We decided to hit Custer State Park again today. We wanted to take the wildlife road and also come down the Needles Highway in the reverse direction from what we did yesterday. One of the high points of the day was watching a guy in an RV about the size of Pumpkin negotiate one of the tiny tunnels. He made it!
We approached the park on Hwy 16A into Keystone then on down to the Game Lodge area and then onto the wildlife loop. First up on the wildlife loop was a dandy pronghorn. We saw several today, but this fellow seemed to pose for us. We took some of the gravel roads taking off the main loop. Pronghorn and ground squirrels were all we saw, but the trip was interesting.
The buffalo roundup was just finished yesterday. Annually, the park buffalo are rounded up and culled out. They keep about 1300 for the park and auction off the rest for breeding stock and meat. The corrals where the buffalo are contained during the process is at about the halfway mark along the wildlife loop. The roundup was over and the culling complete, so those unlucky buffalo that were selected for auction were being held in a large fenced field, awaiting the auction in November.
On the way out of the wildlife loop, the ever present bums accosted us. Yes, those laughable lovable once tame now wild donkeys. This old gray one came up to beg and get his head scratched only to get an earful from Ditto. Ditto was going crazy, but the donkey just stood there and took it.
As we finished up the day's tour, we came across a couple of the lucky buffalo - apparently part of the chosen 1300.
We made it back to the base in time to get through the Patriot Gate (back gate) - just before 6 pm. It was a long day, but a wonderful tour. Tomorrow, we head for Deadwood and Lead. It will be interesting to see what changes have occurred in 40 years.
We left the Badlands looking back. We both had tumbled the idea around in our minds of staying another day. But, onward and upward. It took a 2 hour leisurely drive to get to Ellsworth AFB, home of the B1B bomber. We found the FamCamp easily and got settled in quickly. It's a nice clean secure campground. We're in site #6 just inside the entrance and backed up to the doggie walk. Handy. These are full service sites with water, electricity and sewer. Just across the circle is the shower house and laundry. Since we plan on staying here 4 nights, the laundry might come in handy. The shower...for sure.
We were settled and ready to do something by 2 pm. We did not waste the day. Off we went, not sure just where to. We wound up in Custer State Park and heading up the Needles Highway, where else?
One of Joyce's items on her "must see" list came true in the first mile or so past the Game Lodge. Laying in the trees were several big horn sheep - big horns and all. We managed a shot through the trees.
Continuing on up the highway, the aspen and birch had begun to shift to fall colors.
The photo doesn't quite do it justice. Neither does Ditto's ear.
We stopped to enjoy Sylvan Lake. It's a beautiful place.
Unfortunately, we were now racing the sunset and kept peddling. We ran up by the Crazy Horse monument then past Mt. Rushmore. Only Crazy Horse looked different from our last visit 41 years ago. Crazy Horse now has a recognizable face. Other than that, George and the boys haven't aged a bit - not even grayer hair.
We headed back to Rapid City for a bite to eat. It got dark on us about then so we had to go back to the base in the dark. We found the way we had come in earlier today. Rats! That gate was closed. It was then we noticed the sign that read 6 am - 6 pm Monday thru Friday. We had to go to the main gate, but the only other gate we'd seen marked was called the "Commercial" gate. As the name implies, it wasn't the main gate and was also closed. After some circling and fighting off the urge to stop and ask someone, we finally found it. Now we're "home" and thinking about bed. We have 3 more days so maybe we'll get back to Custer and snap a picture or two of those fantastic tunnels. But, there is so much to see, so much to do around here. Let's see what happens tomorrow.
We started the day taking the hwy 240 loop road across the Badlands. Hwy 240 is the main "tourist" road everybody takes through here. It has several pull-outs with informational signs and a few boardwalks out to strategic overlooks. It is beautiful. But, we wanted more. So, we took the Sage Creek road which skirts the western edge of the park. It's a gravel road, but in good shape - except for some real teeth rattling washboards once in a while. Just before we headed down the Sage Creek road, though, we were treated with a good photo shot.
Several big horn sheep (no rams unfortunately) were obviously not camera shy and posed beside the road. After we started down Sage Creek road, we came across this bunch of hams.
We stopped to eat lunch in the Sage Creek campground which was dotted with buffalo chips and prairie dog holes. Ditto took a special interest at this stage.
We saw a sprinkling of buffalo along the way, but they were all too far off for my little camera. We did see a beautiful view of the Badlands we had not seen before. We decided it ought to be a jigsaw puzzle picture. It would be a tough one to work.
We dropped out of the southern end on the Badlands and headed on into the Pine Ridge Indian reservation - of Wounded Knee fame. We drove on down to the Wounded Knee site. We has passed through there yesterday and on one side of the road were several souvenir peddlers, on the other side was the Wounded Knee museum. We didn't stop yesterday and today, being Sunday I guess, the peddlers were gone. There was a large informational sign describing the scene and happenings at Wounded knee in 1890. The sign had so much information on it, it was continued on the back side. So, we had to get out of the Jeep and walk around behind. While viewing the back side, a young Indian kid came literally running up to us and began telling us the story. He was quite learned on the subject. As we talked with the youngster, we found out he was in the 8th grade. He did his job well and convinced us to visit the museum. He ran the several hundred feet over to the museum while we drove the Jeep over. He told Joyce about the souvenirs his family makes and she sent him off to get one. He ran about 1/8 mile down a hill to an old blue mobile home. Soon he was back with his wares and Joyce bought one. There were several Native Americans standing around outside the museum and we chatted with them for a while.
