Friday, July 29, 2016

This post is late because of no  WiFi in the park.  Friday we went to the Mammoth diggings that is located in Hot Springs, SD about 20 miles from our RV Park in Custer.  This is very interesting and I almost decided not to go but we are glad that we did.  The Mammoth site was discovered in 1974 when a contractor was leveling a field to build a subdivision in the town of Hot Springs.  They were lucky that the contractor when notified of the discovery knew that it was important and called the University and got Scientist tot he area.  Otherwise the whole site would have been lost.

It appears that their was a sink hole developed in the area about 90 billion years ago and the Mammoths numbers were large in the area.  There were the hairy kind (Shoot look it up I do not know what they were called) and the regular kind which were bigger that the hairy kind.  Any way they herd is controlled by the females and the young males if misbehaving are run out of the herd.  These young males gathered around this sink hole which had filled up with water.  The young males would fall inside the sink hole and because the banks were muddy they could not get out and died there.  So did the rabbits, wolves, mountain lions and other larger animals.

The site is now protected by a large building with roof and everything!!  They are still digging and they think that they have only reached the first level and there is much more underneath the recent finds.

Yes this is a mammoth not and elephant.  They tell use that an elephant can walk under the chin of the mammoth because the mammoth is so much bigger

Monday - Wednesday July 25 - 27, 2016

Our sister in-law (Melanie) and her daughter (Stefanie) visited us during this time.  We took them to the same places that we had seen and then some and had a great time.  We visited Custer State Park and saw several herds of Buffalo (sorry Ashley but there was many more than when you were here).  We saw the donkeys again and pronghorns this time around.  We also took them to Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Highway where the narrow tunnels are.  This time we went in my truck and I fit through all of then but only had 2 inches on both sides in one tunnel. Yes, it was scary!!  They left this morning (Thursday) and we had a great time with them and hated to see them go.  Here are a few photos from these days.

This is one of the biggest Buffalo that we have seen in Custer State Park.  Look at the beard on this sucker.  He was strutting his stuff also.

More of the Needles in the mountains.

These are the first Long Horn Sheep that we have seen on our trip.  These are mostly females and do not have the big horns but they were fun watching.  These were just outside of Custer, SD

Sunday, July 24, 2016, Gold Discovery Days, Custer

Today we got up and attended church in the town square and park.  It was an outside service and was very good.  For all the church friends we miss you and hope you are keeping our seats warm.!!!!  After attending the church service we went to Hot Springs and the Wind National Park to visit the cave.  We took a tour of one section of the cave which was the second longest that they offered the public.  It had 350 steps that we went down and thank goodness they had an elevator at the other end to take us back up.

After the Wind Cave National Park we went to the Wild Horse Sanctuary which is located several miles past Hot Springs, SD.  This is also where Hildago was filmed or at lease the last scene of the movie where he turns the horse loose.  We saw a lot of wild horses, a few turkeys, (and not the three riding in our truck) and some folds that were recently born.  The ranch was closed so we could not take a tour but they left it open so tourist could walk around and look at different places.   It was neat!
Here are the photos from our adventures.

 

 These are shots from inside the cave hope you can tell what they are because I have no idea what these formations are called.

Cindy's new ride!!!

And a spare!! For later

Saturday July 23, 2016 Gold Discovery Days, Custer

Today, the town of Custer is still celebrating the Gold Discovery Days.  We wanted to get up at 4:00 AM and see the Hot Air Balloon Rally, which started at 5:30 AM, but we turned off the clock and went back to sleep.  Needless to say, we missed the Hot Air Balloom Rally and we also missed the parade, but did go to a car show, which had about a hundred cars entered.  We also walked around the Arts and Craft Festival, ate ice cream, got coffee, and ate more ice cream and then went to the campground.  After walking around the town and the car show we were tired and needed a nap.  So we took one.  Its great to be retired!!

I like this one because I have never seen a trailer behind one of these old cars.

16 years old and wrecked one like this that my daddy owned.  Let it roll out of the drive way and hit a power pole.

This is my personal favorite. Very nice paint job.

Friday July 22

It has been almost a week since we posted but the WIFI in the park has been down and we have had visitors as well.

