Small Town Mentality

      We landed late in the evening in a small one horse town called Tea, the sites were small compared to some we had been in, but the family owned RV Park made up for that with the atmosphere. They had a pool, laundry, a trail around a soy bean field, lots of shade and wonderful friendly neighbors. Some of these make the trek from Arizona in the winter to Tea, SD in the summer, true snowbirds; a dream we were waiting patiently on ourselves.

      

     Work had landed us back in this area, the hubby had a few weeks’ worth ahead of him and after that we were on our own. The owners of this park were very friendly; they worked with us on the rent and let us pay it as we got it. We have to always be sure to not burn any bridges with any of the parks we stay in as we never know when we may be back in the area in the future. The owners had their son, daughter-n-law and grandchild that lived on site too; there’s and ours were just the right age to play and swim together. They hit it off nicely, like two kindred spirits that had known each other for years; but then again children seem to do this.

      

My view on my morning walk on the outskirts of the Red Barn RV Park, Tea, SD

     Our days were spent in the park mostly because we had visited the zoo a month ago while in Sioux Falls. The daily routine quickly became breakfast, a quick play with her friend, watching some TV and then a dip in the pool before dinner. You would think this in itself would get monotonous and boring but it was actually very relaxing, knowing what would come next. The only worry we had was to find the work to pay the bills; this task was helped by with the boss we had followed back to his home city of Sioux Falls.

      

     The hubby had a job working on the boss’s family’s house, then a few days off, before starting a framing job. This was not one of his favorite jobs as the supervisor here would gripe about the workers stopping work only to take a drink of water, in 90+ degree heat! This job didn’t last but a few days, by the hubby’s decision. The next position we found was interesting, it was bee keeping on Mormon land. It was interesting in the fact that the hubby wasn’t sure if he was allergic to the bees or not; turned out the allergies had been outgrown, but I was one worried wife during the days he was gone. He learned new trades in this position too, something we’re always looking forward to; you can never have too many trades under your belt.

      

     Just before we left this beautiful family run RV Park, he got a position working with geo-thermal heating/cooling. Another great trade to have, I only wish time had permitted us to stay longer and learn more on this one. Imaging heating and cooling your home with only air flowing through pipes placed deep into the ground, your house would stay a comfortable 68˚ year round. The only electricity used was to pump the air through these pipes, not to power the compressor for an A/C or heat up the coils on a heater. I was very interested in learning this one as I would love to install in our future home to cut electricity costs tremendously.

      

     We had stayed in touch with the co-workers from Rapid City, one being very determined to have the hubby trek back across the state and work for him. After some convincing from him, we decided to take another ride back West across the great state of South Dakota. If you’re keeping counting that would be a total of 3 trips across this state on I90 in a matter of a couple of months. After staying in Tea for a month we had really gotten to know the owners and neighbors here, I will miss them terribly but it is also on my list of ‘stop again’ areas in my travel book. 

     

not one of my favs, but then again I'm still a work in progress too

     The lil one had gotten to go to a carnival with her friend before we left, compliments of the owners; they knew we were struggling to find work and thought she needed a good time before we left. This park really defines ‘family run’ and they truly made us feel like family while here; so much so that I painted a canvas of the badlands for her as a gift. It was time to take that leap of faith again and go back West.

Until next time…..

Learn to smile at every situation.  See it as an opportunity to prove your strength and ability.  ~Joe Brown

Backtracking East on I90

      We woke up on a beautiful June morning overlooking Rapid City for what was to be the last time on this very steep hillside that had been carved out for the RV Park. I wasn’t going to miss the steep climb to the laundry or to walk the dog but I was going to miss this wonderful city with all of its history. After a hot cup of coffee overlooking the hills and ravine surrounding us, it was time to get to work sliding in and hooking up the rig.

     

last time to have a hot cup of joe overlooking this scenery

     We are slowly getting better with getting everything ready to go; instead of three days, we’ve gotten it down to two. I know to some of you this may not seem like a very big accomplishment but to us it is.  Can you imagine packing up a two bedroom house with all of your belongings and getting it loaded on the truck in a matter of only two days? I can’t either, that is why I am happy about our being able to do this in our rig, much faster than a year ago when we started full timing.

      

     One very important lesson we learned at this park; bed rails on your tow vehicle are NOT a good idea. They look good when the truck is unhooked and riding alone but when you get it in a pinch they will do some damage to the underside of your fifth wheel rig. Yep, you guessed it! While pulling out we put a small hole in the underside of the rig that has treated us so good on this journey. The hole was smaller than my hand and we were out of time at this park meaning there was no time to call the insurance company and wait for repairs. It was time, for better or worse, to hit the road again.

