Woke up this morning with this great feeling it is our 6 year anniversary!!!! and I wanted to surprise Todd with a special day!!! I called and made arrangements to go on a kayaking tour today with a company called Black Hills Adventure Tours http://www.blackhillsadventuretours.com.
It is hard to surprise Todd because he always wants to know what we are doing so we are prepared with the proper gear we are supposed to take. It is a perfect day for kayaking in the high 80's sun and not a cloud in the sky I love these days. Grabbed everything we need and we are off to Pactola Lake for the day. We get to Jennie Gulch day use area were we are supposed to meet our guide. Carrie is our guide for the day and she happens to be the owner of the Black Hills Adventure Tours and there was no tour today just her, her daughter and her daughters friends. When I called and booked this today it was free with out VIP pass and she invited us to join her and her family I thought this was very nice of her because she did not have to do that. Carrie is a great guide and come to find out she is very interested in Full-Time Rving when her kids are in college.
She had asked if we kayaked before and of course we have grabber some life vests and off we go on our sit on kayaks I feel way better on this then the sit in kind I am a little claustrophobic. She explains were we can go and tells us what time we are leaving and says we can go when we are ready. The water is so pretty we are on an area of the lake that you can not have motorized boats so no disturbances just the beautiful sounds of nature. I am not the best paddled but I did keep up with Todd he did not expect that at all.
After about an hour we met back up with Carrie and the kids and we sat on the edge of the lake on the rocks edge just chatting about things Full-time rving and how we started and that she is going to full-time in about 5 years we thought this was great. She was on a stand up paddle board and asked if we would like to try it my hand could not go up quick enough Todd not so much lol... I jumped in the water surprising enough the water was really nice and right up on the paddle board I went like I was a pro at it. Off I go oh man is this a blast of course it takes to focusing and the moment I lost focus in the water I was even falling off this thing is fun LOL.... i get right back up again I could not get enough. As the day was drawing to a close we had a blast and headed back to the car of course I was back in my kayak I could not keep the owners paddle board ;-) and said our goodbyes and really thanked her for inviting us with her family for the day it made our anniversary that much more special.
I would recommend if you are looking for any tours in the Black Hills please check out Black Hills Adventure Tours for all your tour needs. The owner is fantastic, friendly and very informative about the area. The website is www.blackhillsadventuretours.com they do hiking, biking, kayaking, to devils tower and the badlands.
We had an awesome day and it is hard to believe it is only 6 years I swear it feels longer. If you would have told me 6 years ago I was going to find my soul mate get married move away from my family in friends I might have told you that you were crazy. Everything happens for a reason and I could not imagine life with out Todd by my side doing this crazy thing called Full-time rving that we started just over a year ago. I fall in love more and more each day and life just keeps getting better and better.
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Friday, July 24, 2015
We Finally Hiked Harney Peak!!!
Finally we get to hike Harney Peak today and we can not wait our puppy Cosmo will be along for the hike as well he is super excited. Here is some information on Harney Peak it is the highest natural point in South Dakota and the Black Hills area it is 7,242 feet above sea level and the views are amazing and so worth the hike when you get to the top.Make sure when you are going to take the hike to allow yourself 4-5 hours round trip and bring lots of water it is not that strenuous but there are some area of heading up that get steep. We suggest taking snacks and a lunch because once you get to the top you will need the energy to go back down and there are tons of awesome spots to sit and grab a bite. The weather can change in a instant so if you can take some warm clothes in case is gets cold or rains Just another quick note there are not restrooms at the top so make sure you use it before you hit the trail. There are 3 different trails to take in the area the two that we traveled on were #4 and #9 in the Sylvan Lake in Custer,SD
We decided to go up #4 this is not the widely used trail most people take #9. Head up the start of the trail to the left of us there was a cool cave of course we had to walk back into it to check it out. It looks to be a old mining cave or something it was very cool. Now back to the trail even though this trail is not used by most people it is still a very well marked trail no chance of getting lost so you do not have to worry about that. Along this trail we saw a ground hog and tons and tons of chipmunks Cosmo loved chasing the chipmunks. Along this trail you will also come to Little Devils Tower it is a 1 mile jaunt one way not a loop and it is supposed to be a very strenuous hike we did not take it but from reading it what we figure also you will come to a trail called cathedral spires were there are very cool rock formations very cool like hike of the Harney Trail #4. There are stops along the way that have amazing views that are worth a picture and a rest spot before you continue up the trail. 1 mile before you are at Harney Peak trail #4 turns in to trail #9 and you continue on trail 9 to the top. The last mile in my opinion is the hardest mile because there are steps and the terrain gets jagged at this point Cosmo was pooped and I picked him up and put him in the puppy sling and continued along the way. I keep thinking to myself "how dare them put steps at the end of the hike" but the views are so worth pushing through and making it to the top. Once at the top you just need to stop and take it all in........ going up to the compete top of the tower is incredible the views are like once in a life time you are over looking the black hills at the highest point it is breath taking. To one side you will see the back side of Mount Rushmore (no their butts are not sticking out the back end LOL...) look to the other side all you see are rolling hills valleys. You will just want to take so many pictures to remember the moment but pictures do not do it justice you just need to take it all in.
