Day 6

Kind of a slow start to the morning…must have been to many smores! 

Hot Springs, SD was the destination of the day.  We laid out the course and set off for the 40+ mile journey.  Along the way we entered Wind Cave Park and were immediately greeted by about 50 buffalo.  It was our first close encounter with the Bison.  The two things that stood out most were their immense size and the amount of noise they make while grazing.  The various grunts and groans reminded me of being in the bathroom at KOA!!

The tour was really quite amazing.  The building was actually constructed around the entire sinkhole and they are actively digging as you walk through.  To find out how the sinkhole formed and why there are only male mammoths fossilized…check out the website.  It is pretty cool.  www.mammothsite.org

After the tour, Dawson and Emma took part in a Jr. Paleontologist Excavation.  They learned all about Paleontology and were given tools and instruction on how to dig up some bones!  They had a successful dig uncovering a Mammoth’s femur and an unidentified bone.

Hot and dirty, we then headed to Evan’s Plunge.  It is a spring fed pool – 16,000 gallons of water per hour!  The pool’s water is replaced 16 times a day.  (I wish I read that BEFORE I went swimming – it was very crowded.)  There were a number of slides and other fun activities to do around the pool.  The magical mineral water seemed to rejuvenate us all and we headed to our KOA a short distance away.

On cousin Bryan Brayboy’s recommendation, we picked up some steaks on the way out of Hot Springs and fired up the grill.  To state it simply – they were amazing!  Thanks Bryan!  After a dinner, we played some miniature golf and a quick card game then we all hit the rack. 

Should be an interesting night…the camper is on a bit of a slope.  I hope I don’t end up on the floor!

 

Life at KOA

Day 5

Today was all about adventure! After a BIG pancake breakfast, we headed back to Custer State Park for a horseback riding journey through the Black Hills. We knew that we were going to have another special day when we spotted a Big Horn Sheep on our way to the park! Unfortunately, it happened to quickly to get a picture.

At the stable we were all given our mounts. My mare was named Wild Bill, Emma hopped on Shortcake, Hamster rode Frank, Amy saddled up Mario and Dawson put the spurs to Star Dust. Everyone did an outstanding job… Emma proved to be a natural and I am afraid she might develop a taste for riding. Dawson handled a spirited Star Dust like a rodeo champion!

Once back at the KOA, we went on a Polaris Ranger Ride through the 150 miles of trails behind the park. We were told that there was a Gold Mine somewhere along the trails – I am thinking that it was more myth that fact, kind of like the American Snipe Hunt, and we fell for it - hook, line and sinker. We did find sand pit however, and Dawson and Emma explored and we (I) managed to scare my lovely wife to death with some real off-road driving! Also, we are now able to add the Coyote to the list of animals spotted…it was the size of a wolf!

Exhausted when we arrived back at the campsite we went for a swim and took showers to get some of the dirt off from the days adventures. Then we settled down to a campfire and dinner. Smores and roasted marshmallows proved to be the perfect ending to another amazing day.
PS – I keep meaning to tell you all that we did get the hot water figured out. As many of you have pointed out…there is a BIG GREEN switch that says “WATER HEATER.” A neighboring RV’ist pointed it out to us the following morning…not without a good laugh first!

PPS – I apologize for the lack of pictures…it takes about 15 minutes to download each photo. We will keep trying!!

Day 4

After breakfast we headed off to pick up a rental car in order to travel around the Black Hills. At 8:00 AM sharp we pulled out of the park in our '84 Buick Park Ave. Although the car had well over 100,000 miles, it never batted an eye at the best the Black Hills could throw at us. First stop was Mt. Rushmore. What an incredible architectural achievement.

After crossing Mt. Rushmore off the list, we headed to Custer Sate Park via Iron Mountain Road which would be a significant challenge for any highly trained driver. Once we successfully navigated the hairpin turns, pig tail bridges and one lane rock tunnels of Iron Mountain Rd, we entered Custer State Park and proceed to the “THE WILDLIFE LOOP” in search of some wildlife. While the game was present, we had to work hard to find all the major animals of the park. When it was all said and done we found: Elk, Mule & White Tail Deer, Bison, Prairie Dogs, begging burrows and Antelope. I must say that all my Cherokee blood was boiling as Amy took the prize as chief game spotter!

Leaving the park, we stopped and had lunch at the Blue Bell Lodge. A few bison burgers and a Moose Drool later we were on the road headed towards Needle Drive. This is most certainly the “Tour de France” of any scenic drive. All I can muster is an astounding – WOW!

Arriving back at the campsite around 2PM, we had just enough time for a quick swim before we loaded up and headed back out to Blue Bell Lodge. At 5:30 PM, we (along with 40 others) boarded a hay wagon and we were serenaded by “Kowboy Keith” for the hour long journey to a secluded area of the park. The chuck wagon meal consisted of steaks, burger, cornbread and fireside coffee! The old country music and good old fashion fun was the perfect way to end another magical day out west. 

Little Bighorn National Park

View of Battle Field 

A Lakota Warrior grave marker

                               General Custer's grave marker

Day 3

Up early, we left the campsite around 8AM and headed to Hill City/Mt Rushmore KOA, SD. Our first stop was K-Mart to pick up some needed supplies. Mission accomplished, we headed east on Rte 90 towards South Dakota.

The 260+ miles journey held many sites for us to take in...numerous pronghorn, oil wells (old and new), open pit coal mines, 100+ coal trains, thousand's of Angus, incredible landscapes, and we experienced an incredible change from the wide open plains of the mid-west to the Black Hills of South Dakota. As a side note for all that are interested in gas mileage...we averaged 6 mpg from Sheridan to Hill City.