      

     
     Seeing as we had already traveled this same exact path only a month before, I didn’t bother with dragging out the camera for pictures. There wasn’t much that had changed in the scenery in these past few weeks. The lil one settled down with a movie and we got ready for a long, boring, monotonous 6 hr. ride across the state of South Dakota again. We were heading from the very west side of the state back to the very east side, back tracking like this is not the norm for us; but work required it.

      

     We had run through all our saved funds for this particular trip in these quickly passing four weeks, but we did get to see and do all the great things Rapid City offered us as tourists. On the lil one’s list of accomplishments was getting to see buffalo at Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore Monument and the most impressive site being Crazy Horse, as her bloodline ties her to this site. She did learn the faces on top of Mount Rushmore and to this day can still tell you the first President of the United States. If we can experience it firsthand the knowledge sticks in the ever growing brain we are feeding.

           

miles upon miles of this

     

     After a very long day traveling up and down the rolling hills of I90, sometimes not even making it up to 45mph going uphill, we landed in a small town outside of Sioux Falls. I had researched the area previously and quickly found that they didn’t have very many RV Parks to suit our needs. This time we decided to stay just outside of the city in a small town called Tea, this ended up being one of the best parks we had been in to date.

Until next time…..

And that's the wonderful thing about family travel:  it provides you with experiences that will remain locked forever in the scar tissue of your mind.  ~Dave Barry

It is Never 'Goodbye'

     It was nearing our time to leave Rapid City, SD and the very special friends we had made; vowing to always keep in touch. Facebook seemed to make this a much easier job than it would have been years ago. While here we had met a special couple, Lakota Rick (the nickname we gave him only to remember exactly who they were, I’m terrible with names) and his wife Kathy. They quickly became family to us if only in our hearts, they followed the Native ways as closely as possible; something we try to do.

     

     They were two of the few people we got to say goodbye to before hitting the road. There was but one more place the hubby needed to see before heading out, Bear Butte; it was an honor to have Lakota Rick and his wife go with us. We had to make a pit stop and buy tobacco as an offering for our prayers, one of the many traditions still followed by the Natives. We made a detour and zoomed through Sturgis; after hearing I hadn’t been there yet, they felt I had to at least see the town before heading out.

                   

     

     It was nothing that I had imagined, considering all the activity and visitors this small sleepy prairie town had all of one week a year. The most notable site were the huge white letters perched on the side of a mountain to let tourists know they were in Sturgis, a good photo op but nothing to really write home about. Our next stop was the one we were really looking forward, Bear Butte. It was hard for the lil one to contain the energy and curiosity from learning about another piece of the Sioux heritage.  While traveling down the highway it didn’t take long for this magnificent mountain to appear, you could see it across the barren plains for miles before actually reaching the winding road up to the base of this mountain.

     

Following Lakota Rick and Kathy to Bear Butte

     
     We pulled in to what is now Bear Butte State Park and explored the visitor center.  The hubby and the lil one, both of whom have Sioux blood running through their veins, went up the trail for a bit to place their offering and pray.  I stayed with the puppy in the only shade possible as I felt this was something the two of them needed to share without mommy interfering.  It was a hot day in the middle of the summer in the most pristine landscape of prairie lands.  I sat and imagined the pioneers coming across this rugged landscape all those years ago with only the mountain as a guide to the gold rich Black Hills. There have been artifacts found on the mountain that date back 10,000 years; amazing when you stop and think about that little tidbit of knowledge.

      

     
     The Cheyenne and Lakota people have had a spiritual interest in Bear Butte that goes back as far as their earliest recorded history.  Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull traveled to this majestic mountain, they are the two most famous visitors I can remember from the learning lesson in the visitor center.  Many Indian nations gathered at Bear Butte in 1857 to discuss the white settlers that were invading their homelands. There is way too much history at this particular site to even begin to touch it in such a short blog as this one is.

      

     With the offering and prayers finished, a short history lesson about the lil one’s heritage; the theme of this whole summer, it was time to say goodbye to our friends and go further on our journey. We promised to keep in touch, and to let them know how the buffalo liver turned; this they had blessed us with, 100% all organic buffalo liver (it was delicious by the way).  It is never ‘goodbye’ in this lifestyle as we never really know when our paths may cross again; we have learned to say…..

