AUGUST 27, 2022
Only two adventures planned for today. The first, is more my thing than anyone else but they went along for the ride. The Four Amigos went to Hill City for the 10th Annual Hill City Wine, Brew, & BBQ. It was a two day event and today was when you could purchase a ticket ($20) to sample several competitor’s ribs. That started at 11:00 AM. We got there just a little before 11 and they were already sold out. Needless to say I was disappointed.
So we went to the ticket booth and purchased a wrist band so that we could get to the beer tent. They had 24 different selections from most of the local brewers. They had my favorite, Sturgis Brewing Black Hills Blond. But I opted for the Lost Cabin Hefeweizen. It was delicious. I’ll have to go to their taproom for some more tasting. There was live music throughout the event. Was really nice.
There were also a couple of food vendors on site so we didn’t go hungry. Nancy and I shared a plate of pulled pork, brisket, cowboy beans, smoked mac and cheese, and cole slaw. It was absolutely wonderful. We shared a plate as we had purchased tokens for the People’s Choice KCBS (Kansas City Barbecue Society). There was a lot to sample (each token gets you a sample and we had 10 tokens between us) Then you also had a blue ticket that you would put in the bucket at the pit master where you thought was the best. Nancy and I roamed together and where we could we would get something different. We tried ribs, brisket, pulled pork, and even chicken. It is up to the pit master what they will smoke. Didn’t have a bad taste all day. Ultimately Nancy and I both voted for the pit master that had the brisket. Great flavor, great smoke, tender, and very juicy. We left full.
We went home for a few hours and then we were going to go toward Keystone to the Mount Rushmore Rodeo at Palmer Gulch. This was the last one of the season. The best part, it is free thanks to the VIP Pass. We all cooled off in our air conditioning. Belinda and Kathy opted not to go as the heat of the day beat them down. I was find either way so I left it up to Nancy. So off we headed to the rodeo. We checked the weather and no rain in the forecast and a temperature of upper 60s. We only stayed for the first three quarters of the event as the temperature dropped down into the lower 60s. We were not prepared. Need to get better at that! We did get to see a little of each event being held. It was pretty cool. Mostly local cowboys and cowgirls but some came from Wyoming, Nebraska and Montana. The events were Bareback Bronc Riding, Ladies Barrel Racing, Youth Barrel Racing, Ranch Bronc, Breakaway Roping, Team Roping, Saddle Bronc Riding and Bull Riding. I think around midway through the show they had a Kids Boot Race. This is where the children go out into the arena. They take off one shoe and put it into a side by side with a dump bed. The shoes are driven to the middle of the arena and dumped and spread out. Then on the command, the children are supposed to go find there shoe, put it on, and race back to the start line. The winner got a free T-shirt and each contestant got a wooden nickel good for a free scoop of ice cream. Was pretty cool. Both figuratively and literally.
August 26, 2022
Tonight we went to Mount Rushmore. It was our first time but Belinda and Kathy had been once before. They knew where to park, etc. We chose the evening so we could be there for the Lighting Ceremony. The weather started out very nice but the closer we got to the park, the darker it was becoming. We pushed ahead and went into the Visitor’s Center. While watching the short movie on the history and building of the monument, it started to rain and also had thunder and lightning. The Rangers said that the decision to hold the lighting will be made at the start time. Luckily, the weather passed enough to have the ceremony. Words can not describe the feeling of patriotism or love of our country that was felt throughout the arena. It was awe inspiring. We want to go back one more time before we leave so we can get closer to the stage. And try for better weather.
August 25, 2022
We had to travel to Rapid City today, so we started a little earlier, at least for us. We decided to stop at a local place to grab a bite to eat on the road to Rapid City. The Miner’s Cup had great reviews and a great selection of breakfast sandwiches. I dined on the Train Robber. Sausage, bacon, ham, egg, and Monterey Jack cheese on two Pearl Sugar Belgium waffles. The sandwich was great but the sugar on the waffles kind of overpowered the rest of the ingredients. I would order the sandwich again but without the waffles. Nancy surprised me and opted for the Colt 45. She choose bacon as her protein, cheddar cheese, egg, on Peal Sugar waffle as well. She added avocado. Her opinion was the same as mine. Great food but the waffle was overpowering.
