South Dakota (Part 1)

MON., JUNE 5 thru SUN., JULY 2, 2023

(As a reminder this post is over a year old. I’m happy to report Gary’s health has improved. This was written at a time when we were still trying to figure things out.) Soooo… best laid plans. The pod has temporarily split up. Gary & I have moved to Heartland RV Park in Rapid City, South Dakota to get Gary medical attention for some muscle stiffness/pain he’s been experiencing in recent weeks. We’ll let the doc visits play out and see how this unfolds. But not all bad. This is a nice area to be staying put for awhile! C&J wanted to accompany us, but we insisted they continue on with the pod’s original adventure plan. This lifestyle teaches patience and flexibility. Gary & I will be having our own adventure for a little while… just a different type.

Gary was researching his own symptoms online and after a visit to urgent care, a second doc visit with a third-year resident, and extensive bloodwork, he was diagnosed with Polymyalgia Rheumatica or PMR which is what he thought he had. It’s an autoimmune disease that’s treated with long term (i.e. a year or two or longer) use of prednisone. No one really knows why a person gets it… could be genetics, a virus, or stress (and no I didn’t give it to him). But it manifests itself with inflammation, pain and stiffness across the upper arms, shoulders and neck as well as hips and upper legs. Charming. After some trial and error, we seem to have hit on the proper prednisone dosage so he’s feeling better than he has in several weeks, although it will be a balancing act as the pred dosage will be decreasing slooowly as the months go by.

To be safe and with my urging, we’ve extended our stay in Rapid City for another month to get his symptoms under control before we hit the road again. We are thinking optimistically and planning for future travels!

After one of Gary’s medical appointments, we did stop for dinner at the Firehouse Brewing Company. The repurposed building was originally the Rapid City Fire Department between 1915 and 1975. It still has the original tin ceiling. And their pizza is outstanding.

On Sat., June 17th (2023), Gary & I headed into historic downtown Rapid City. Such an impressive and vibrant small town. It’s known as the “City of Presidents” with life-sized bronze statues of the American Presidents on just about every street corner. There are 40+ Presidential Statues around town. This started in the early 2000s to “honor the legacy of the American Presidency” and to bring in tourists. The city introduces about four per year. Fun fact: the statues are supposed to be actual to the President’s height and weight.

There is also an “Art Alley” in town which is, in fact, an actual alley that emerged as an organic art gallery in 2003. Artists can get a permit and paint directly on the alley walls so the artwork is always changing. Very unique, although not necessarily my style of art. 

Plus there are many historic buildings that have been re-purposed and appear to be thriving. An 1889 building with its distinctive “moorish turret” has become a symbol of Rapid City’s Historic Downtown District. The facade and interior were restored in the 1970s. An original building still being used is the Hotel Alex Johnson, named after Alex Carlton Johnson, VP of the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad. The hotel opened in 1927 and it has served guests for over 75 years. The decor inside is a tribute to the Lakota Sioux Tribes, and it’s a virtual who’s who of Presidents and movie stars who have called the hotel home for a night.

One of my favorites was The Clower Building, constructed in 1886 for the L. Morris Dry Goods Company. The building was painstakingly restored inside and out in 1993. Now it’s home to Prairie Edge & Sioux Trading Post. It’s phenomenal! Home to amazing Native American art… particularly bead work, a large display of Pendleton blankets, historic wooden counters and cabinetry, and a beautiful ceiling. It is truly special.

We found Rapid City to be a charming town! 

On June 18th (2023) we moved to Southern Hills RV Park a few miles down the road from the previous campground. For a month stay, it’s cheaper than the other spot. Gary’s improving but we still want to have his PMR symptoms under control for awhile before we hit the road again and start traveling. The campground is basic but there are some nice trails into the surrounding hills. There are also three very large Presidential busts at the campground’s entrance… George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, and John F. Kennedy. It’s an ode to Mount Rushmore which isn’t too far away.

