Exploring the Black Hills, Day 1 !

Monday May 18 - Thursday May 21

We took a whirlwind tour of western SD, volunteering to take some equipment from Gavin's Point Hatchery to the DC Booth Hatchery in Spearfish on our days off. We saw soooo much, I can't include it all in one blog. So.... I'm going to post photos with narrative over several blogs..... and take ya'll on an adventure !

Monday: first stop enroute was at the "Corn Palace" in Mitchell, SD. The outside is completely covered with corn depicting scenes from around the world. Inside is a huge auditorium for concerts & events... again surrounded by scenes in corn. First bldg was decorated in 1892 and they have been doing this ever since.

We then continued on thru the Badlands....

The Black Hills - still Day 1 Badlands

The Badlands are a sight to see..... as you drive thru grassland, it just appears out of nowhere extending for miles. It's desolate but we did see animals as we toured the scenic loop.






Exiting out, we made our way up to Sturgis where the annual motorcycle rally convenes, then to Spearfish where we delivered the equipment and onto our hotel in Deadwood.

Black Hills - Day 2

Lots to see on Day 2:

Deadwood - full of old west history and like many towns, has been flooded & burned down several times. The entire town is on the National Historic Register and has been renovated to represent the "old town". Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickock are buried here. Interesting window treatments.......
Map in hand, we then drove more scenic routes in the Black Hills making our way down to the Crazy Horse Monument. Now.... this is an exceptional place to see. Look it up on the internet... started in 1947 by a man who, dedicating his life to the task, spent the first 7 years bulding a road up the mountain, making ladders, hauling all tools & dynamite by himself. He married, had 10 children who now, after his death have continued his work. It is privately funded and is already listed as North America's Native American Cultural Center. The site is huge.... you can spend half a day going thru the museums & display areas containing every aspect of the indian culture & lifestyle you can imagine... and they have plans for a university and recreational areas.



We still had more to drive..... onto to Keystone and Mt. Rushmore....... that'll be the next blog.

Black Hills Day 2 - continued

WOW - still on day 2.... on our way thru the scenic Black Hills, along the Needles Highway... what an awesome trip !! Those who ride motorcycles - ya gotta do it !!! Those that get car sick... well, take something ! From lowlands following snow melt streams & full lakes, thru pineforests that wound up & around rock outcroppings, along one lane roads & tunnels where "no way" could we take the trailer, and then once getting to various ridges & mountain tops, we spiralled down roads that wrapped themselves around itself like a snake !!!!

After going thru one tunnel, we came out and had a marvelous view of Mt. Rushmore >>>>>>>>>>> We wound our way down to the National Monument for the night show. While we were too early in the season for the laser lights, as it got darker.... they lit the monument with huge spotlites and we were able to see the changes. At pitch dark.... it is a memorable experience... as you drive away, the Monument can be seen for miles.

Ok... can you believe all that brings us just thru Day 2 ?

We had one more day to spend in the Black Hills, but decided to take our time and drive back to the trailer via northern Nebraska, the Indian Reservations and areas we would have no other reason to check out !!! So, the final blog will be our trip back, the animals we saw along the way and an interesting use of cedar trees !!!

Black Hills - Day 3 & 4 - return to trailer

Day 3 - on our way back to the trailer we took the most northern route in NB until veering due north to Picstown, SD. Along the way we saw how they utilize cedars as "snow/wind breaks" along the highways >>>>>>

Winter is extremely harsh in these upper states ... all the farm & ranch homesites utilize several types & sizes of trees planted in rows upon rows, in a square around their buildings as protection. I'll get some more photos later.

We had the pleasure of encountering lots of wildlife ... in their native habitat..... along our journey. You've seen the praire dogs & deer. I also had the joy of taking photos of:

wild turkey, antelope, free range "shedding" bison
And my FAVORITE & most lucky shots.... mountain goats ! We came around a corner and I saw movement..... a group were coming off the hillside and went down for water. Of course I yelled for BV to "stop the truck" , out I jumped and followed them to the ledge overlooking the ponds.BUT - when they started back up... I quickly ran back to the truck .... and took more shots. BV had to drag me back in so we could continue our trip !!!! I have picked a few to show..... yes, there are more !!