Our first stop in Rapid City is Camping World. A few weeks ago Nancy had to get a new chair. The chair broke. A piece of the frame broke where a bolt ran through it. We went back to Camping World, where it was purchased. Ten minutes later, we walked out with a brand new chair. She is happy once again. :}
When we go to the “big city” we try to make the best of it. So after Camping World, we found the Main Street Classic Car Museum. Don’t let the name fool you. It was someone’s garage. A hand full of classic cars, none restored. Some for sale. Total bust. Took us all of about 15 minutes to walk through. The person we spoke with was very pleasant. A couple of the cars were actually at the Deadwood Kool Nites, classic car show and auction.
From there we found Mary’s Mountain Cookies. It was a place I saw advertised in one of the tourist brochures. It was very well rated. They also sell 4 ounce (1/4 pound) cookies. They were huge! And very YUMMY!!
It was time to head toward home but on the way we had time for a couple more stops. First up was Putz N Glo. It was one of our 50% off with our VIP Pass. It is miniature golf under black lights. Very cool!! And the music was awesome!
The last stop for this afternoon is Smoke Jumper’s Station. It is a part of Firehouse Brewing but located in Hill City. It is probably the last winery that we haven’t done for a tasting. In our gift shop at the campground we do sell Firehouse wines. So we opted to do a wine tasting as we ate our lunch. We each tried 6 wines, some the same, some different but neither of us enjoyed any of them. They are mostly dryer wines and that is not in our wheelhouse. I’ve tried their beer before and did not find any that I enjoyed. I did get to taste the Wilderness Wheat. That was a good beer so I enjoyed one with my Cuban sandwich. Nancy also had the Cuban. I can definitely say two things. The first is that their food is much better than their beverages and while the sandwich was good, our son Phillip makes a much better Cuban.
Tonight is another cards night. We opted for the Custer Beacon because of a chance of rain. Everyone was invited. Bill and Leslie didn’t see the text message in time. So Belinda, Kathy, Nancy and I started playing Tens. It’s a fun card game. Then Steve and Kelly came in so we moved to a larger table, ditched the cards and enjoyed the fellowship and conversation. What a long day but totally awesome!
August 19, 2022
Rise and shine early today. At least early for us. We left the house around 8:30AM and headed to Deadwood. We checked things out and had an idea of what we wanted to see and do. We arrived at the Deadwood Visitors Center. The young lady there was very helpful and had tons of good information. We purchased a day pass to ride on the trolley. The first thing we did was to completely take the trolley on its entire trip. This way it gave us a good lay of the land. Our first trolley stop was in front of the Brothel Museum. We ventured upstairs but the tours only start on the hour. We had some time to kill so we walked a few doors up the street to check out some shops. One we went into was the Old Saloon Number 10. The place where Wild Bill Hickcock was killed by Jack McCall. We went upstairs and had a root beer float. From there we went back to the museum. More on that later.
After the museum we found a place for lunch and timed it just right to see the first of three shootouts on Main Street. It was an interesting true story. During a card game, the Sheriff took someone away because they were rowdy and drunk. In the process the drunk fired a shot and it struck a card player in the forehead. He lived for 67 days after being shot. Amazing. After the shootout, we walked a couple of blocks up the street and ventured into the new Saloon Number 10. We were killing time before the 3:00PM Wild Bill shooting re-enactment. I thought it would be cool to play cards at the Saloon. Deadwood is rich in casinos. The only table active at this time was a 3 card poker table with a $2 minimum. So I pulled up a chair and bought some chips. After a few hands, Nancy decided she wanted to play also. So I gave her some of my chips and we sat at the table and played. We left the table for a brief time to see the re-enactment. We then went back to the table and bought some more chips and played for about 1 1/2 hours. It was a lot of fun. The other players were great to talk to and the dealers were fabulous. It was then time to catch a trolley back to the truck and go home.