This part of the country is prone to hail storms and tornadoes in the summer. That’s been a bit of a wake-up call for us. Between the previous campground and here, we’ve noticed camping neighbors preparing for potential hail by covering their vehicles with nifty padded coverings. We don’t have any nifty padded coverings so we’ll have to take our chances. So far, so good. The other day there was a Level 1 Tornado Watch. We ended up having wind, thunder, lightening and torrential rain but all good. 

On Mon., June 19th (2023), Gary & I headed into Custer State Park. It’s 71,000 acres of beauty. We drove the 18 mile Wildlife Loop Road and saw three separate herds of bison.

Big wow! The park has one of the world’s largest publicly owned bison herds. At the moment it’s at 1,400 but it varies from year-to-year based on how much prairie grass there is to sustain the herd. Each fall there is a bison round-up that is open to the public for viewing. That’s when staff and volunteers round-up all the buffalo for vaccines, health checks, and selling some of the herd at auction to bring the numbers back in line to what is sustainable for the park. Just amazing to see these majestic animals roaming at will. We saw lots of babies and lots of adults shedding their winter coats. 

A new Bison Center opened up recently in the park. We learned all things bison. For instance bison are the largest land animals in North America. A mature bull can stand over 6 ft high, 11 ft long and weigh up to 2,000 lbs. And they can run up to 35 mph. They live 12 to 20 years on average. Experts can tell about how old a bison is by examining its horns and teeth. One more little tidbit… it takes a week from the time they ingest food until it comes out as poo. TMI?

There were also burros in the park. Last time we visited Custer was six years ago and the burros were putting their heads in our truck. They were called “beggin’ burros.”  I don’t think they allow that now.

And we saw Pronghorn. They are the fastest land animal in North America. They can run 60 mph for great distances.

Because you haven’t seen enough bison already, here is a short video Gary put together.

Sunday, June 25th (2023), we drove to the historic town of Deadwood, SD… a newspaper columnist once labeled it as “the wickedest city on earth.” Who could resist that? The entire town is a Registered National Historic Landmark. It’s quirky, irreverent and a whole lot of fun!  It’s famous for legends such as Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok. Both are buried here. There are three Deadwood “shootouts” offered throughout the day. Gaming is legal and offered in just about every small bar, hotel, and many galleries. You can buy a piece of jewelry and play a slot machine at the same time. Wild! 

Gary and I wandered around town enjoying the western ambience and the upscale galleries. Our favorite was the Scott Jacobs Studio. He was the first licensed artist by Harley Davidson… and Chevrolet. The motorcycles on display in his gallery are also featured in his paintings. Gorgeous work! He was in the studio the day we visited. He also owns Jacobs Brewery in town where we had lunch. Man of many talents.

We visited the Adams Museum… the oldest museum in western South Dakota. There we discovered the second largest gold nugget ever discovered in the Black Hills. It weighs 8 oz and was found by Potato Creek Johnny. You can’t make this stuff up. We also discovered the story of Robert Poe at the museum. He spent 4,000 hours creating a set of basswood figures (see photos below). They were on display at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1934 and given to the Adams Museum in 1936. Poe worked for a mining company in nearby Lead, SD. He developed an infection that resulted in paralysis. Offered no disability benefits, Poe worked as a watchman for the mining company, then took up carving, and carved these figures.

We also visited the historic Franklin Hotel built in 1903. Teddy Roosevelt, Babe Ruth and John Wayne have all stayed here.

In the afternoon, Gary & I separated for a few hours. Gary gambled and I shopped… well, I looked anyway. He won $600 playing blackjack so it was a successful few hours. 

Tuesday, June 27th (2023) we visited Jewel Cave National Monument in Custer, SD. It gets its name from the calcite crystals that line many of the walls. When light shines on the crystals, they look like jewels. 

Jewel Cave is the second longest cave in the U.S. after Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, and the 3rd longest in the world at 217 miles of known passages. Experts think less than 5% of the cave passages have been mapped. Meaning that it could have over 7,000 miles of passages which would make it the world’s largest. Wow. Volunteers go in every few months to map more passages. They set up a base camp inside the cave and spend 4 days down there at a time carrying everything in & out with them including human waste. Interesting no?