Once you are finished eating and just being memorized by the views you can start your hike down on trail #9 this is the trail that everyone uses but we took it down because it is a loop and we get to see a different scenery. Most of the trail is down hill so it is not as hard and the hike up for sure there is maybe about a 1/4 mile that is up hill at least that is what is seemed like to us. Heading down the trail the views are not as good as on #4 but it is a easier hike down. mostly in the shade and covered and surrounded by trees which is OK for us because the hike up was warm. The clouds are starting to look alittle dark on us here but if you have watched the weather here the clouds pop and almost in an instant they are gone so we are just going to push on a little rain wont kill us it might be refreshing. Almost down to the bottom and we are beat and Cosmo still has tons of energy but I know to Todd a diet pepsi sounds really good right now. We brought 6 bottles of water 2 for Cosmo and 4 for us and yes we used them all except Cosmo had half a bottle left. I hear cars which means we are almost there we can do it yes we can!!! and whats that I see Sylvan lake heck yes!!!! WE DID IT and let me tell you it was so worth every minute. We might go back and hike up to Little Devils Tower and Cathedral Spires and check it out so there might be an up coming blog about that.
We decided to go up #4 this is not the widely used trail most people take #9. Head up the start of the trail to the left of us there was a cool cave of course we had to walk back into it to check it out. It looks to be a old mining cave or something it was very cool. Now back to the trail even though this trail is not used by most people it is still a very well marked trail no chance of getting lost so you do not have to worry about that. Along this trail we saw a ground hog and tons and tons of chipmunks Cosmo loved chasing the chipmunks. Along this trail you will also come to Little Devils Tower it is a 1 mile jaunt one way not a loop and it is supposed to be a very strenuous hike we did not take it but from reading it what we figure also you will come to a trail called cathedral spires were there are very cool rock formations very cool like hike of the Harney Trail #4. There are stops along the way that have amazing views that are worth a picture and a rest spot before you continue up the trail. 1 mile before you are at Harney Peak trail #4 turns in to trail #9 and you continue on trail 9 to the top. The last mile in my opinion is the hardest mile because there are steps and the terrain gets jagged at this point Cosmo was pooped and I picked him up and put him in the puppy sling and continued along the way. I keep thinking to myself "how dare them put steps at the end of the hike" but the views are so worth pushing through and making it to the top. Once at the top you just need to stop and take it all in........ going up to the compete top of the tower is incredible the views are like once in a life time you are over looking the black hills at the highest point it is breath taking. To one side you will see the back side of Mount Rushmore (no their butts are not sticking out the back end LOL...) look to the other side all you see are rolling hills valleys. You will just want to take so many pictures to remember the moment but pictures do not do it justice you just need to take it all in.