‘Until next time’

It is not flesh and blood but the heart which makes us fathers and sons.  ~Johann Schiller

Gold Fever

        A few days after getting settled in at the Lazy J RV Park in Rapid City, SD perched high upon a hill the manager suggested we move spots.  If you’ve ever traveled with a fifth wheel you know that this is not always a quick and easy feat to accomplish.  He wanted us to be farther away from the traffic at the office, because of the lil one and the dog, and also to give us more privacy; not to mention we’d now be on the bottom end of the row with the better view.  We were getting quicker with each move we made in the rig, all of our belongings were beginning to live in their travel spots, there was no need for me to keep adjusting things right before/after a move. 

        

     Traveling the way we do, we have to keep our eyes to the skies and stay alert and up to date with the weather.  We pay attention to wind speeds/direction while pulling the rig; staying a few extra days if necessary to catch a good tail wind.  Also the rain and thunderstorms are major factors in some of our decisions while on the road, you don’t want to get caught downstream on a peaceful creek with a raging storm and flash flooding a few counties north; you know it all rolls downhill, I just don’t want to be in the way when it does. With the weather becoming more and more extreme, I feel we have become even more vigilant in watching and learning Mother Natures’ rhythm in the skies.

       

     It wasn’t but a few days before she provided a spectacle for the lil one to view for the first time, an annular solar eclipse.  All day long the lil one watched the clock and the sun to see when it would begin.  We had gathered a TON of tinted safety glasses, wishing we had brought the welding hoods with us but knowing this would be the only purpose to have them.  Finally the time had come, it was beginning.  We loaded up in the truck and went to the top of the hill, as steep as this hill was; yes, I drove up it every chance I got instead of hiking.  The lil one quickly got out and sat on the roof top with the favorite stuffed animals that got to witness the eclipse too.  We all took turns holding 4-5 pairs of glasses up to our eyes to view the eclipse.  It turned out to not be that big of a deal for us, but for the lil one; it was amazing that something could block out part of the sun’s rays.  Just as quickly as the excitement grew it also depleted after trying to look through all those glasses just to catch a glimpse of the moon blocking part of the huge ball of blazing gases we call our Sun.

        

     We were back in our rig watching a movie and planning the next adventure before the eclipse was officially over.  Gold fever was taking hold of me and my little family.  A dear friend from Texas, who just so happened to be a rock hound himself; passed on to us a gold pan, just in case we ever found ourselves in gold country.  We gathered maps, searched online for information and started getting the tools we would need together.  An acquaintance we had met there took us to one of his hiking spots overlooking what seemed to be a peaceful winding creek in the valley between some very steep and high mountains. 

       

     We were HOOKED!! It took us a few days of watching videos, reading maps and gathering tools and such before we could strike out.  Our first stop was a small stream on the side of a dirt road in the middle of nowhere somewhere in the Black Hills.  We thought we’d try it out to get the feel for working the pan, this is a learned technique that none of us had acquired as of yet.  One of the very first huge lessons we learned, the water here is extremely bone chilling cold.  I only thought our spring fed creeks in Alabama were cold, the water running through the Black Hills in spring is like the Arctic ocean in January.  I quickly made a mental note to go shopping for insulated waders for the whole family.

       

     After getting over the shock of the frigid water we started looking for a good place to pan.  We had watched numerous videos on where the gold naturally settled at along the creek beds.  The hubby started working on turning over large rocks, or gold catchers, and looking underneath.  We dug around and panned in the black sands for a while; only finding flour gold, little tiny flecks skimming along the tops of the black sands.  It was very interesting to look at the different rocks from this part of the world, they had a shimmer and shine to them like none other I had seen before, not to mention the crystals.  The lil one fell in love immediately with all the quartz crystals that littered the stream, just right for picking. 

     

  

     

     We dug for what seemed like eternity to our numb feet and legs but in reality was only a short 30 minutes or so.  Soon it was time for a picnic of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches we had prepared, the simplest were always better for me.  It is really hard to let your guard down and just enjoy the great outdoors when you know you are not on top of the food chain in this wilderness.  We were forever on the lookout for the ever elusive mountain lions that call these parts home; knowing they were more active at dawn and dusk we had chosen lunch time to be in their backyard, but still ever vigilant watching out for them none the less.

      

     With our bellies full and the feeling back in our toes and feet, we jumped back into the freezing waters to dig around some more.  Never letting our spirits drop when we came up with empty pan after empty pan, as it was the memories and experiences together as a family that we were aiming for; not gold.  Some of the best times of our lives cannot be bought and paid for by any amount of money, they are memories of experiences we have with loved ones while actually living life; this is one of the very important lessons we are trying to instill in the lil brain we are in charge of educating.

