We have a number of errands to do on this part of the trip. South Dakota is our home state – our official legal residence. We have an obligation to show up every five years to get our driver’s licenses renewed. We only have to show proof that we have spent one night every five years in this State to be a resident. It’s not much of a burden, especially since we love this State.
We are also planning to have a family reunion in the Black Hills in the summer of 2022. We will be looking at venues to hold this event. We also still have lots of exciting things on our South Dakota bucket list that we want to do. There are caves here to see and some attractions that our family might be interested in so we can check them out.
And we are very happy to have a few days of fun with Dan and Lisa who are traveling in their RoadTrek. They drove from Lauderdale-by-the-Sea to Lisa’s family in Illinois. Then they checked out some Geodesic Domes in Minnesota with the intention of building their own in New Jersey. It was only natural that we would meet up here in Hermosa, South Dakota. Then they are leisurely making their way to Las Vegas for their daughter’s wedding in early June. Eventually they will get back to their home in Florida. They love their travels. They are more adventurous than us – drifting from place to place, often without plans or reservations. Dan and Lisa have signed up for Harvest Hosts and have had some great experiences at these unique stop-overs. They should write their own blog about their travels!
Today is cold here at Heartland RV Park. Last night in Scottsbluff, NE, we had a bad wind storm before it got dark. It was worse here – lightning and hail. I’m looking forward to warmer temperatures tomorrow.
The road getting here was pleasantly not flat most of the way. Lots of rolling green hills dotted with some cows and a sprinkling of yellow wildflowers. There were some hills with exposed rock and deep chasms. The cows seemed oblivious to the overcast skies. We saw a sign for a Fiddle Contest in Crawford and I was wondering what that was like.
We finally saw signs of civilization as we neared Crawford. Driving along, Doug saw a snake coiled right on the highway. I missed it. For the most part, there were no signs, no nothing just grass from one side of the horizon to the other.
As we got to South Dakota we saw a glimpse of the Black Hills up ahead.
The resort we are staying in, Heartland, is one of the places we are thinking about for the reunion. We are doing our due diligence by taste-testing their breakfast tomorrow morning. We will also try their pizza. It’s too cold for checking out the pool and other child-friendly activities. The dog park is right in front of us and so far, that gets good marks from us.
The sites here are a bit tight and the ground is a little soft in some spots. But the staff and volunteers here couldn’t be more helpful. The laundry is clean and a decent price. The store has lots of convenience items as well as plenty of fun stuff to buy. They have an outgoing mailbox for my many postcards, and we were able to receive a package as soon as we arrived. So far so good.
It was great to spend the time with Danny and Lisa. Too bad the weather was awful. One of our days together we just sat inside our RV because the rain never stopped that day. Lisa got wet walking Buddy. Then the tornado watch turned into a tornado warning. The four of us and Buddy gathered up our important things, got into the car and drove to the Restroom/Laundry building behind the office. The Restroom side had glass doors, but we were able to sit in the tiny space between the wall and the showers. We met two other travelers, also with their 2 small dogs. Talking with them about their custom van and their travels helped pass the time. The threatening clouds turned into sheets of rain. When it let up and the watch was over, we went back to sitting around the RV.
On Saturday, Doug drove us to the Wildlife Loop of Custer State Park. It was a happy surprise that the park entrance was free that weekend. After another day of rainy weather, Doug drove us up Iron Mountain and down Needles Parkway. We ate lunch at a visitor center patio at Sylvan Lake and had a great day together.
On Tuesday, we said goodbye to Danny and Lisa after sharing breakfast. We left to go get our driver’s licenses renewed. It was a very efficient and pleasant experience. Our appointment was at 10:15 and we got there early. The text on our phones told us when we could come in the building. We filled out a few forms. Immediately got called to the window. Did the eye exam, signed another form, had our photos taken, and we were finished. We left before 10:15.
With that chore done for the next five years, we went into Rapid City. We walked around checking out the bronze statues of Presidents and found Barack Obama. He has one of his daughters with him and his corner is next to a pretty church. It was good to see him taking his place with all the other presidents.
We drove home through grassy hillsides. This part of South Dakota is just grass. We did see a life size statue in the middle of the field. It was the Madonna of the Prairies. Just a pretty statue sitting in the grass.
On May 26th we spent the day looking at venues all over the Black Hills to hold our family reunion next summer. We ate our lunch near D.C. Booth Fish Hatchery, but we didn’t stop in. We have to finalize our summer plans for next year before we make a commitment to volunteer so we didn’t want to visit with our volunteer supervisor just yet. Lunch was just on the other side of the parking lot where we sat in the cold wind eating our picnic lunch and hoping the weather gets better!
We looked at campgrounds and RV parks in Lead (Wikiup Cabin Village), amazing rental homes on very steep roads on Terry Peak, a huge resort called Palmer Gulch, some local KOAs, and a rental building right next to Deadwood. They were possibilities and we went home to compare them. The drive home was a long, cold ride through dense fog.
The next day, Doug suggested we check out one more place – Spokane Creek RV and Cabins. We were excited! The owners had a workamper show us a few cabins. They were perfect. The price is right, the location is good, and the RV sites and cabins will accommodate our family. We can’t make the reservations until early next week when they open up for next year.
We figured out what we need in terms of cabins, we finished our Save the Date flyer, and we confirmed everyone’s email address. It is great that we found a place we are happy with and now we can start on all the little projects that will go into making this family gathering a happy time.
With that big chore done, we checked out another cave – Rushmore Cave. This one is pretty dried out. The tour was a good one – interesting speleogens and a few speleothems (formations). It is a cool cave to explore – very tight spaces, 412 stairs, including a ladder, and about a half mile of walking on a sometimes slippery cave floor. We enjoyed the new experience of this cave. There are also lots of adventures on here on Rush Mountain, but we weren’t interested in zip lines, rope walks, and some other crazy rides. When we got home I took some pain meds for my aching knees and arm. Maybe that was too many steps for me – not just the 412 inside the cave but another 100 up to the cave and then 100 down to the car. I am rethinking which tour to do at our next cave – Lewis and Clark. It makes me appreciate Kartchner Caverns – tram ride up the hill, no stairs, safe flat concrete pathways! We love these caving adventures but my bones complain.
Left South Dakota on May 30th – finally had a really nice weather day!