Once you are finished eating and just being memorized by the views you can start your hike down on trail #9 this is the trail that everyone uses but we took it down because it is a loop and we get to see a different scenery. Most of the trail is down hill so it is not as hard and the hike up for sure there is maybe about a 1/4 mile that is up hill at least that is what is seemed like to us. Heading down the trail the views are not as good as on #4 but it is a easier hike down. mostly in the shade and covered and surrounded by trees which is OK for us because the hike up was warm. The clouds are starting to look alittle dark on us here but if you have watched the weather here the clouds pop and almost in an instant they are gone so we are just going to push on a little rain wont kill us it might be refreshing. Almost down to the bottom and we are beat and Cosmo still has tons of energy but I know to Todd a diet pepsi sounds really good right now. We brought 6 bottles of water 2 for Cosmo and 4 for us and yes we used them all except Cosmo had half a bottle left. I hear cars which means we are almost there we can do it yes we can!!! and whats that I see Sylvan lake heck yes!!!! WE DID IT and let me tell you it was so worth every minute. We might go back and hike up to Little Devils Tower and Cathedral Spires and check it out so there might be an up coming blog about that.
Friday, July 17, 2015
Fantastic News!!!!
a few weeks back a recruiter from the Unbeetable Experience called Todd and asked if he would be interested in being a Forman for the harvest this year of course he would. We had to go through another conference call with some harvest people and then in about 2 weeks we should know if he got the job. Our fingers were crossed that we would get great new.
2 weeks went by and for a minute Todd thought he was not going to get the job :-( Wednesday morning we were walking up to start work and I got a call for a number I did not know and it was our recruiter....please say you have good news!!!!!
HE GOT THE JOB!!!! Todd will be a Forman 8pm-8am over night there is a reason why we asked for overnight. We realized how bad early mornings suck when we worked for Amazon so we knew we did not want to put ourselves through that again. Yes we will have to train ourselves to stay up all night and watch TV right before we go and I am sure there will be a lot of energy drinks and coffee the first week but we are super excited!!! We will have to be in Grand Forks,ND by September,15 2015 so we have started the count down!!!
Hippie Hole A Local Hang Out But Not For Long
Today we went on and extreme hike to a place called the Hippie Hole by the locals. It is a swimming whole with a waterfall that was once only a local hang out until the tourist's visiting found out about it and are attempting to find it....But we found it!!!
There are two ways to get to this but we have only experienced one of the ways the shorts so called easy way South Rockerville Rd. First of the road back to the parking is pretty extreme I did not think cars would make it back but when we got to the parking there were cars i would suggest a 4X4 truck if you can. Here are some more specific directions – Take Hwy 16 to Rockerville. Take a left on S. Rockerville Rd and drive 3.1 miles to Forest Service Rd 372. It will be a left hand turn right before a cattle grate. Follow 372 for approx 1.2 miles. The road will Y at this point. Follow the road to the right (still 372 but unmarked) for another .7 mi. Take a right on 372 1E (marked) for .3 mi to a turnaround/parking area. Follow the trail to the west down to Battle Creek. At the creek, head downstream for a couple hundred meters and you’ll hit the Hole. There is not a defined trail down to the falls but it was one of the best hikes we have taken. Super challenging but it is so worth it once you get to the falls.
Once we got to the falls we had our swims suits on and we checked out the jump points and Todd is up first. I have a video of him jumping off and I can not wait to jump. The water was about 50 degrees so yes its a bit chilly and the moment you hit the water you will loose your breath. There is no one to video me I was a little hesitant this is not something I would normally do but hey you only live once wooo hooo Holy $hit thats cold.
Wait we jumped and now how do we get back to the top??? something we should have check out before we jumped LMAO. You have 2 choices a rope climb up the cliff or a hike up jagged rocks. we look at the rope and thats our choice Todd goes first yes it is a 20 ft climb up the cliff upper body strength is needed for sure and up he goes all the way to the top. Next is me here I go lets just say my upper body strength is not the best I get about half way up the cliff and I lost my grip and you bet i slid straight down the cliff on the jagged rocks. I thought for sure I was going to be hurt really bad.
Luckily we met a great group of locals in the water were a i fell that helped me and made sure I was still alive. Surprisingly I was not bleeding I have scrapes on my left side on my legs,rib cage and arm I did not hit my head or anything I am OK a huge adrenaline rush scared the shit out of myself but I am good, the locals took me over to the other side to the trail and hiked with me to the top I could not have been more grateful for them of course Todd was scared shit less because all he saw was me fall and he was at top and could not see what happened. This whole experience was awesome you only live once. Hippie hole is amazing if you can get to it I would suggest it but go on the hike up out of the hole unless your upper body strength is on point.