        

     Hours later as the sun began its descent in the sky, our very blue and frozen feet told us it was time to head home for the day; also the hungry mountain lions were ever present in our minds.  Our plan was to return to the creek in the valley, off of Falling Rock Rd, climb down the mountain and pan in an area that wasn’t on the beaten path and less known to man.  The sun slowly set over this beautiful and rugged landscape as the city lights twinkled on below us, it felt as though we were on top of the world, our own personal slice of heaven.

Until next time……

       

I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich.  ~Dan Wilcox and Thad Mumford, "Identity Crisis," M*A*S*H

Exploring Rapid City, SD

Rapid City ended up being a plethora of fun and exciting things for families to see and do.  We started at the RV Park office to get another map, no matter how careful I am with local maps; I always lose the first one. You would think in only 32 x 8 feet of space that it would be easier to keep up with things and know where everything is, I have yet to get me and the others in the family trained in the habit of putting everything back in its place when done with it. The host at the office gave us a list of fun things to see/do in their home city.

    

     The first stop on our list was Dinosaur Park. This park was free and on a HUGE hillside overlooking both sides of the city, Rapid City is split into two parts by a ridge of a mountain that offers spectacular views, especially at night. You only had to climb up 578 steps to get to the 50ft statues of dinosaurs to climb and play upon.  After only being in these higher altitudes for a couple of days, I still had not acclimated to the lower oxygen levels and this climb kicked my tail.

      

     Finally I had made it to the top, just in time to witness the lil one climbing upon a triceratops’ head with the most joyful look of glee and amazement. I think they had a statue of just about every dinosaur that as kids we read about and dreamed of having one as a pet.  I you had enough imagination you could easily imagine these huge statues being in your own backyard for you to climb on and slide down their tails; this was exactly what the lil one did.  Soon enough it was time to climb back down the 1096 stairs, by all logic going down should have been easier than the climb; but the higher altitude wasn’t helping me any. 

We went into the ice cream/gift shop next, me being me; ya’ll know I was looking for the clearance table first.  They had everything you would typically see in a tourist trap; the t-shirts, hats and stuffed animals, the rack of science projects that are marked up twice what you’d pay for them at any other store away from the historical sight it was tied to.  We ended up talking the lil one into getting the only thing we have room for, another squished penny stamped with the sight we were visiting; I really have to remember to get us a book to store these in as we are getting quiet the collection going.

     Next on our list was to explore downtown Rapid City, Main Street to be exact. I love strolling through these old historical towns that are still just as they were when they were born, except all the motorized vehicles and paved roads of course.  The lil one is learning a love of history by these trips too. Our only issue here is that the days of old in the lil one’s eyes are the days before remote controls and cordless phones, to think in the ‘old days’ we had to be tied to the wall and change the channels by getting up and pushing buttons.

      Only minutes later and we were parked and walking down Main Street, enjoying all of the life size bronze statues on just about every street corner. After the first few blocks we had decided we would walk all the way down on one side of the street and then cross to see the ones on the other side, sounded like a solid plan with logic behind it.  What I didn’t count on was the blocks upon blocks of walking we had to do in this climate that I had yet to get used to.  I slowly clambered along behind the two really energetic excited people that I call family.

A few blocks later we found ourselves enjoying the mist from the fountain at Main Street Square. Prairie Edge Trading Co. & Galleries quickly grabbed our attention, not to mention it was right across the street so we didn’t have far to walk.  This store was filled with just about anything you can imagine in a store in the Wild West. There were books, music, authentic crafts from the locals, and the finest collection of Native American art; and beads upon beads upon beads, of every size and color of the rainbow. I started looking at the art works and the prices on them and started to really believe that I could be that good to get that price with my own.     

                                              

     On the other end of this particular block there was an alley, known as Art Alley. This is the one spot in town that the local graffiti artists could come and not get arrested. When I turned the corner and the alleyway opened up in front of us it was like walking into a rainbow of colors. This is definitely a must see if you are an artist and find yourself in the center of Rapid City, SD.  I wanted to go buy a few cans of spray paint just so the lil one and I could add our own touches to this magnificent piece of art that stretched the whole city block.

     One of the locals suggested a hole in the wall ice cream parlor not far from us, ‘not far from us’ sounded like it was close enough to walk to.  After the first 5 or 6 blocks we referenced the map again and this was our moment we realized that ‘not far from us’ was actually about 11 very long blocks,  we weren’t even halfway there yet. At this point the smart person would probably get their car and drive; but not us, we toughed it out and walked.  After the hot sun beating down on us for all of these blocks we had trudged down the cold ice cream hit the spot.  This was a very short lived mirage when reality hit me; we had to walk back all those long city blocks to the truck. We were absolutely exhausted by the time we pulled back into the RV Park, but we were already looking forward to the new adventures that awaited us the very next day.