Brothers Frank & Albert Michaud discovered Jewel Cave by accident in 1900 when they investigated a small hole in a limestone cliff. A breeze blew out from the opening.

The brothers later returned with tools and dynamite, determined to uncover the mystery. Upon opening and entering the cave, the brothers found themselves surrounded by sparkling crystals. President Theodore Roosevelt established Jewel Cave National Monument on February 7, 1908.

A couple of different tours are offered for exploring Jewel Cave. One included 734 stairs, the equivalent of a 40-story building. We did not choose that one… thinking all those stairs would not be a good idea for Gary right now. Instead we did the Discovery Tour that focused on the Target Room. It was sufficient, and we’ve been fortunate to visit other caves in the past. Plus we enjoyed a beautiful ride there and back thru the Black Hills. We drove thru one of the many small tunnels built into the Black Hills. Our dually truck just made it thru. Width of the tunnel? 8 ft 9 inches. Our truck width is 8 ft. I held my breath. 

Some threatening weather when we got home but it never materialized, and we were able to walk to the nearby Lazy R Bar & Grill for their Tuesday night rib dinner. Yum. We’ve learned it’s not unusual to have storms crop up around here… 

Friday, June 30th (2023), we visited Chapel in the Hills in Rapid City. Built in 1969, it is an exact replica of the famous Borgund Stavkirke (stave church) in Norway. The blueprints were provided by the Norwegian Dept. of Antiquities to a local contractor so the church could be constructed faithfully to the original. 16,000 shakes were used on the outside of the Chapel.

The inside is all hand pegged and jointed. Seating inside is for about 50 people. It’s so unique! Many of the original settlers to the Dakotas were Norwegian Lutherans thus the reason for the Norwegian design. 

The chapel originally served as the home for a “Lutheran vespers” radio ministry in Rapid City for years and still offers worship services during the summer months as well as hosting countless weddings. The freestanding bell tower still works and rings for church weddings. There were three weddings planned for the Saturday after our visit.  

There was also a Stabbur at the site, which is a general storehouse found on many Norwegian farms. This was built at the same time as the church. It was built with a grass roof and larger second story which is characteristic of a Stabbur. This one is used as a gift shop and visitors center. It was originally constructed in Norway and reassembled here on site.

Lastly there was a cabin that was originally built in 1877 by a Norwegian immigrant who came to the Black Hills to prospect for gold. It was moved to this site and was refurbished by volunteers. It now holds Norwegian artifacts and handmade wood furniture typically found in Norwegian and Danish homes during the late 1800s.

After exploring the church and other buildings on the property, we stopped at Canyon Lake Park, one of the oldest city parks in Rapid City. It’s 29 acres and includes Canyon Lake Dam. The dam was rebuilt after a massive storm and flooding in 1972 that stalled over the Black Hills. Over 300 people died and over 3,000 were injured. Horrible. Now the park is a peaceful oasis in the historic district.

Sunday, July 2nd (2023), we headed back into Custer State Park. The original plan was to hike around Sylvan Lake. We’d been there six years ago… beautiful lake surrounded by granite rock formations. But, it’s summer and it was packed! Sooo Plan B… we headed to the quieter Stockade Lake. Very nice. All the lakes in Custer SP are manmade but they are beautiful.

We did a short hike to get better views of the lake. Then visited the picturesque Stockade Lake Bridge, originally built by the CCC in 1937, then rebuilt by the South Dakota National Guard in 1988. It’s built of Douglas Fir and very impressive. Afterwards we visited Gordon Stockade, a replica of a log fort originally built by gold diggers in the Black Hills in 1874. Lastly we visited the historic Game Lodge that served as President Calvin Coolidge’s Summer White House in 1927. Then we called it a day. 

I forgot to mention a herd of about 15 Bighorn Sheep passed directly in front of us shortly after we entered the park early in the morning. They were so fast. I didn’t get a photo. So bummed! But they were beautiful…

We still have several more weeks to enjoy this area including a jaunt to Devil’s Tower and Sturgis but I will save that for the next post.