Friday, October 5, 2007
Game Lodge Campground, Custer State Park, Custer, SD - Sept 12-16
71,000-acre Custer State Park sits at the southern end of the Black Hills. It contains some of the most incredible scenery in the area and doubles as a wildlife preserve, most notably for bison. Dave & Diane West were staying and working at the park, and we camped a few days at this lovely cg in order to spend more time with them -- we played 4-handed cribbage almost every evening. 
The day we arrived we decided to drive the Iron Mountain Road that winds up to Mt Rushmore NM, and "winds" is no exaggeration -- rarely did our speed exceed 30 mph. There are three one-lane tunnels along the route, each cut in order to present a view of Mt Rushmore as you drive through. There are also three curly "pigtail bridges", each bending 270 degrees to pass under themselves. They are quite lovely. We arrived at Mt Rushmore Natl Mon in mid-afternoon and spent a couple of hours there. 
One of the most recognizable monuments in the world, Mt Rushmore was originally conceived as a way to draw tourists to the Black Hills. Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor who spent 14 years carving the figures, decided to represent presidents rather than western figures such as Buffalo Bill Cody (the original plan). 
We had an enjoyable ranger walk led by Jerry Jessen, an ex-teacher of art and history. He must have been one of those teachers who made history come alive. We returned to camp via the Needles Highway which derives its name from the needle-like granite formations that is passes. 
There are also three more tunnels, including one that was barely wide enough for our truck. It took us almost an hour to navigate the 14-mile stretch. Some of the delay was due to our strolling around looking at the interesting formations.
The next day was supposed to be cold & rainy so we headed over to Jewel Cave NM, currently the second-longest cave in the world at over 140 miles. It is estimated based on wind volumes & velocities that only about 5% of the cave has been explored. The cave entrance was discovered in 1900 by two rancher brothers whose horses were spooked by air coming out of hole in the ground. They did what any red-blooded American boys would do -- they came back the next day with dynamite. What they discovered was a cavern covered with what they thought were precious jewels, but turned out to be worthless calcite crystals, known as dogtooth spar. They hyped the cave's beauty, still in hopes on making it rich. President Roosevelt heard about the cave and declared it a national monument in 1907. The ranger-led guided tour lasted 90 minutes with 743 stairs. It is a lovely cave, but it is unfortunate that you can only go with a guide, since it would be nicer to stroll along at your own pace and enjoy it longer, like you can at Carlsbad. You also need your own flashlight for these ranger-led tours, since you miss a lot that is only illuminated briefly by the rangers.
The following day we drove back to the town of Custer to view the entries in the Third Annual Custer Stampede, a local art event where 25 pieces of bison artwork are unveiled each year in May, then after being displayed around town for the summer are auctioned off in September. We were expecting this to be painted bison, similar to other painted animal displays (ponies, catfish, etc) that we have enjoyed in the past. This is more than that, however, with three different categories: life-size (which was what we were expecting), table-top (smaller & more manageable), and free-form (self-explanatory). 
The breadth of ideas was truly amazing -- one entry was from Jerry Jessen, the NPS ranger we toured with at Mt Rushmore. We took a different scenic route home, along the Wildlife Loop Road. While no Yellowstone, Custer SP is a respectable wildlife preserve in its own right. It was reported that we were seeing it at a "down time", since the park was preparing for the annual Buffalo Stampede in early October.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Three Flags RV Park, Black Hawk, SD - Sept 6-11
We chose this less lovely but more convenient PA park for attending the bridge tournament in Rapid City. Since we would be spending most of the weekend at the tournament, it didn't matter that the cg was right next to the interstate. We enjoyed the bridge tournament and earned a few silver masterpoints (plus we never noticed the traffic noise inside our trailer). The park was well maintained and had a really nice owner, so we were happy to give him some business.