Alas, our adventure ended after midnight, now on Day 4...... we'd been watching the fuel mileage and while the photo shows 20.9 mpg...... it did turn to 21 mpg as we drove into the Hatchery.... awesome for the diesel !

We saw lights on in the hatchery... next morning we found out staff were spawning the paddlefish. Next blog..... yep you guessed it ! Paddlefish release back into the river .... and what fun this was !!!

We have been blessed on our journey ! And are thankful for our health, continued safety and the opportunity to enjoy our fine country......

Sunday May 17 was an awesome day ! Up early for a tee time at Highland Oaks GC inPonca, NB with staff from the hatchery. Drove there in a light rain, first few holes we got a bit wet, but then it stopped. Had a blast ! See the coats & sweat pants ?? Still in the 50s and we're loving it !

Afterwards, drove to a smaller town to eat at Bob's Bar & BBQ, we wouldn't have known it was open let alone a great place to eat. Hamburgs were $3 and huge..... but it was the sides of cheese balls, onion rings and mushrooms that did us all in. Oh yeah, and the 2 pitchers of beer ! Don't worry - we planned ahead, I had tea and was the DD !! Jeff in blue, is the head biologist, Acting Chief and the one who "hired" us for the summer. Jason in white, is a seasonal finishing his Masters for Fish & Wildlife Mgmt.

After we got back, we went over to the indoor tanks to get some pictures of the "paddlefish". Now these are awesome fish !! They caught several males & females in the river and will be spawning them next week, then releasing them back into the river. The females are running between 70-90 pounds !!! And strong..... BV was able to pull a few out just enough to catch a brief photo. Then they got wild & frisky in the tank !

We're leaving out early Monday morning for western South Dakota.... driving to Deadwood (near Sturgis) which we'll use as our home base for several days to sightsee.... DC Booth Fish Hatchery, Museums, Mt. Rushmore... then drive thru the Badlands on the way back. Not sure if we'll have computer access.... but I'll catch up with ya'll later !!!

Tulip Festival in Iowa

On Friday May 15 we found out that the 69th year of the "Tulip Festival" was being held in Orange City, Iowa. So, of course we had to drive over !! This small town was settled in the 1800s by families from the Netherlands and to honor their heritage, they initiated this annual celebration. The entire town has gorgeous tulips - lining the streets, around houses and planted in Windmill Park - yes, aptly named because they've built replica windmills to show their ancestry, trades & lifestyle.

Like other towns, the celebration began with presentation of the Queen and her court, followed by a procession of community members dressed in ancestral clothing representing the 13 regions of the Netherlands. Some were functional from lower economic areas, others were ornate & decorative for celebrations or "visiting" days. Then came the "scrubbing of the streets"..... a tradition before the parade could begin. Buckets of water were thrown with folks of all ages following with brooms to "scrub". Once completed, both the Mayor and Queen inspected the route and declared the streets clean and the parade could begin.

All the floats represented some aspect of their heritage, story telling, trades, beliefs; many bands participated from high school and middle schools; and there was dancing & playing in the streets. Have you noticed the footwear ??? As on the float at right, most of the parade participants .... even the band members all wore/danced & marched in the traditional "wooden shoes" ! So many colors, sizes and artwork !!

After the parade we walked the streets visiting various shops and demonstrations. We watched several gentleman make wooden shoes and blacksmithing using the original tools of their trades & aptly dressed; many shops were open selling local sweets and foods. BV chose to snack on a "brat" complete with onions, mustard and sauerkraut.... not bad if I say so myself ! As the day went by, it clouded up and began to rain. We got back to the truck and went for dinner.... but not before passing by the visitor center sign for "Blue Bunny" Ice Cream !!!!

You bet I saved room for dessert !! The factory was closed but the parlor was open - thank goodness ..... and we splurged !! BV got a scoop of butter pecan on a waffle cone while I combined mocha almond fudge and triple brownie chocolate into a single scoop on a waffle cone. Ummmmm !

Back to South Dakota we went thru lush farmland & rolling hills. Imagine..... we can get to 2 other states in less time than it takes to get thru rush hour traffic back in Austin !!!

Sunday we are all getting together to play golf in Nebraska then to a local joint for food .....