There are two ways to get to this but we have only experienced one of the ways the shorts so called easy way South Rockerville Rd. First of the road back to the parking is pretty extreme I did not think cars would make it back but when we got to the parking there were cars i would suggest a 4X4 truck if you can. Here are some more specific directions – Take Hwy 16 to Rockerville. Take a left on S. Rockerville Rd and drive 3.1 miles to Forest Service Rd 372. It will be a left hand turn right before a cattle grate. Follow 372 for approx 1.2 miles. The road will Y at this point. Follow the road to the right (still 372 but unmarked) for another .7 mi. Take a right on 372 1E (marked) for .3 mi to a turnaround/parking area. Follow the trail to the west down to Battle Creek. At the creek, head downstream for a couple hundred meters and you’ll hit the Hole. There is not a defined trail down to the falls but it was one of the best hikes we have taken. Super challenging but it is so worth it once you get to the falls.
Once we got to the falls we had our swims suits on and we checked out the jump points and Todd is up first. I have a video of him jumping off and I can not wait to jump. The water was about 50 degrees so yes its a bit chilly and the moment you hit the water you will loose your breath. There is no one to video me I was a little hesitant this is not something I would normally do but hey you only live once wooo hooo Holy $hit thats cold.
Wait we jumped and now how do we get back to the top??? something we should have check out before we jumped LMAO. You have 2 choices a rope climb up the cliff or a hike up jagged rocks. we look at the rope and thats our choice Todd goes first yes it is a 20 ft climb up the cliff upper body strength is needed for sure and up he goes all the way to the top. Next is me here I go lets just say my upper body strength is not the best I get about half way up the cliff and I lost my grip and you bet i slid straight down the cliff on the jagged rocks. I thought for sure I was going to be hurt really bad.
Luckily we met a great group of locals in the water were a i fell that helped me and made sure I was still alive. Surprisingly I was not bleeding I have scrapes on my left side on my legs,rib cage and arm I did not hit my head or anything I am OK a huge adrenaline rush scared the shit out of myself but I am good, the locals took me over to the other side to the trail and hiked with me to the top I could not have been more grateful for them of course Todd was scared shit less because all he saw was me fall and he was at top and could not see what happened. This whole experience was awesome you only live once. Hippie hole is amazing if you can get to it I would suggest it but go on the hike up out of the hole unless your upper body strength is on point.
Bear Country A MUST SEE WHEN THE BLACK HILLS
Today we are heading to Bear Country http://www.bearcountryusa.com/ I can not wait to see all the animals especially the bears!!! This place is a drive thru zoo that have the animals free roaming so plenty of picture ops here for sure. The first thing you come to are elk and reindeer I was not so excited for them.The next animal you encounter are Wolves, I was so excited they were walking right next to the truck and I was in awe they are so beautiful and since the drive is not fast moving you get to know them up close and personal. Mountain goats, big horn sheep, mountain lions are just a few of the animals you will see. Once you get to the bear den it is so amazing. They have black and brown bears out free roaming. They have people riding on ATV yelling please keep you windows up in the bear den at all times. I am a rebel i wanted a good picture so i put my window half way down I did not say I had a death wish. This is the reason that the drive is so slow everyone stops in the bears den for like 20 minutes just in awe. When we arrived to the den this brown and black bear decided they wanted to fight we are sitting and watching these bears fight 2 ft away from the truck. I few of them came so close that if I had my window down at this time i could have pet them ( I said I did not have a death wish lol ) It was the best part of the drive. I swear there were 75 bears just roaming around i want the guys job that is to drive on an ATV through the bear den yelling "keep you windows up please" the whole tour took 2 hours easy so make sure you plan on a half day trip but it is so worth it a fun family friendly thing to do.