Before arriving in Hill City, we stopped at Jewel Cave National Park http://www.nps.gov/jeca/ to explore the country's second largest cave. Kentucky's Mammoth Cave is the largest - YEAH BRAVO!!! We were warned that the cave's temperature was a constant 47 degrees, so we all put on jackets and entered the elevator which took us down 300 ft. to start our guided tour of Jewel cave tunnels. This was a truly amazing experience...

Leaving the Park we had only 25 mile to go to reach our KOA at MT Rushmore/Hill City, SD. Before reaching the KOA we needed to stop for gas. After expertly driving Rolling Teepee through some very difficult maneuvers, we managed to align ourselves perfectly with the pump. Unfortunately, there were a number of traumatic incidents that occurred while we were filling up. A fellow RV'ist had a major gas leak and the entire police and fire department ascended on the Exxon station. A young hitch hiker was caught up in the mix and forced to empty her entire backpack. Tears streaming from her eyes, we all felt she was in serious trouble. Ironically, the only one - other that Rolling Teepee - to emerge unscathed was a group of bikers! Only in the WILD WEST!!!

We arrived at the KOA at 4:30PM...it is amazing. The number of activities are incredible: horse barn, miniature golf, three pools, 180 ft water slide, giant bounce bubble, and my personal favorite -  $2 all you can eat pancakes from 7-11AM!!!!

Day 2

To say that we hit the ground running would be an understatement! We had a GREAT breakfast at Stella’s Kitchen & Bakery and then happened to run into Terry from Pierce RV’s after we ate. He agreed to pick us up at Wal-Mart after we had done our initial food shop, and then take us to the waiting 31 foot, immaculate RV that would serve as our home for the next 16 days. Terry was the perfect introduction to the West for us…genuine, incredibly gracious and knowledgeable…he set us off on the right course.

With the RV, Rolling Teepee, stocked for the first few days, we headed off to experience General Custer’s last few days. I know that I can speak for the entire group when I say that from the moment we entered the park, we all knew that we were on hallowed ground. Driving through the park, reading the memorials and the factual illustrations along with the grave markers, it was amazingly clear to us how the Battle of Little Big Horn played out. We were also able to hear a local Crow Indian relay the entire battle sequence – she was incredible! The entire group was held breathless and finally speechless at the conclusion. She was a true story teller and we all felt blessed to have heard the description of the battle. Leaving the battleground we headed to our first camping site…

We arrived in Sheridan, Wyoming around 5PM and settled into our first campsite by 5:30. At 5:31, Dawson and Emma were in the pool enjoying some relief from the 90+ degree temperature. Our first hook-up went relatively smoothly and we enjoyed a great dinner of grilled chicken and salad. It is hard to believe that we have only been out here for 48 hours and have experienced everything that we have…we are in a truly magical part of our country!

PS – we still can’t figure our how to get hot water in Rolling Teepee!!!

Day 1

Sorry the post is late...we were experiencing some technical difficulties...


We left PA at around 12:30 PM and arrived in Billings, MT at 12:30 AM – that’s around 14 hours after we left Elk Lake, PA. I have to admit that we were amazed at how well Dawson and Emma managed the long day…considering we arrived on Billings, MT at 2:30 AM according to their clock! We did not see much of Billings on our way to the Hotel (Clock Tower Inn) and we all collapsed once in bed!

The WW Stampede Agenda

Friday, July 25 - The Adventure Begins!!!
Billings, Montana
http://ci.billings.mt.us/

Saturday, July 26
Little Bighorn/Sheridan, WY
http://www.nps.gov/archive/foda/Fort_Davis_WEB_PAGE/About_the_Fort/Little_Bighorn.htm
http://www.sheridanwyoming.org/

Sunday, July 27 – 29
Black Hills, SD
http://www.blackhillsbadlands.com/?utm_source=GooglePPC&utm_medium=PPC&utm_content=BlackHills&utm_campaign=BHDS2008
Wednesday, July 30
Hot Springs, SD
http://www.hotsprings-sd.com/sub/visitor/visitor_info.html

Thursday, July 31
Devils Tower
http://www.adventure-crew.com/parks/DevilsTower.asp

Friday, August 1
Cody, Wyoming
http://www.codychamber.org/

Saturday, August 2 - 3
Jackson, Wyoming
http://www.jacksonhole.com/

Monday, August 4-5
Grand Teton National Park
http://www.wyomingtourism.org/cms/d/grand_teton_national_park.php

Wednesday, August 6 – 8
Yellowstone National Park
http://www.wyomingtourism.org/cms/d/yellowstone_national_park.php?cmp=KNC-WY07&HBX_PK=YellowstoneGroup&HBX_OU=50

Saturday, August 9
Livingston, Montana
http://www.livingston-chamber.com/

Sunday, August 10
Billings, Montana

Black Elk, Ogalala Sioux

In preparation for the trip, we have been reading Black Elk Speaks. Black Elk Speaks is a 1932 autobiography of an Oglala Sioux medicine man as told to John Neihardt.
In the summer of 1930, as part of his research into the Native American perspective on the Ghost Dance movement, Neihardt contacted an Oglala holy man named Black Elk, who had been present as a young man at the 1876 Battle of the Little Big Horn and the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre. As Neihardt tells the story, Black Elk gave him the gift of his life's narrative, including the visions he had had and some of the Oglala rituals he had performed. The two men developed a close friendship. The book Black Elk Speaks, grew from their conversations continuing in the spring of 1931, and is now Neihardt's most familiar work. The current popularity of the book shows the growth of interest in the social and ethical analysis of Native American tribes. - Wikipedia