Sunday, July 3, 2016

South Dakota Black Hills Pt. 1

Alpen Rose RV Park, Durango, CO.   H 84 L 55

Judy and I found ourselves with a 10 days off period so we took a little (800 miles) trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota. It is very rare that workampers have that many days off in a row so we took advantage of it in a big way. I had last visited the area 10 years ago when I rode my Harley from GA to the Black Hills. Now that was  road trip.

We also were able to meet up with George and Laurie, fellow bloggers and RVers. They were workamping at a campground in Custer, SD. We last saw them in FL a few years ago.  Judy and I also caught up with former fulltime workampers Phil and Rudee. After working a few seasons at the “Crazy Horse Memorial” they took  year round positions at the memorial. Phil put us in contact with Steve and Joan who were working at the visitor center the day we visited the memorial.  I have been following their blog for a couple of years. Once we arrived at the memorial, Joan and Steve went to great lengths to make our visit to the memorial very special. Judy and I hope we have the opportunity to repay their kindness “down the road”.

Laurie and Me at Buffalo Ridge Campground  Laurie Me

We stayed in Hill City during our time in the Black Hills. It was a great base for visiting the sights in the area. Judy and I were able to get to most of the  “must see” attractions during our stay. Below is a few pics of our trip. It is almost impossible to fully capture the beauty and splendor in photos. I recommend a trip to the Black Hills be on RVers “must See” list.

Deadwood, SDClick here to read the history of Deadwood

Deadwood 1     Deadwood 2

Wild Bill (L)       Calamity Jane (R)

Deadwood 3     Deadwood 4

Wall Drug Store – I first visited Wall Drug ten years ago on my Harley road trip to Billings, Montana. Wall’s has been a favorite tourist stop for many years.

 

WallDug3     Wall drug 1

wall drug 2

Badlands National Park - Click here to learn more

badlands 1     badlands 5

Photo taken during Spring 2009 Artist-in-Residence in Badlands NP.     badlands 4a

Taken in 2006 during my last visit.  Badland SD 06

The next installment will include; Custer SP wildlife loop, Crazy Horse Memorial, Needles Scenic byway and The Peter Norbeck National Scenic Byway.

That is all for now.  Thanks for stopping by.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 comments:

  1. Was so good to see you guys! Thanks for dinner!

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    1. We hope to spend more time with George and you next time our paths cross.

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  2. What a great trip in that area. It was 105 when we went to badlands and wasn't advised to go thru them, so didn't go into the park. That's one place we'd like to go back to at some point. Thanks for posting.

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    1. When I went on the Harley it was also very hot but this trip it was in the mid 80s.

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