After you get to the end of the ride there is a parking lot. park and go walk around the baby area. There is a baby for almost every animal you saw during your drive. OH and a big Grizzly bear oh is he HUGE and scary he is alone prob because he has a bad attitude that what it looked like to me. The baby bear and wolves are the cutest to me every word out of my mouth was ahh lets take one home lol.. I am such an animal lover. I SAY THIS IS A MUST SEE PLACE
After you get to the end of the ride there is a parking lot. park and go walk around the baby area. There is a baby for almost every animal you saw during your drive. OH and a big Grizzly bear oh is he HUGE and scary he is alone prob because he has a bad attitude that what it looked like to me. The baby bear and wolves are the cutest to me every word out of my mouth was ahh lets take one home lol.. I am such an animal lover. I SAY THIS IS A MUST SEE PLACE
Rushmore Tramway Adventures in Keystone,SD
Just a fun day in keystone,SD again. Rushmore Tramway Adventures has called our name http://www.rushmoretramwayadventures.com/ there are a lot of cool things to do here, Scenic Chairlift ride to the top, Alpine slide to the bottom, Zip line adventures and a ropes course.. what to do what to do....the chairlift and the Alpine slide down since I was the genius to wear flip flops :-( It starts with a very relaxing chair lift to the top of the slide. Once you get to the top there is a restaurant to eat we did not eat there but hear the food is good. The views for the top are breath taking I just wanted to sit there all day but what goes up must come down on the Alpine slide. it looks like a bobsled course you sit on a bobsled (what i called it) you have a break and a go lever and away you go. You get a lot of speed going down and it was so much fun a day when I do not wear flip flops we are going to do the zip line and ropes course.
The real reason we went to Keystone today was a place to eat called BRGR 61 it is a burger joint that claims they grill you frill they have a topping bar with over 61 toppings to make the ultimate burger. Of course being burger fanatics we think we must try this place. The price was decent of course bacon is an up charge, but isnt it everywhere. The burger came out in good time the toppings where really fresh and they had everything from jalapenos to rainbow sprinkles.. yes I said rainbow sprinkles the kind that goes on your ice cream lol...After topping our burgers we chow down. The burger was a little over done but tasted good. Their onion rings were really good and so were the fries. Over all we were not that impressed with the staff they were not friendly and since the place was not really busy they were all sitting at one table talking and not even checking our drinks. I would not go back again because I have had better burgers in the black hills unless I wanted to top my burger with all kinds of crazy stuff.....
The real reason we went to Keystone today was a place to eat called BRGR 61 it is a burger joint that claims they grill you frill they have a topping bar with over 61 toppings to make the ultimate burger. Of course being burger fanatics we think we must try this place. The price was decent of course bacon is an up charge, but isnt it everywhere. The burger came out in good time the toppings where really fresh and they had everything from jalapenos to rainbow sprinkles.. yes I said rainbow sprinkles the kind that goes on your ice cream lol...After topping our burgers we chow down. The burger was a little over done but tasted good. Their onion rings were really good and so were the fries. Over all we were not that impressed with the staff they were not friendly and since the place was not really busy they were all sitting at one table talking and not even checking our drinks. I would not go back again because I have had better burgers in the black hills unless I wanted to top my burger with all kinds of crazy stuff.....
Heading to Rapid City
We must go grocery shopping we are out of food AHH...... on our way there are so many cool and fun things to see and do we got side tracked again. Cosmos Mystery Area http://www.cosmosmysteryarea.com/ something very cool to check out. This is not free to us but at a discounted rate. A tour is heading out right now this always seems to happen to us I guess we just show up at the right time. This place will throw your equilibrium off completely because of what it is. The tour is very cool and fun they do a number of demonstrations. There is not a lot to say about this place just a cool road side attraction fun for the whole family.
Now to get to the grocery store ....wait I see Sitting Bull Crystal Cavern http://www.sittingbullcrystalcave.com/ we gotta go. The drive down is very fun you can not take a motorhome, fiver, or TT down so do not go if you need to take it with you. This time we walked in and they had just sent a tour in but they let us walk back and join them. When we walk into this cave you have stairs that literally go straight down very cool. We start down the steps when you get down into the cave you are just mesmerized by all the crystals. My jaw just dropped I could not stop taking pictures but pictures will never do this justice you just have to see it for yourself. They have the largest Dog-Tooth spar but it is hard to get a picture of it but one of the most beautiful caves just being surrounded by crystal there is something about that i just loved. This tour only took about an hour it felt like the shortest cave tour to me but is a def must see.... Again take a jacket and closed toe shoes for sure because you have a lot of steps to go down and up.