Until next time…..

“The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one's own country as a foreign land.”   -Gilbert Keith Chesterton

Crazy Horse and Mt Rushmore Monuments

Just a short ride down the road and we were at Mt Rushmore, or on the road in front of it. Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks they have stopped the helicopter tours and any walking/rock climbing anywhere close to the monument, but there are however several trails you can hike inside the park that offer great views. We learned after arriving that you have to pay to park, you don’t pay to see Mt Rushmore, you pay to park your vehicle and walk to a viewing site and tourist shop; needless to say I was NOT paying to see a national monument, I feel as these should be free for all to enjoy.

       

     We found a safe pull off on the side of the highway to view it, get a short history lesson and take a few pictures; we always have to pull these pictures out to remind the lil one where all we have visited over the years.  I cannot imagine the work it took to carve those faces in the side of this huge granite mountainside. To this day the lil one can still tell you who the first President of the United States was, I’m very proud to have some knowledge sticking in that little brain.

     I know I shouldn’t even put these two in the same writings together but our next stop was the polar opposite of Mt Rushmore, we left the enemies memorial and went to the heroes memorial; Crazy Horse.  With the hubby being part Sioux, we had admission in to the museum free; this was one of the perks the Sioux people got for having their land taken all those years ago.  The government has tried over the years to ‘make it right’ but in reality all the Sioux want is their land back, their burial grounds, their ceremonial grounds; all of these treasured grounds that many died to protect.  As a  wasi’chu (non-Native) I can imagine what the Sioux people went through; it would be similar to if someone started tearing down EVERY SINGLE CHURCH, no matter the denomination; desecrating and ripping up all of the graves of our loved ones, you watching and not being able to do anything about it. THAT’S what they went through and for years have fought to get back, only their land that holds all of their history and traditions within its borders.

       

     First off inside the museum was a short video on the history of the huge sculpture partially carved into the mountainside. The Crazy Horse Memorial was started in 1948 by Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear and sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski to honor the culture, tradition and living heritage of North American Indians. The lil one stayed glued to the screen, asking very mature heartfelt questions on what happened to the Natives and why the new people had to be so mean. The idea that someone could be killed for just not believing the same way another person did was hard for the lil one to understand. I truly value all of these moments as a homeschooler, the lessons seem to stick when the history has been experienced firsthand.

    

    

   

     Next it was time to step back through time again and explore the museum filled to the gills with artifacts of the Native people. The walls were covered in original artworks from days of old; floors were filled with very primitive tools and weapons.  Glass cases filled with sacred artifacts to simple children’s dolls and toys lined the walls; there was a teepee set up so the lil one could explore the lifestyle of the Natives. We spent a good amount of time exploring here and using the knowledge in front of us as a history lesson for the lil one.

       

     Before we knew it we were turning a corner to go outside and view the monument without a sheet of glass between us. It was truly an amazing sight to see what had been accomplished with very limited funding; you see they have refused government funding from the beginning, relying on contributions and admission fees to fund this monumental dream and vision.  The hubby had marked one of his bucket list items off, the lil one and I enjoyed the new sights and history lessons here.

        

    

"The Red man was the true American. They have almost all gone, but will never be forgotten. The history of how they fought for their country is written in blood, a stain that time cannot grind out. Their God was the Sun, their church all out doorss. Their only book was nature and they all the pages. ~ Charles M. Russell

    

     Soon we were in an area that had traditional crafts of the Sioux being performed right in front of our eyes.  There were beaded necklaces, dream catchers, painted feathers, way too many to remember and explain here; this is a must see if you ever find yourself in the Black Hills with a few hours to spare.  We fell in love with every single item that we laid our eyes upon, but of course we were on a budget of monies and space inside the rig; the memories and pictures would have to serve as our souvenirs from this trip.

       

     On our way to the truck there was one more very interesting stop, the sculptor’s log studio home and bronze sculpture showroom. There we viewed original sculptures Korczak had done himself; one was of his wife among other pieces he had completed.  The log cabin studio home was very small when you thought of raising ten kids in it as they had. On every available surface you could see pieces of art; many of them completed some in different stages never to be finished. Grudgingly we took a few last minute pictures outside of the museum and loaded back into the truck to head back along the scenic roads back to Rapid City for dinner and bed.

Until next time……

“My lands are where my dead lie buried.” ~~Crazy Horse

Custer State Park

Our list was very long, longer than most Christmas lists from very privileged kids; we had caves of crystals, all of the scenic roads, Sturgis, gold panning, and much, much more.  First off, since it was free, we decided to journey through Custer State Park; one of the perks of vacationing during the off-season, free activities that would normally charge an arm and leg.  They boasted seeing buffaloes, pronghorns, prairie dogs, mountain goats and possibly a mountain lion if you were lucky.