As it turned out, one woman was visiting her mother on the reservation. She did not live there, but was moving back soon. She was very pleasant and talkative, yet very militant in her description of how the U.S. government had treated the Indians over the years. She, and others standing around, then spoke about how crooked the tribal council was and how the council took some of their land by decree. If Joyce or I had spoken Sioux, I'm sure we would have heard some very colorful language concerning the tribal council (Bureau of Indian Affairs - BIA). There was about as little love loss there as there was for the broken treaties and the U.S. government. We toured the museum which was mostly militant descriptions of the history of the Lakota Sioux and the U.S. government. But, much of the stories told seem to play out as true. A sad state of affairs. We bought another souvenir at the museum - a dream catcher representing the home and water. We got it for a friend back at Cedarcreek who is taking care of Oxford (the cat) and Joyce's chickens. Then one of the Indians told us about the pow-wow going on at the Porcupine school a few miles away. So, after we left the museum, we drove to Porcupine. It was worth the trip. Unfortunately, my camera person didn't get as many photos of the goings-on, but we did get a couple. Inside the gymnasium they were holding a dance contest. No, not the two-stop or polka, but Native American dance.
We didn't get there in time to get pictures of the dances, but here's a shot of some prizes being given for their efforts. When we first walked in, a dance had just completed and an older fella in costume came huffing and puffing to a row of lawn chairs along the gym wall near us. He was red in the face (no pun intended) and we weren't real sure he was going to make it. But, his wife (squaw) was there with a big bottle of water and after downing it and resting a while he looked much better - and became quite talkative and helpful in describing what was going on. All-in-all, it was a neat show for the white eyes. As we left, I ran into some real Native American beauties who graciously allowed me to photograph them. I promised not to keep their spirits locked up in my camera. Notice their moccasins.
It was a really good day that ended well.
Tomorrow we head for Ellsworth AFB and the Rapid City area. We are looking forward to more days like today.
Yesterday started out beautiful. The weather was great. We doddled around pulling up stakes to make our day's run. I decided it was time to check the tires and found one rear tire quite low. As I messed with it, I could hear air escaping sometimes. The sound was directly related to movement of the air valve extender, a braided steel extension added to make airing up easier - actually, possible. After messing with it a while, I checked the pressure again and it checked about normal. So, I decided the problem was the extension and it was not opening the valve enough to give a good pressure test. I checked on-line for the closest tire shop, but didn't really find anything - not surprising, considering where we were. I decided we'd better head back to Broken Bow and get it checked out. But, as it turned out, there was a tire shop/gas station/feed store back at the highway only a few miles. The fella there was nice and helped us out immediately. He jacked it up and jerked the wheel off (actually, two things good did happen that day - the convenient tire shop and the bad tire was on the outside). My diagnosis of the problem was correct. The butt hole that I had replace all my valve stems and re-balance the tires for $162 has used a replacement valve that didn't fit right. He had obviously had trouble with it a had damaged it. So, the extender could not thread down on it well. As for the leak, the extender itself was cracked. Whether the tire guy at Forsyth damaged it or not, I'll never know. But, the tire guy at Anselmo, NE replaced the valve stem and added another type extender - all for $12.50.
We got back on the road thanking our lucky stars for the tire shop. It was stressful and before long I was getting tired. Joyce took over the driving - it was a straight road with little traffic. She can't possibly get into trouble. And, she didn't.
Just a few miles out of Alliance, NE, we switched back. I hadn't driven more than a few miles when "whoosh", something seemed to have blown off the roof. We both thought it was one of the vent covers and I pulled to a stop alongside the road. I climbed the rear ladder and checked the roof. Roof amiss up there. I climbed down and walked along the passenger side. Nothing. I walked around the front to the driver's side and there it was. The first 2-3 feet of the siding on the cab-over bunk had blown off, leaving a jagged tear at the start of the side window and exposing raw plywood underneath. Crap!
I walked back down the highway looking for the piece and as I was approaching it, a Highway Patrolman pulled up to it and threw it in his car then drove up to me. He gave me and the piece of siding a ride back to Pumpkin and after verifying I was still mobile, he headed on his way. Nice guy.
Our next campsite was to be Walgen Lake, but we had earlier decided to change it to Chadron State Park. It wasn't far away, so we made our way there - slowly.
Once we got settled at the campground, I drove to the town of Chadron and bought some "supplies". I got some 4" wide Gorilla tape, some silicon caulk and caulking gun and some spray paint. When I got back to camp, I taped the area all up and sealed the edges.
Then this morning, after it warmed up some, I spray painted it so it wouldn't look too terrible.