The Brothel Museum was very interesting and educational. It was an hour guided tour. This brothel had been in business since 1876 until all of them were closed down in 1980 after a federal raid. In 1980 there were four remaining brothels. The story was that Deadwood did not like change. The brothels were very generous to local charities, fire department, and Little League. According to a modern sheriff, they never had any trouble from any of the brothels. There were four bedrooms and each one was decorated in an era specific decor. The Madam’s office contained a safe and an interesting dresser system where each girl would put the money and then it would be divided up at the end of the night. Initially the house only took 40%. Eventually it was increased to 50%. The girls had weekly health checks, paid for by the employer.
We got home around 6:00PM and at 7:00PM we were going to meet Belinda and Kathy and Leslie and Bill at the Pavilion at the campground. We all got together to play cards. Leslie and Bill taught us how play Golf. Yes, that’s an actual card game. It was lots of fun. Great that all the work campers can have a good time together.
August 17, 2022
Sturgis is done for this year so we can head back to the north. We decided that today would be a good day to visit Spearfish Canyon and then on to Devil’s Tower. Instead of taking a familiar route we opted for a different way. We took US 16 out of Custer past Jewel Cave and on to Newcastle, Wyoming. In Newcastle we picked up US 85 and then US 14A into Spearfish Canyon. The Jewel Cave pictures are of some of the stunning scenery we saw on US 16. The Wyoming photos show the difference in the landscape between the Black Hills and the prairie of Wyoming. Beautiful sights.
Just before we arrived at the Spearfish Falls, we passed a fire station. I had to get a couple of pictures. I have noticed that the majority of the fire departments here in South Dakota are volunteer. We arrived at the Spearfish Canyon Lodge. Across the street is the Latchstitch Restaurant. To one side of the restaurant is the trail that takes you to the lower observation deck. There is an upper deck but you really can’t get much of a view. It is a 1.5 mile hike round trip to and from the lower observation deck. I am pleased to say that Nancy and I made the trip down and back. I actually enjoyed the hike. It was well worth the effort. Bree had a good time also. I wasn’t sure that she wasn’t going to jump in at times. But of course at the end of the trail was a good lunch and a tropical blend ale. Very good. We were able to get our lunch eaten on the Puppy Patio in time before it started to rain. We drove across the street and up to the Roughrock Falls. It is smaller than Spearfish Falls and also had a trail. One trail for the day is good for me. We were able to see it from an observation deck but did not hike down. One cool thing was a pool at the top of Roughrock and the water was so clear you could see the spotted trout swimming around. On the way back down we stopped at the Lodge, and looked around the gift shop. The lodge was beautiful. Loved the stone fireplace and the various wildlife hanging on the wall.
The next stop is Devil’s Tower National Monument. It is located in the Gillette, Wyoming area. Devil’s Tower was the first national monument. National parks actually takes an act of Congress. National monuments can be declared by the President and then later become national parks. The fun factoid about Devil’s Tower is that there are no horizontal strata. They are vertical. Devil’s Tower is full of myths and folklore. This ground is very sacred to the Native Americans. It closes at various times throughout the year for certain ceremonies. People are also allowed to climb the Tower at certain times. It seems to be very popular for climbers. It also had a concrete trail leading to the base of the Tower. We walked around the Vistor’s Center for a few minutes and the gift shop just before it closed. The day was very long but great. We mapped a different route home. It was a little after 8:00PM when we reached Custer. Being tired we decided to stop at the Begging Burro for dinner. Another day of sightseeing and exploration in the books. So much more to do and only 6 weeks to go.
August 14, 2022
Tonight was my wing tasting night. I bought a package of whole wings at Sam’s a few days ago. I cut them up and froze half and put the other half into our favorite brine. Very easy recipe and very tasty. They brined overnight and then I dust them with salt, pepper, and garlic mixture. Then I season them. I used a Savory Spice KC BBQ rub on most of them. It was a little more spicy than I had wanted. The smaller batch I used Slap Ya Mama on. It brings a little more heat but great Cajun flavors. I invited Belinda and Kathy and Steve and his family for a tasting. What goes great with wings? BEER. And what goes great with beer? A campfire.