      

     We got lost on the way to the park, it just couldn’t all be going our way for too long. For some reason I just couldn’t read the map correctly and Hwy 16 and Hwy 16A really confused my brain. We did one huge very scenic loop all around the area we were trying to get to, burnt through a lot of fuel; but luckily we were in the 4 cylinder Ranger so it wasn’t too bad. To weigh the views we saw with the fuel we wasted, well that made the waste not seem so bad. We drove through one of the tunnels carved into the Black Hills mountain, there were several along the scenic routes.

     

     After going the wrong way on the right road, a few times I might add, we were both very exasperated and irritated.  We pulled over and asked for directions, something neither of us wanted to do as we prided ourselves on our abilities to land in a city with only a map and a phone book (for the addresses and road names) and NOT get lost; but here we were, confused and turned around within a few miles of where we needed to be, asking for directions. Come to find out we had missed our exit on this highway carved into the mountains; we were on the right path again.

     

     It didn’t take long to arrive at Custer State Park, was a beautiful ride winding through the Black Hills of South Dakota. We were thru the gates to the park and enjoying the lay of the land when we spotted a path into the woods, along a dry creek bed.  We quickly got out, grabbed our packs, a hiking stick and started out down the trail.  Knowing we were in mountain lion country, we knew to keep the lil one in between us and to get back before dusk; when they were known to roam, hunt and be active.  About ¼ mile down the path, the hubby graciously reminded me what time of the month it was and I quickly thought about being mistaken for an animal in heat and ravaged to death by hooves or teeth; it was spring and breeding season for some after all.  Only but a few seconds later did we decide that we didn’t have enough bullets and that maybe it would be better to venture out of the truck in a few more days.

      

     Back in the truck and back on the more traveled path of roadways, we started seeing buffaloes right off.  The lil one really enjoyed counting how many we could see and how many calves there were. We knew to give them their space, we were on their turf, wandering thru their homes after all.  There were numerous pictures taken of the herd as we had to wait for several to cross the road; it is never a good idea to try to rush an animal that is all muscle and can turn your small truck over if need be.

     

     Soon we were at a crossroads, we took another wrong turn here, but in the process saw some new animals that we had never seen before; later on we found out these were pronghorns.  These I would take the chance to get out of the truck, hanging out the window at times to get pictures; they blended so well with the prairie grass, they were almost invisible. A quick turn around and we were venturing farther into Custer State Park, exciting to see some of the many other residents who called it home.

      

     We were looking on every mountaintop for the mountain goats, around every corner for more buffalo and especially those cute little prairie dogs.  We happened across the Ranger’s station first and had to run inside for a map of the park and to see which was the best route to go to see the critters we were looking for.  We met some Yankee folks outside and were talking to them about the prairie dogs. They mentioned that they had seen some weird looking chipmunks down this one particular road; they said they must grow differently over here in the west than in the east.  We got a good laugh when we realized they were probably thinking the prairie dogs were the weird chipmunks that grow different in this neck of the woods. Out of curiosity we went down the same road they had, and sure enough there was a colony of prairie dogs out playing for us to enjoy.

     

     We enjoyed the rest of Custer State Park and all the residents out for visits, on my list of to-see animals is still the ever elusive mountain lion; to this day I have to see one that isn’t stuffed and mounted, although thinking about it; if I ever do see one it may just be the very last animal I ever personally see alive.  Soon it was on to the rest of our list of places to visit, we still had Crazy Horse and Mt. Rushmore to see.

Until next time….

“Not all those who wander are lost.”

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

A Short Hop and Skip Away

     With less than 60 miles to go to our destination, we were ready for this leg of the journey to finally be over; we had after all been on the road for more than a week.  I knew that once we landed in Rapid City we could spread out, relax and enjoy some down time together before daddy had to go back to work. There was a list of sights to see and things to do, and this list was growing with all the billboards of local attractions that I hadn’t found in my research of the area. This would of course all be determined by the work that was to be found in the area, if you haven’t learned this about us yet, it is that I target the free family friendly activities. This way of life allows us to do more as a family together and enjoy more of the simple things in life.

      

     This last leg was slow going as we were still steadily climbing higher in elevation with every hill that we crawled over.  Ol’Blue just wasn’t used to the higher altitude and less oxygen just yet, but she pushed forward like the workhorse we know she is.  The best sight we saw during these short 60 miles were the edge of the Badlands, oh how I would have loved to have been able to drive through those and enjoy that ruggedness on the edge of the prairie, but that would have to wait, we had other plans for this day.