Hungry after a morning of site seeing Todd notices a place called dog N suds this was one of the first diner's he went to when he was a little boy and he was so excited to see one, he did not know they were still around. We are stopping there to eat for sure this is a new diner it used to be something else and they are just changing over to dog n suds. You must order a root beer here it is old fashioned and oh so delicious and creamy they sell it in 2 liters at the register I would suggest taking one home. Their chili dogs are so good Todd ordered one and it took him back to his child hood. I ordered a burger I am not much of a hot dog fan but it was so awesome to see Todd light up about a place in his child hood. Food was awesome and the price was right taking a family to eat here would not cost you and arm and a leg which is always a plus.
Stuffed and ready for a nap....but wait we finally made it to the grocery store Hey I think it is better to go grocery stopping when you are stuffed it always seems like you spend less because not everything in the store makes you want to buy it lol....
Now to get to the grocery store ....wait I see Sitting Bull Crystal Cavern http://www.sittingbullcrystalcave.com/ we gotta go. The drive down is very fun you can not take a motorhome, fiver, or TT down so do not go if you need to take it with you. This time we walked in and they had just sent a tour in but they let us walk back and join them. When we walk into this cave you have stairs that literally go straight down very cool. We start down the steps when you get down into the cave you are just mesmerized by all the crystals. My jaw just dropped I could not stop taking pictures but pictures will never do this justice you just have to see it for yourself. They have the largest Dog-Tooth spar but it is hard to get a picture of it but one of the most beautiful caves just being surrounded by crystal there is something about that i just loved. This tour only took about an hour it felt like the shortest cave tour to me but is a def must see.... Again take a jacket and closed toe shoes for sure because you have a lot of steps to go down and up.
Hungry after a morning of site seeing Todd notices a place called dog N suds this was one of the first diner's he went to when he was a little boy and he was so excited to see one, he did not know they were still around. We are stopping there to eat for sure this is a new diner it used to be something else and they are just changing over to dog n suds. You must order a root beer here it is old fashioned and oh so delicious and creamy they sell it in 2 liters at the register I would suggest taking one home. Their chili dogs are so good Todd ordered one and it took him back to his child hood. I ordered a burger I am not much of a hot dog fan but it was so awesome to see Todd light up about a place in his child hood. Food was awesome and the price was right taking a family to eat here would not cost you and arm and a leg which is always a plus.
Stuffed and ready for a nap....but wait we finally made it to the grocery store Hey I think it is better to go grocery stopping when you are stuffed it always seems like you spend less because not everything in the store makes you want to buy it lol....
Side tracked and heading to Deadwood,SD
Had a Saturday off and we are going to go grocery shopping woo hoo......Think again haha we saw a sign that said Deadwood and off we go. Heading down the road on a beautiful day beats shopping any day. We come upon Sheridan Lake it has an interesting story it used to be a town and it is now under water completely I thought it was very cool and it is very pretty.
Driving and site seeing we come across Thunderhead Underground Falls http://www.thunderheadfalls.com/Welcome.html of course we have to go explore and it is free admission to us with our VIP black hills card. Down a long road and you dead end into a very pretty creek. This is a self guided tour that cost $9 per person. You are asked if you would like to listen to a history of the falls before you enter very short history but it was a very good listen. I would suggest take a light jacket it does it chilly. The hike back to the falls in not strenuous at all and very short. As you get closer to the waterfall you will get dripped on from above water and it gets very loud. There is so much water rushing down that you can barley hear yourself talk. It may not be very interesting for most but we thought it was a great attraction.
