Hellrung and Chuck Tolson

Swallows Nesting Under the Bridge Next to the Campground

Windmill Near the Badlands KOA

At dusk this evening, we drove back into the Badlands to a spot that we were told we might see some animals.  We did see some Big Horn Sheep and a Golden Eagle in the distance but got a closeup view of wild turkeys flying up into a tree to nest for the night.

Turkeys Nesting for the Night

Golden Eagle in Badlands

Sundown at the Badlands

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