     

     While researching the area for campgrounds that were centrally located to where the hubby may possibly be working I found one with a wonderful view of Rapid City.  What I didn’t know was the route to get to this particular RV Park perched upon a very steep and high hillside.  The hubby managed to get the rig through downtown without bouncing it off a telephone pole or street sign on those narrow and congested streets. We were going good, hitting all the lights on green. Looking ahead there was a huge hillside with a very steep grade to go up, and only a traffic light between us and this said hill. While trying to get the momentum up to make it up the hill, we watched the light cycle from green to yellow and to red; losing every bit of the force we had to help get our huge rig up the hill.  As the light turned we slowly trudged up the steep grade, crawling at only about 5mph, up, up and up.

      

     Finally, we could see the top, luckily the RV Park was ¾ of the way up this hill, and we didn’t have to crawl all the way to the top. Turning into the park I started rethinking the wonderful view. You see, in order to have this spectacular sight outside of every window that seemed like you were perched on the edge of a cliff, you actually had to carve a flat perch out of the steep hillside; it felt as if there were a strong wind you would topple down the hill like dominoes with stopping point in sight.

      

   

yeppers, I could see a wind blowing hard enough

to roll us right down this hill into those trees.

     The first site we parked in was close to the office and all of the traffic, the only problem was backing the rig up a small incline into this site.  We dumped all the transmission fluid once again; you’d have thought we’d learned our lesson in Bear Creek, AL while attempting the same feat. After refilling the fluids we could finally get backed in and set up, ready to rest for a bit and enjoy this magnificent view laid out all around us.

      

                 believe it or not but there were actually 5-7 sites below us,

                              if they were parked there, you'd see their rooftops,

                                    pretty steep hill to carve an RV Park into

     It was time to plan out our weekend and be the tourists for a few days before getting serious again.  The lil one had acquired a habit of looking at all the brochure racks in each new city and state that we landed in, this is where we got a lot of our maps and information about the new area; talking to the locals helps a lot too. The front desk was helpful too; they informed us that the state and national parks were free for the next week; until their summer season kicked off.  It didn’t take much to decide where we were headed next. On our list to do was Custer State Park to see the buffalo, Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore for the history and lessons to be learned there.  It was time to rest and relax with dinner and a movie and dream of the sights to be seen in the very near future.

Until next time….

“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.”

― Gustave Flaubert

Free Ice Water

After we pulled into the little town of Wall, SD,  got the rig parked, the dog walked and a light jacket tied  around our waists, just in case; we were ready to tackle this adventure. There are not too many stops that we make that are pure fun, but this particular one was. The lil one was jumping up and down for joy, ecstatic about the next amazing sight around the next corner; after the 80ft dinosaur you wouldn’t think that there would be much more, but you’d also be wrong. 

    

         It was like stepping thru a porthole in the time warp continuum.  We were transported back to the horse and buggy days of old; if not for all the modern day gas guzzlers parked down Main Street, you could easily imagine the sound of the very first automobile chugging down the street. There stood the huge now famous Wall Drug Store in all its glory, hard to imagine what had now become a city block of history and tourism started out as a small one room drug store with a curtain hanging to make room for living quarters; but it had. In the days of old, Wall was one of the first towns you would come to after traveling west across a scorching prairie. To draw in the customers, to a town of only 326 poor people in the middle of nowhere, they came up with one of the best ideas ever. They offered the weary and hot travelers free ice cold water; not sure if it would work or not.  Before they got all the signs up along the highway, they had an onslaught of customers; looking for free ice cold water and buying ice cream cones and such also. It was a brilliant idea, to this day they draw in twenty thousand people on any given day of the week.

      
     Our first stop was in the old pharmacy, this was truly like walking thru time. The walls were filled with what you would’ve have seen in the 30’s when they first opened. Every kind of medicine in its original packaging was truly neat to look at, the lil one loved the rows and rows of candy bins to scoop out and weigh.  We picked up our free bumper sticker and a map, it was amazing at how it had grown from this one room to a city block of treasures to admire and explore.

      
     Next on our list was to try a buffalo burger, amazingly they were a lot cheaper than you would expect in a tourist trap such as this.  I think all three of us ate for under $20, considering where we’ve been and some of the prices we’ve paid, this was cheap as dirt.  While enjoying our burgers we also enjoyed the artwork and old firearms hung on every available space of wall.  In the center of the room, dotted among the tables were larger than life wood carvings of a few of the pioneers and heroes of the old west; there were all the great Indian Chiefs in one room and the cowboys we’ve all read about growing up in another.