After the bridge tournament was over, we decided to stay a couple more days, mainly as a convenient starting point for a sightseeing trip to Badlands NP. We planned our trip to include a stop at the famous Wall Drug first. This started out in the 1930s as a small store that attracted business by posting "free ice water" signs along the highways and is now a mega-business that is really fun to explore. The rest of the town is a real "tourist trap" that also has some appeal.
Wall was named for the wall of "badlands" that are formed when the lower southern plains run into the higher northern plains. From Wall you drive south through lovely rolling prairie, and suddenly before you are the breathtaking vistas of the badlands. Much of the scenic area is within Badlands NP, but it is surrounded by Buffalo Gap Natl Grasslands, which abounds in lovely places in which one could dry camp. Since we spent so much time in Wall, we were treated to the beautiful colors of late afternoon for many of the great views.Click here for More Badlands pictures.
The next day we relaxed, then drove into "Rapid", as the locals call it. While walking through the William Noordermeer Formal Gardens, we noticed a life-sized dinosaur on a ridge overlooking the city. 
We learned it was part of Dinosaur Park, a collection of 7 concrete dinosaur models constructed by the WPA in 1936 and now on the National Register of Historic Places. Skyline Drive, the road leading to Dinosaur Park, with scenic vistas of Rapid, was also a WPA project.Rush-no-More CG, Sturgis, SD - Sept 3-5
As we drove into South Dakota from Devils Tower we stopped at the Info Center, and since they had a dump station Doug decided to utilize it while Willie was perusing tourist info inside. And darned if the dump station didn't start overflowing!! Three full sewer dumps in two months -- we hope this is a trend that does NOT continue.
This is a very nice quiet Passport America (half-price) cg located about 5 miles from Sturgis, home of the world's largest (over 500,000) motorcycle rally, held in early August. We, of course, timed our visit to miss it!! We wanted to be near enough to Rapid City to play some bridge but also be able to tour some of the attractions of the northern Black Hills. The Black Hills are a solid granite intrusion in western South Dakota and the last mountains before surrendering to the Great American Plains.
Our first outing was a scenic drive through the prairie land, past Bear Butte, a mountain of similar geological formation to Devils Tower, though nowhere near as large. Driving on, we passed Belle Fourche Reservoir and spotted a black tern, another lifer. We continued into the town of Belle Fourche, the town located closest to the geographic center of the 50 United States. 
The actual location was about 20 miles north of town, through rattlesnake-infested fields, so we were content with the commemorative plaque in town. Next we passed through the town of Spearfish, which has a really cool fountain of a fish with a spear through it, as well as an historic fish hatchery that seemed like a nice place to volunteer in the future.
The second northern Black Hills outing was the loop drive through lovely Spearfish Canyon, ending up in historic Deadwood & Lead (pronounced LEED). 
The scenery was spectacular, and we stopped for short hikes at several waterfalls. The town of Deadwood is everything you would expect it to be and didn't hold a lot of interest for us. The history is interesting, but the commercialism is overwhelming. We did visit the saloon where Wild Bill Hickok was shot and Doug got to participate in the skit re-enacting this lively event. He received a "token" for a free drink as payment, which was spent on a shot of Jack Daniels. We also saw a hokey gunfight (with a different Wild Bill) on the street. The more we see these western towns, the more we appreciate Tombstone, AZ.
Later that afternoon we met our friends Dave & Diane West for dinner in the town of Custer. After dinner we drove to Crazy Horse Monument, a tribute to American Indians of all tribes. 
When completed, the sculpture of Lakota (Sioux) chief Crazy Horse astride his horse will be 563 feet high & 641 feet long. As a comparison, the presidents on Mt Rushmore are each 60 feet high. Twice a year they have night blasts, and our visit coincided with one. Admission was 3 cans of food per person. This was quite a bargain compared to the regular price of $10 each! We arrived early enough to wander around the Visitor Center and see everything before going back to the truck for the laser-light show which is presented every night. Immediately after the show, 60 blasts of dynamite worked their way up from the bottom to around the face. Quite a show, and well worth the price of admission.