So as the wings were smoking I started a campfire. As the wings came off the smoker, Steve and Kelly and their 3 children, Zach, Shilo, and Corbin and Belinda and Kathy arrived to try them. They said they liked them. I thought they turned out good too. We all sat around the campfire, enjoyed our beverages, and wings and conversation. After a long day of work, it was a great way to end our work week.
August 12, 2022
Sturgis Rally Week so we are heading south. We decided to visit Wind Cave National Park Visitor’s Center and go on down to Hot Springs to see the Mammoth Site. I opted for a scenic route that we had taken before. Always a chance to see wildlife. We made to Wind Cave National Park but had to stop en route. The reason, about 150 bison crossing the street. Maybe more. It was interesting to watch people get out of a car or off their motorcycle to take selfies, etc. Bison are wild animals. While most were not that close, but all it would have taken is someone to blow a horn.
We arrived at the Visitor’s Center. Most people there were there to take the tour of the Wind Cave. We sat in a small theater and watched a wonderful video on the Wind Cave National Park and focused on the wildlife and plant life. It was very informative and educational. They also had some exhibits in the center so we walked around and learned even more. One of the most interesting items was a display of two elk skulls with their horns interlocked. The story was that these elks were banging heads and their horns became interlocked. They could not release from each other. They died this way.
We proceeded to drive through Hot Springs and finally found The Mammoth Site. It was a really cool place. We weren’t really sure what to expect. We had read some online about it. We entered the building and they also had a video that explained how the site came about and the history. Very interesting and very educational. A brief history is that the property was being developed by a new owner. During excavation, a bulldozer dug up a bone. The owner called in an expert and they discovered that the excavation was in a sinkhole and that hundreds of thousands of years ago mammoths roamed the area. This sinkhole lured the mammoths in for water and they would go to far and fall in. The shale sides prevented them from climbing back out. They drowned. The bones discovered were actual bones and not fossils. As the owner saw the importance of the discovery, the project was scrapped. Instead, they built a structure around the entire site and it is still an active archeological site. While we were on our tour, people were working. One worker made a discovery while we watched him worked. He had a supervisor come out to see. We talked to him and he thought he had discovered a “toe bone of an antelope”. Apparently this would be a big discovery. This has been a very educational day. Awesome.
August 11, 2022
A very busy day planned for today. For starters, our youngest grandson, Braxton, turns 7 today. He’s Andrew’s little brother. So whatever we do we have to be somewhere so we can FaceTime him when he opens his presents. We are actually starting our day in Custer. The Custer Community Church holds a breakfast the Monday thru Friday of Sturgis. The breakfast cost us $12 each and it was all you can eat pancakes, sausage, bacon, eggs, and biscuits and gravy. Very good and for a good cause.
After breakfast we went up to Rapid City to pick up our order of bagels from Black Hills Bagels. While we are in Rapid we took our recycles to the recycling center. Then the plan was for Nancy to get her hair cut and get her fingernails done. I dropped her off at the designated locations and I went on over to Sam’s Club and picked up a few items we needed. Then I went back to wait on Nancy.
For some strange reason I wanted to go to the Black Hills Harley dealer. Just to say I was in the madness of Sturgis, at least once. Nancy decided to wait in the truck with the A/C running. It was very windy, sunny and 101 degrees. I made my rounds and survived.
After the Harley dealer we found Piesano’s Pizza again. This time they were open. We went in and had some lunch/dinner. We took our leftovers home. Finally found some decent pizza. We left Bree home today because of the high temperatures. Belinda and Kathy look after her when we do these day trips. She does great for them and we are very appreciative of them offering to look after Bree. They’re buddies.
On the way home we decided to drive thru Bear Country USA again. The awesome thing is that it is one of our free passes from the VIP card. The animals were a little more active this time even though it was very hot. We took a lot of pictures and movies and even walked around the outdoor exhibit this time. It was a great day. We saw a lot of different animals. Here’s the link to their webpage which describes the animals. ANIMALS.
Just as we got home, our son texted us and said that Braxton would be ready for FaceTime in about 15 minutes. It worked out perfectly. We saw him blow out his candle and eat his cupcake after the family had sung him Happy Birthday. While he was eating, we had the chance to briefly talk to Andrew and caught up with Phillip and Michelle. Once he was finished we saw him open his presents. Not the same as actually being there but for now it’ll have to do.