Last weekend the town of Custer had their annual celebration of the Gold Discovery Days.  It represents the period when gold was discovered in the town or near the town and the Black Hills.  They have a three day celebration that starts on Friday and runs through Sunday.  We visited the Town several times during the celebration.  On Friday, we went to see the gurney bed races put on by the locat medical community.  It was a lot of fun and entertaining.  They have teams that compete for prize money.  The object is to get the bed and patient to and from a location carrying a watermelon and it has to cross the finish line.

After the bed race they had street dancing but we only stayed a little while and then went to the campground.  See the pretty sunset as we were leaving town at the bottom.  Also see Saturday July 23 for the other stuff that we did not Saturday and Sunday

Racing toward the turn where the watermelon is located in a swimming pool full of ice.

The watermelon is in the swimming pool and they have to pick it up and put it on the gurney and carry it back without busting it up.

Root Canal Today for Cindy!!!!

Dentist would not allow photos to be taken of his excellent work but Cindy did have a Root Canal today to take care of the tooth that caused her trouble in Montana.  We have to go back in two week for a follow up.  Cannot believe she made me carry her all the way to South Dakota for a Root Canal!!!

Deadwood and Spearfish Canyon This is a late Post!!!!!

On Saturday, July 16, 2016, we went to Deadwood and Spearfish Canyon.  Deadwood is full of history but most of it was lost in two different fires, which burned the whole town up and then there was a flood that wiped out most of the rest.  Talking to the locals you will find that most of the stuff they say was here when Wild Bill Hickok was alive is bull stuff.  There is a saloon that is named Number 10 where Wild Bill was supposed to have been shot but you will find two different places claiming to be the saloon and then the other claiming to be the original site.  There is a grave that I personally believe maybe the original thing because the markers say that Wild Bill was buried and moved to the Deadwood Cemetery and Calamity Jane also died else where and asked to be buried next to Wild Bill and it was done.   We walked around Deadwood for a couple of hours and then went to Spearfish Canyon to have lunch and it was great.  Buffalo burger and bacon.  So here are the photos I forgot to post.

This is a motorcycle club or several of them that a photo as we entered Deadwood.

Lunch outside in Spearfish Canyon.

Waterfall in Spearfish Canyon.

Custer State Park, Needles Highway and Crazy Horse

We had a very busy weekend with the kids visiting.  We went to Custer State Park and road the Wildlife Loop and some side roads looking for buffalo and deer.  We road the Needles Highway looking for a tight squeeze and then to Crazy Horse monument.  My Gosh this monument has been under construction for a life time and the only thing completed is the head.  It is the same as it was when I was here in 1998.  They are making a ton of money off tourist at the entrance.  It is $28.00 a car to enter and I am not sure how long that has been going on.  Why have a ponsie scheme when you can get a rock and claim to make a monument of a historic figure and charge people for 40 years.


Mt. Rushmore has changed a great deal since I was here last.  They have a new visitor center and new walkways and the biggest change is the parking deck.  There was not one when I was here last.  We had a great time here walking around the base of the monument and looking at all the history on the making of the figures.  Just in case you have forgotten the presidents represented are Washington (of course) and Jefferson and then Teddy Roosevelt and Lincoln. Oh shoot this is from the last post just go back and read it and it will make since!!

This is a shot of the Black Hills from one of the highest points in Custer State Park

This is a shot of two different Bucks from Custer State Park.  We did not see the second one until we had parked to take a shot of the first one and then the second one stood up.  He was in high grass right beside the rock in the photo.

This is a great shot of me that Cindy took while in Custer State Park.  We live here wild and roam the area as we please.

This is only one of the tight tunnels you go through on the Needles Highway.  And yes this is us thanks to Ashley jumping out of the car to get the photo.  This is a rental car that we were in.  I am not sure that my truck would have made it through.

These are the spires along the highway

Another tight tunnel on the highway.  Check out the traffic jam in the other photos near the bottom!!

This is the needle's eye

These are photos of Crazy Horse.  The top and bottom show the head which has taken over 40 years to complete.  The head that you see here was unveiled in June of 1998.  I was hear in August of that year and I swear it has not changed a bit but that family (whites and Indians) is cleaning up on the tourist traveling to the site.  If you are coming to the area do yourself a favor and take photos from the road outside the area, because you can see it from the road.  They do not allow tourist to go within a half mile of the monument.