On the road again...... oh wait we see Black Hills Caverns Lets Go!!! http://blackhillscaverns.com/ we get to the cave and we are the only ones there Hmmm... does that mean this may be a waste of time??? I doubt it we are at a cave and we get to tour it. We go in and there is a tour just about to leave and guess what we get a private tour. Dylan is our tour guide and off we go and since we are a private tour we can go places in the cave that he would not be able to take a large group of people and take our time exploring woo hoo I am glad no one was here when we showed up. The deepest you go underground is 175 feet. This was the longest cave tour we have been on and the best by far!! we were so excited and of course it was free as well with our VIP card but that if you have to pay it was $14 a piece which is so well worth it. After the tour we checked out the Gem mining very cool. The sell a bag that will have alot of gems in it and you take it out and pan for your gems. This was included with our VIP tour so it was free. They have an area of gem panning that is free for the kiddies.The tour took around an hour I would suggest taking a jacket, wearing closed toe shoes if possible you can do the tour in flip flops but you will not be able to focus the beauty of the cave,and bring your camera for sure.
On the road again heading to Deadwood, SD I am super excited to get there. The drive is beautiful, good thing I was not driving because I was so mesmerized by the beauty of the blacks hill area. We made it the a free parking area where the trolley picks you up and drives you up to main st. You can ride the trolley for a couple of bucks make sure you have exact change they will not give change. Surprise the day we choose to go to Deadwood there is a festival going on so kind of hecktick but awesome. This street seems like it is one huge casino almost every building you walk into is a casino. We played of slots and of course we did not win but we walked through every casino to check them out not a whole lot of poker but slots will do. After checking out every shop on the street we are hungry and we choose a little diner on main st. Not the best choice service sucked food sucked even worse and so EXPENSIVE....for the food and portions we will never eat there again. We are so beat we head back to the car with and we walk by the Dominator 3 a tornado chasing vehicle sitting in the parking lot...Hmm I wonder why he is here?? We look behind us and see really dark clouds and it is starting to drizzle. Driving in the rain is never fun we stop at the gas station to grab a drink all of sudden we hear Hail and I swear a small tornado just went by. The hail was huge you could not see your hand in front of your face it was so crazy thankfully we are still in the gas station paying so we waited. The weather here is so crazy and unpredictable so this storm lasted maybe 10 minutes. We see the sun hop in the truck and head home. Maybe the Dominator was there because we knew this crazy storm was coming?? Just maybe ;-)
Driving and site seeing we come across Thunderhead Underground Falls http://www.thunderheadfalls.com/Welcome.html of course we have to go explore and it is free admission to us with our VIP black hills card. Down a long road and you dead end into a very pretty creek. This is a self guided tour that cost $9 per person. You are asked if you would like to listen to a history of the falls before you enter very short history but it was a very good listen. I would suggest take a light jacket it does it chilly. The hike back to the falls in not strenuous at all and very short. As you get closer to the waterfall you will get dripped on from above water and it gets very loud. There is so much water rushing down that you can barley hear yourself talk. It may not be very interesting for most but we thought it was a great attraction.
On the road again...... oh wait we see Black Hills Caverns Lets Go!!! http://blackhillscaverns.com/ we get to the cave and we are the only ones there Hmmm... does that mean this may be a waste of time??? I doubt it we are at a cave and we get to tour it. We go in and there is a tour just about to leave and guess what we get a private tour. Dylan is our tour guide and off we go and since we are a private tour we can go places in the cave that he would not be able to take a large group of people and take our time exploring woo hoo I am glad no one was here when we showed up. The deepest you go underground is 175 feet. This was the longest cave tour we have been on and the best by far!! we were so excited and of course it was free as well with our VIP card but that if you have to pay it was $14 a piece which is so well worth it. After the tour we checked out the Gem mining very cool. The sell a bag that will have alot of gems in it and you take it out and pan for your gems. This was included with our VIP tour so it was free. They have an area of gem panning that is free for the kiddies.The tour took around an hour I would suggest taking a jacket, wearing closed toe shoes if possible you can do the tour in flip flops but you will not be able to focus the beauty of the cave,and bring your camera for sure.