I have to keep reminding myself that this is a once in a lifetime adventure. Phillip also reminds me. I still miss everyone.
August 8, 2022
Today I decided was the day to do another Boston Butt. I prepped it last night and put it on the smoker this morning before work. I learned a couple of things from the first one. The first one didn’t last even a week. It was all gone. This time I got a larger one, about 8 pounds. It was another late night but worth it. I was able to freeze 3 bags of pulled pork and still gave some to Belinda and Kathy and some to Steve’s family. It was good. We even had a meal or two out of it before freezing.
August 6, 2022
The game is on tonight. Bill and Leslie and Belinda and Kathy and Nancy and I are headed to the Beacon again. This time to play Mexican Train Dominos. Its nice having a large table so you can spread the game out. Its also nice having the bar right there. And if you were hungry, you can order food. Tonight’s music is karaoke. There were some very good singers. We had to stop the game once when Leslie and Bill got up to sing. They did very well. Then one other time so all 6 of us could dance. I don’t remember the song but it was sung very well. A grand time was had by all until it was time to leave. A thunderstorm was underway. We got a little wet getting to the truck. Still a fun night.
August 4, 2022
Being a Thursday it’s Denial time. Buy one, get one. Nancy and I worked for Bill and Leslie as Bill’s Dad is in town for Sturgis. So we all decided to go to Denial and Nancy would catch up with us later at the Custer Beacon. We had a pleasant time at Denial. Talking over a couple of beers. Then we went on to the Beacon. There was a group playing, or so we thought. It was just 2 guys. They were good but we didn’t get into the music. We wound up outside as Bill and Leslie played Belinda and Kathy in corn hole. The rest of us watched as a couple of others were playing also but didn’t know how to keep score. We had an enjoyable time.
August 3, 2022
The Sturgis/Black Hills Rally starts in a couple of days. So today we all decided to go fishing. Including Bree. We are trying a new spot, the Blue Bell Lodge Horse Camp. It’s down a dirt road, through a campground specifically for horses and their owners. We arrived and found a couple of nice spots to fish from. Belinda was using trout bait and I was using my standard worms. After talking to a few people it was decided that for trout, we were using hooks that were too big. So we downsized our hook. Belinda caught one but could not land it. It wriggled off before she could get it to shore. Shortly after I caught two but couldn’t land them because my knot came undone. First time I’ve ever had that happen. Then I finally landed one. Belinda assisted with the net. It was a decent sized trout. So I casted out again and within a few seconds I landed another one. In the meantime, Belinda lost a shoe into the water. Nancy got down on some rocks and between the two of them they retrieved the shoe. Meanwhile, I was reeling in fish. Nancy wound up manning the net and the stringer. Belinda switched to worms and between the two of us we had Nancy hopping. We had to go to a second stringer. Belinda was taking one off the hook and I was reeling one in. And vice versa. In a short amount of time, we had both caught our limit of 5. We caught 9 trout and I caught a Mountain Sucker. Only around in the Black Hills.
We had a fun time. Even Bree had a good time and played in the stream for a little bit. Belinda cleaned the fish and kept a couple out so she and Nancy could have lunch one day. The rest were put into our freezer. We have several pounds of fish that one day we are going to have a fish fry (smoke) day.
On our way out we passed by a bull bison. He was a very large beast and only about 10 feet from our truck. Bree was very well behaved. We stopped long enough to get a good picture and then moved on.
August 2, 2022
We had an early appointment in Rapid City. Jack and Cora had suggested if we like bagels to check out Black Hills Bagels. So today was a good time to do so. Wow!! Their bagels are wonderful. Only New York City bagels are better. Since we were in the city, we hit up Sam’s Club, and then we wanted to try a pizza place. Piesano’s. It is rated very well. We have not found any place that serves good pizza for our tastes. We arrived at Piesano’s only to find they were closed because they had sealed the parking lot today. Maybe on our next trip. At least we got some great bagels.
As we drove through Hill City on the way home you could tell that the Rally was upon us. Both sides of the street was lined with motorcycles. The Rally starts Friday August 5, 2022.