This is a very nice quiet Passport America (half-price) cg located about 5 miles from Sturgis, home of the world's largest (over 500,000) motorcycle rally, held in early August. We, of course, timed our visit to miss it!! We wanted to be near enough to Rapid City to play some bridge but also be able to tour some of the attractions of the northern Black Hills. The Black Hills are a solid granite intrusion in western South Dakota and the last mountains before surrendering to the Great American Plains.
Our first outing was a scenic drive through the prairie land, past Bear Butte, a mountain of similar geological formation to Devils Tower, though nowhere near as large. Driving on, we passed Belle Fourche Reservoir and spotted a black tern, another lifer. We continued into the town of Belle Fourche, the town located closest to the geographic center of the 50 United States. 
The actual location was about 20 miles north of town, through rattlesnake-infested fields, so we were content with the commemorative plaque in town. Next we passed through the town of Spearfish, which has a really cool fountain of a fish with a spear through it, as well as an historic fish hatchery that seemed like a nice place to volunteer in the future.
The second northern Black Hills outing was the loop drive through lovely Spearfish Canyon, ending up in historic Deadwood & Lead (pronounced LEED). 
The scenery was spectacular, and we stopped for short hikes at several waterfalls. The town of Deadwood is everything you would expect it to be and didn't hold a lot of interest for us. The history is interesting, but the commercialism is overwhelming. We did visit the saloon where Wild Bill Hickok was shot and Doug got to participate in the skit re-enacting this lively event. He received a "token" for a free drink as payment, which was spent on a shot of Jack Daniels. We also saw a hokey gunfight (with a different Wild Bill) on the street. The more we see these western towns, the more we appreciate Tombstone, AZ.
Later that afternoon we met our friends Dave & Diane West for dinner in the town of Custer. After dinner we drove to Crazy Horse Monument, a tribute to American Indians of all tribes. 
When completed, the sculpture of Lakota (Sioux) chief Crazy Horse astride his horse will be 563 feet high & 641 feet long. As a comparison, the presidents on Mt Rushmore are each 60 feet high. Twice a year they have night blasts, and our visit coincided with one. Admission was 3 cans of food per person. This was quite a bargain compared to the regular price of $10 each! We arrived early enough to wander around the Visitor Center and see everything before going back to the truck for the laser-light show which is presented every night. Immediately after the show, 60 blasts of dynamite worked their way up from the bottom to around the face. Quite a show, and well worth the price of admission.
Belle Fourche CG, Devils Tower NM, WY - Aug 29-Sept 2
"Do you like Wyoming?" "I don't know. I've never Wyomed." Hmmm...."Wyoming" is a corruption of an Indian word meaning "the land goes up and down". Anyone who pictures Wyoming as flat as western Kansas has never driven across the state. When towing a trailer, you are frequently in the lower gears: for power going up, and for braking going down. The vistas are ever-changing and always beautiful.
In 1906 Devils Tower became the nation's first national monument. We arrived at Belle Fourche ("bell foosh") campground early enough to get a spot with good solar and a decent view of Devils Tower. We actually didn't need to arrive early at all, since the cg was never more than 1/4 full the whole weekend.
DT is a unique geological formation resembling more than anything a giant stone tree trunk. It was formed 60 million years ago when molten lava was forced into sedimentary rock thousands of feet below the surface. As it cooled it fractured into columns, and over time the softer surrounding rock eroded away leaving a huge monolith. It is one of only 2 or 3 such formations in the world. DT is most famous from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". Rangers freely talk about the movie -- how much was shot on sight (about 15 minutes) and where. DT is also a climbers Mecca -- a day didn't go by without our seeing at least a few climbers on the Tower. More importantly, DT was sacred to the American Indians who lived in the area, seeing it as a place of revitalization or spiritual cleansing. Many of the tribes' stories center around a giant bear clawing the grooves in the side of the tower. We engaged in a little spiritual cleansing during our stay, relaxing, hiking around the Tower, and in general just enjoying the peace & quiet. Our last day coincided with the 13th Annual Cowboy Poet Festival in the Park, quaint & enjoyable, with just four performers in three hours.Connor Battlefield State Historic Park, Ranchester, WY - Aug 27-28
This pretty site surrounded on three sides by the Tongue River commemorates the Aug. 29, 1865 battle here, one of many held along the Bozeman Trail in an effort to protect the ever-encroaching gold-seeking settlers from the current inhabitants of the land. It has a pretty park with dry RV parking and tent camping. It was a quiet and inexpensive ($9/night) place to explore the nearby areas.