Now, where were we?
Oh yes. Now I remember. We drove up to the Badlands. We're camped there now.
There's more to the trip from Chadron to the Badlands, but this post is long enough. I'll fill you in tomorrow.
So, here we are, at Victoria Springs State Rec Area about in the middle of Nebraska. It's wide open spaces and the kind of place you would expect cowboys on horseback. But, instead, we're at a cute little campsite near a spring forming a little fishing lake and a small creek draining slowly out of it - so slowly, the lake and creek are heavily clogged with moss or algae.
This is actually the morning after. It was a crisp 38 degrees when I got up. We've used the furnace some the last two nights. But, it is supposed to warm up and be just about perfect the rest of our stay in this part of the country. We'll see. Could be true. Dusty is not here.
Of course, we did not have reservations when we got here. Though, we had no problem getting a campsite. It was early when we stopped. But, then "they" started arriving. It looked like an old broad reunion. There must have been a dozen show up, some in SUVs, some in pickups, but all pulling itty bitty camp trailers - some of which I would have difficulty finding big enough for a bed.
Turns out they were part of "Sisters on the Fly", an "Outdoor Adventure Club for Women". They sure had some neat looking little trailers.
Then there are the old farts in their nice 5th wheels. Seems there's a bunch of siblings having a reunion. Most of them older than Joyce and I and several seemingly barely able to get in and out of their trailers. I wonder what these old folks think about this concentration of women couples camping in their campground.
We changed our itinerary a bit. I had our next stop as Glen Elder COE campground near Glen Elder, Kansas. But, since we toured Mushroom Rocks on Tuesday instead of today, Glen Elder was a bit too short a day. So, here we are in Deshler, Nebraska. Go ahead, Google it. It's a little town of less than 1000, but about 99% is German Lutherans. There are three churches, two Lutheran churches and a Presbyterian church. There's a Lutheran school almost as big as the public school.
The town (city) has a nice city park with 10 RV spots. Good thing it's October, though, as there isn't a tree within 100 yards. But, the city offers these sites with electricity free of charge. The sites are all along the street and intended for the RVs to back up to them. But, we're pulling Coors and not another camper is around (except for the unoccupied 5th wheel that's parked out away from the actual sites). So, we just pulled in across 3-4 sites parallel to the world.
Ditto found out the hard way (so did we) that Deshler's main crop seems to be goat head burrs. They are everywhere. Ditto was so pitiful. We'd be walking along and she's be ranging out on her leash when suddenly she'd pull up with one foot in the air and we'd had to pull a burr out of her foot. She and we tracked some into Pumpkin and Joyce found them with her stocking feet.
We took a walk into town...
The park is on what one might consider the wrong side of the tracks except the tracks have long been removed. However, they used to pass through town just the other side of the tin building on the left.
We had to hurry our walk as it was approaching sunset and the town was rolling up the sidewalks right behind us. We did see a sight that I felt was noteworthy. It was some big metal silos.
Now, they may not seem noteworthy to you at first, but notice the top of a couple of the silos. They are all bent up. Fifty feet or more above the ground and they are bent way up there. Now how did that happen?
Tomorrow we'll head on up north and west along the Sandy Hills highway. It is touted as a beautiful and interesting trip, although out here it doesn't seem to take much to impress. I guess it's because it can be a long ways between the "oh's" and "ah's".
We're Still In Kansas, Toto
We left the Santa Fe campground in Chanute pretty much like we found it. The trip ahead would take us through some pretty open country.
I should have suspected something when I saw a sign alongside the road that read "Experience the Flint Hills". At first, as we traveled through this part of the country, it was interesting as to how wide open it was. Just rolling grassy hills sprinkled with an occasional oil well, some pumping, most not. Then we realized how desolate the place was. Very few farms or houses and almost no sign of farming and few cattle. This went on and on. We spotted another two or three signs just like the first, "Experience the Flint Hills". It occurred to me that the first sign should have given us fair warning. The fact that the sign said "Experience" and not "Enjoy" or something like that should have been alerted us to what was ahead. But, we "Experienced" the Flint Hills.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, we started seeing cattle and hay fields and nice farms. I guess we made through.
We stayed at Kanopolis Lake last night. My intent was to stay at the Venango Area COE campground. By accident and non-attention, we wound up in a state park near the dam. But, the price was right ($8.50) and the sites were open and clean, so here we are.
My schedule had us touring Mushroom Rocks State Park today, but since we arrived early at the campground, we jumped in Coors and took the 15 min. trip.
These things were really interesting. Out in the middle of nowhere, in a little draw was a 5 acre park with these rocks. The rock in 2nd photo was literally covered in names carved in by visitors. Most were relatively recent, probably written over older ones, but one in particular was chiseled in very deeply and was dated 1878.
We went back to the campground and made ready for the evening. Ditto and I went for a long walk and as we returned, here's what I saw in the west.
This morning turned out overcast and tried to be dreary, but it was about 60 degrees and no wind. Dreary didn't fit. It's a nice quiet morning.