      
     

       Once lunch was over it was time to venture outdoors to see all the photo ops associated with South Dakota.  We ran from one to the other like little kids in a candy store. There were wood cutouts to make it look like you were in a teepee, an old wagon you could ‘drive’, a jackelope to ride, a miniature Mount Rushmore; the list goes on and on, just inside the door there was even a roaring T-Rex to get a picture with.

      

     
     Being the off season for tourists in these parts for a few more weeks the gold mining attraction wasn’t up and running just yet.  The shooting gallery was however taking as many quarters as you could feed it.  It seemed that around every corner and in every room there was something completely different to explore but also all of it was tied to the western days of past; it was truly a treasure hunt for the lil one to see what could be learned around the next bend.

      

     We spent hours inside all these buildings linked together to form a city block of pure family enjoyment.  The lil one loved all of the souvenir and gift shops, wanting to get a whole outfit to look like someone from the Wild West; but after seeing how much all of this would cost, we all decided we would save those dollars and enjoy doing more things together as a family.  Soon we remembered to look at the time and realized it was time to leave this little oasis in the middle of nowhere and get back to our rig and dog that misses us terribly when we’re not in his sight.  It wasn’t long before we were loaded up and ready to hit the road again, headed west towards Rapid City and the Black Hills.

Until next time……

     

You realize when you travel how truly isolated some places are, and how different they are from each other.

John Geary

Rolling Hills of I90

     After 1600 miles from our starting point in Florida, we were ready to tackle the last 350 miles and land in our vacation spot of Rapid City, SD for the rest of the summer.  This leg of the journey turned out to be a beautiful ride with rolling hills of prairie grasses, baled hay, and many horses and cows.  We had anticipated it to be a long drawn out ride from the East side of South Dakota to the very West side, especially after all the days we had already been on the road.

     We were absolutely positively right!!  During those very long 350 miles of barren road the lil one and I started making up games with the road signs.  Of course, they were all variations of ‘I Spy’ in one way or another.  I’ll tell ya, you can get to know someone when you go on a road trip with them; but if you want to REALLY get to know them, go on a VERY LONG road trip with them.  Don’t get me wrong, I knew my lil one to a tee, but our lil one doesn’t know how our lives were growing up; you should see the eyes light up and the smile we get.  We hear “Really?” quiet often as we tell stories of our childhoods.

     This seemed to go on for hours, there were only so many times you could listen to your favorite cd’s and belt out the parts that we knew without a care in the world.  Zooming along America’s Interstates with the wind in your hair, the sun on your face and one of your most favorite people on the Earth riding along by your side; headed to a whole new adventure for the summer; life couldn’t get any sweeter.

     We were going along at a pretty good speed and all of a sudden we would hit a slow incline that seemed to go up and up forever.  These rolling hills were a pain, ol’Blue didn’t like this one bit; we would go from 65 mph to 40 mph in a heartbeat.  Our mantra became “Slow and Steady, Slow and Steady”; after a while “Oh great! Another one!” became the lil one’s favorite reply to the steep hills we were climbing.  I personally can’t tell you how many times I prayed that day, hoping one of the 18 or 4 wheelers wouldn’t ram right into my tailpipe when we were forced to slow for the steeper grades, but we survived and ol’Blue was a trooper.

"Gas now, Or gas can later."

     We learned that gas stations were very few and very far between.  If we were on our second tank and came across a gas station, we were stopping and topping off, no matter what.  You just never knew exactly how far and how many long slow diesel burning hills there were between you and the next truck stop. 

     It wasn’t too long before we started seeing signs for Wall Drug.  I don’t mean every 100 miles you see a sign, I mean every 3-5 miles you see a sign.  I only wish I had taken more pictures of the signs.  We could tell when we were getting closer; it was like all the signs for Disney when we turned onto Epcot Center Dr., if you can imagine that.  Only about a 100 more miles to go and we would be there, to Wall Drug that is; we still had a ways to go before landing in the Black Hills.

         

     Soon enough, there was an 80 ft. dinosaur sticking his head over the very distant horizon.  It didn’t take long before the exit in front of the giant green 80 ft. brachiosaurus came into view and the lil one’s eyes lit up again; we were getting good at getting this reaction. 

     We had landed at Wall Drug, one of the many unplanned, unexpected stops that almost always go along with road trips.  They had RV parking; it was cool enough to leave the dog in the fifth wheel and go enjoy lunch and just being a tourist for a few hours.  I was looking forward to stretching the legs and filling our bellies, not to mention pump a little bit more knowledge into the lil one’s brain.

Until next time....