We started with Sheridan. This town of fewer than 20,000 still retains a western flavor in its historic Main Street, with the added pleasure of a number of bronze statues scattered throughout. There is also Trail End State Historic Site, an authentically furnished Flemish Revival mansion built in 1913 which we viewed from the outside but did not tour, and a city park with a "sprayground" -- a fountain that sprays randomly in which kids of all ages can play.
On the way home we drove through Ranchester to Dayton to see the historic bell tower (used for fire alerts) built in either 1907 or 1909, depending on which sign you believe. We continued on to the Tongue River Rec Area, a drop-dead-gorgeous area that permits camping, although we would never take our rig on the narrow rocky road that winds in to the Rec Area for several miles.
Little Bighorn Motel & RV Park, Crow Agency, MT - Aug 25-26
This is a very run-down RV park attached to a motel that you wouldn't check into if you value your health. We arrived with our holding tanks full, and after checking in were pointed towards the dump station, which started overflowing after we had dumped less than a third of our black tank. Since we were spending most of our time away from the trailer, we managed to get by. An hour after setting up, we loudly discovered that we were less than 100 yards from a train track used regularly by coal trains, day & night. This is a result of the Gillette (WY) area surface coal mines prospering from the "energy boom".
Our park was very convenient to Little Bighorn Battlefield NM, formerly Custer Battlefield NM. Backing away from a totally anglo-centric viewpoint, the Monument memorializes one of the last armed efforts of the Northern Plains Indians to preserve their ancestral way of life. This includes an Indian Memorial with the theme "Peace through Unity".The next day we took one more drive to Bighorn Canyon NRA, this time visiting the northern end. Our day got off to a good start as we were treated to an upland sandpiper crossing the road in front of us just out of town, a lifer for us.
We continued seeing lots of wildlife as well as a number of fishermen enjoying the tranquil Bighorn River below the 525-foot high Yellowtail Dam (named after former Crow tribal chairman Robert Yellowtail). The Visitor Center presents a spectacular view of the dam, and the road to Yellowtail Bay offers great views of the rolling plains of Montana, as well as a Four Winds Monument celebrating Crow beliefs. We took the longer route back to Crow Agency, enjoying more scenery before dropping a couple of bucks at the local casino and then happily reuniting with our cats.Riverside City Park, Laurel, MT - Aug 21-24
Riverside Park has both electric & non-electric sites, but all the electric sites were taken by temporary workers at the local gas plant, so we relied on Mr Sun for a few days. Actually the electric sites are less attractive & squeezed in fairly tightly, so we were not sorry to be in the non-electric area. The weather cooperated, and it was pleasantly cool, so we didn't miss the a/c at all. An interesting historical footnote: Riverside Park was the site of a German prisoner-of-war camp in WWII, and the buildings in the park were built by the prisoners.
Laurel is quite close to Billings, MT, and there is a lot to see and do in the area. We started by visiting Pompeys Pillar NM. The centerpiece is a large sandstone outcrop rising up 150 feet on the banks of the Yellowstone River, where ethnographic & archeological evidence indicates that this was a place of ritual & religious activity. 
There are hundreds of prehistoric petroglyphs on its sides, which would be fairly unremarkable except on July 25, 1806, William Clark of the Lewis & Clark Expedition recorded his stop on their return trip from the Pacific Ocean. Clark was fascinated by the massive stone and named it Pompy's Tower after Sacagawea's son whom he called Pomp. Clark described a "remarkable rock" set in an idyllic landscape of grassy plains, snow-capped mountains, and cliffs abutting the meandering river. He marked his presence by engraving his name and the date on the outcrop. This simple inscription, still visible, is the only remaining on-site physical evidence of Lewis & Clark's epic journey.