August 1, 2022
I decided to do another smoking experiment today. Last night I mixed up ground beef, cheese, and rub. Stuffed it into uncooked manicotti shells and then wrapped each shell with 2 slices of bacon. Let them sit overnight so the moisture helps to soften the shell. Then before I smoked them I sprinkled some BBQ rub on them. Then when they are ready, I put a BBQ sauce glaze on them. I invited Steve, Kathy, and Belinda to come try them. Steve is on his own for a few days. Everyone said they liked them. I attempted to adjust the cook time due to altitude and I think I overcooked them. I didn’t get too many pictures. I was too busy eating them. May have to try them again with Italian or breakfast sausage.
July 31, 2022
Tonight was game night. We played Mexican Train Dominoes with Belinda and Kathy. It was another fun evening talking, playing a game, being competitive, and having a couple of drinks.
July 30, 2022
We got word today that Jack and Cora were going to leave tomorrow. They were the 4th work camping couple. Steve and Kelly and family will pick up the slack. They will not ask any of us to do extra. So now we may have campers next door from time to time.
July 28, 2022
Nancy decided that today she wanted to travel the Needles Highway again. But this time she wanted to drive. So off we went. It is different in the passenger’s seat but she did good. She also had an ulterior motive. We found Center Lake, which is off Needles. Just so happened that Belinda and Kathy were there fishing. After sitting around and talking for a few minutes it was decided that fishing wasn’t great so we would go get some lunch. We went to the Blue Bell Lodge in Custer State Park. Great food, good beer.
July 25, 2022
We had a camper come in today and offered to do a free concert at our covered pavilion. Steve said yes. His name is Eric Laubach. He is a singer/song writer. He was very good. Only a few people showed up but the rest missed out. He was heavy on the blues. So for about an hour we had a nice time talking and listening to music and even some sing along. Fun evening.
July 24, 2022
Since I got the smoker I’ve been wanting to smoke a Boston Butt to have pulled pork for sandwiches and for a recipe. Last night I prepped the butt and since I work the early shift today, it was a great time to put the butt on the smoker. It went on at 09:00. It did not seem like it was cooking as fast as it should. It was only about 4 pounds. I had forgotten about the whole 5,300 feet above sea level thing. I pulled it off the smoker at 21:00 hours and it finally reached temperature at 22:45 hours. I pulled it from the oven and had to let it sit for 20 minutes before I could pull it. It was still good, tender, and moist. Very pleased.
July 23, 2022
The plan for today is to go fishing after we have some lunch. The initial plan was to eat at the State Game Lodge. On the way to the lodge, we had a small traffic congestion. Apparently some pronghorn antelope wanted to take their time crossing the street. Once we got pass the we arrived at the lodge. It was too pricey so we opted to backtrack to the Legion Lake Lodge. Belinda and I had eaten there on our last fishing trip. On the way we stopped in to the Off The Hook Picnic Area. It was a beautiful spot and had a couple of very nice looking fishing spots. We tried our luck for a few minutes. I caught a very small trout and promptly threw it back in. The coolest thing was across the stream from us a deer decided to come down the hill and take a drink of water. As the fishing was bad, and everyone was hungry we arrived at the Legion Lake Lodge. We had Bree with us so we dined outside on the covered patio. Most places are very pet friendly in the area. They even served her a bowl of water.
After lunch we went to Bismark Lake. Kathy and Belinda launched their kayaks. Belinda opted to fish from her kayak. There was a boardwalk around the lake and a trail. We ventured up the boardwalk to a nice pier area. There was a gentleman there who invited us to fish along side of him. He caught 4 trout very quickly. I eventually caught one small trout but I was going to throw him back in. Unfortunately for him, he swallowed the hook. I could not remove the hook without hurting it. It was just barely big enough but I put it on the stringer. The gentleman decided to leave and gave us his fish and his stringer. He left and I kept fishing for a while longer. Nancy had to take up guard duty at the stringer. First one and then two turtles decided to circle the fish. Belinda and Kathy paddled in and Belinda had caught nothing. So we packed it in.