We next visited Pictograph Cave State Park, which humans occupied at least 4500 years ago, leaving behind 30,000 artifacts and over 100 pictographs (paintings). Unfortunately, most of the images have faded and are barely or not at all visible. An excellent trail brochure & signs showed how the images originally looked. The self-guided Billings Historic Site Tour/Scenic Drive and a couple of sessions with the local duplicate bridge club completed our stay.Sunday, September 9, 2007
Lovell Camper Park, Lovell, WY - Aug 19-21
Since we REALLY needed to dump our black water, we finally left John's yard. THANKS JOHN for a great place to park! We stopped at a nice city park in Powell, about halfway between Cody and Lovell, where they have a nice free dump station. We did not camp there, because they have a 2-day limit, and we wanted to stay 3. We went on to the less pleasant but more shady Lovell Camper Park, which is also free. It had so many trees, it actually seemed gloomy. We managed to park our RV where we got enough morning sun to keep the batteries charged.
Lovell is home to the Hyart Theatre, a restored & refurbished 57-year old theater with state-of-the-art sound and projection equipment. First-run movies play every weekend, with a $3 matinee on Saturday. "Hairspray" was playing, and this was the perfect venue for it. We thought we'd enjoy it, but we were surprised at how much we enjoyed it. It is lots of fun and has an interesting message, with a nice transition from the 50s to the 60s mentality.
Directly between Cody and Devil's Tower (our next destination) lie the Bighorn Mountains, a huge range of solid granite surrounded by steep cliffs. Since we tend to avoid driving our trailer over places with names like "Omygod Pass", we are going to take the scenic route through Montana. Still, we wanted to investigate the Bighorn Mountains, and this was the place to start our loop drive, which took us up the mountain (REALLY UP with 10% grades a lot of the way -- another road to avoid with the trailer!) to Burgess Junction, down through Shell and Greybull (pronounced Grable) and back to Lovell. Along the way up we visited a remote location called Five Springs, which was a steep valley with lush vegetation and a lovely waterfalls. There were about 10 other people around during our brief hike. Burgess Junction consists of a lodge, restaurant & service station with really expensive gas. We decided to eat our picnic lunch here and forgo handing over any of our money to them. On the way down, we stopped at Shell Falls, a gorgeous waterfall etched through granite cliffs that was very non-remote. There were probably 100 people here during our stay, including a senior tour bus. 
It was still worth a stop, and the continuation of Shell Canyon, all the way down to the valley, was a lovely drive. We also learned about several interesting places to visit for future reference. We could see the smoke all along the way from a small new lightning-caused fire back in the wilderness. With fire crews stretched to the limit throughout the country, there are few left for these more remote fires that aren't threatening homes.
While in Lovell, we also wanted to make a return visit to Bighorn Canyon NRA, since we hadn't brought the camera on our first trip -- and also because it is a lovely area worthy of a second visit! 
The weather started out with a heavy haze of smoke, which luckily cleared up a bit by around noon. We got photos of the bighorn sheep and wild horses and enjoyed all the overlooks. We took a short hike to the Carolyn Lockhart Ranch, which is the best surviving homestead in the area. Lockhart owned the ranch from 1926 through 1955, eventually controlling more than 7,000 acres. She was a newspaper correspondent, author and famous newspaper editor, a liberated lady long before her arrival in this area. She wrote for the Boston Post and the Denver Post and also wrote freelance as an investigative reporter. 
She exposed political corruption and abuses of women & children in public institutions. She moved to Cody and purchased the local newspaper, which she ran for 5 years before she purchased the ranch. She wrote several novels, two of which were made into movies. She was involved with many men but never married. After she sold the ranch, she lived in Cody until her death in 1962.