On the road again heading to Deadwood, SD I am super excited to get there. The drive is beautiful, good thing I was not driving because I was so mesmerized by the beauty of the blacks hill area. We made it the a free parking area where the trolley picks you up and drives you up to main st. You can ride the trolley for a couple of bucks make sure you have exact change they will not give change. Surprise the day we choose to go to Deadwood there is a festival going on so kind of hecktick but awesome. This street seems like it is one huge casino almost every building you walk into is a casino. We played of slots and of course we did not win but we walked through every casino to check them out not a whole lot of poker but slots will do. After checking out every shop on the street we are hungry and we choose a little diner on main st. Not the best choice service sucked food sucked even worse and so EXPENSIVE....for the food and portions we will never eat there again. We are so beat we head back to the car with and we walk by the Dominator 3 a tornado chasing vehicle sitting in the parking lot...Hmm I wonder why he is here?? We look behind us and see really dark clouds and it is starting to drizzle. Driving in the rain is never fun we stop at the gas station to grab a drink all of sudden we hear Hail and I swear a small tornado just went by. The hail was huge you could not see your hand in front of your face it was so crazy thankfully we are still in the gas station paying so we waited. The weather here is so crazy and unpredictable so this storm lasted maybe 10 minutes. We see the sun hop in the truck and head home. Maybe the Dominator was there because we knew this crazy storm was coming?? Just maybe ;-)
Crazy Horse Monument and Custer,SD
Second day off this week and we are going to stay close to the campground today since we have to do some things like laundry lol
First thing on the list today is the Crazy Horse Memorial fee to get in $11.00 per person we were free again thanks to our VIP card All the money from entrance fee and items purchased from the gift shop are what funds this project they will not take government money or and charitable donations. https://crazyhorsememorial.org/ this is a very cool place it is to SOO MUCH BIGGER then Mount Rushmore even tho it is not complete yet you can see models and the face of crazy horse has been craved there are still working on the rest I attached a link to the website so you can read about it.The day we went was a special day there was going to be a blast today which meant that part of the mountain they were carving on was going to be blasted out for carving purposes. They blasted away 200 tons of rock seems like a crazy amount I recorded the blast I will attached the video here.
There is a museum of all kinds of history about crazy horse and the culture it is amazing to see all the good that the Indians have made, how they lived and they actually have Indians there are making jewelry by hand now that you can buy to support their tribes. This gift shop is huge and there are a lot of authentic Indian items for purchase .
Second thing of the list for today is heading into Custer,SD just to walk around the small town very cute and quaint. There are buffalo statues on almost every corner with unique painting on them I tried to get pictures of then all but I think I miss 3 or 4 I will have to get them again. There are some fun things to do here but we did not have all the time to do then today so next time we get to town we will. After walking around on the beautiful day we decided that burger and fries sounded really good for lunch we happen to walk upon Black Hills Burger & Bun http://blackhillsburgerandbun.com/ omg!! this place is so good it is very small inside and it was packed on a Tuesday afternoon I could only imagine what it is on a weekend. The burger was worth the wait so if you have a chance to go there please do.
Now time to head how after a fun day and do laundry UGH... I still wish I could get away with paying someone to do this for me :-) but Todd will not go for it :-(
First thing on the list today is the Crazy Horse Memorial fee to get in $11.00 per person we were free again thanks to our VIP card All the money from entrance fee and items purchased from the gift shop are what funds this project they will not take government money or and charitable donations. https://crazyhorsememorial.org/ this is a very cool place it is to SOO MUCH BIGGER then Mount Rushmore even tho it is not complete yet you can see models and the face of crazy horse has been craved there are still working on the rest I attached a link to the website so you can read about it.The day we went was a special day there was going to be a blast today which meant that part of the mountain they were carving on was going to be blasted out for carving purposes. They blasted away 200 tons of rock seems like a crazy amount I recorded the blast I will attached the video here.
There is a museum of all kinds of history about crazy horse and the culture it is amazing to see all the good that the Indians have made, how they lived and they actually have Indians there are making jewelry by hand now that you can buy to support their tribes. This gift shop is huge and there are a lot of authentic Indian items for purchase .
Second thing of the list for today is heading into Custer,SD just to walk around the small town very cute and quaint. There are buffalo statues on almost every corner with unique painting on them I tried to get pictures of then all but I think I miss 3 or 4 I will have to get them again. There are some fun things to do here but we did not have all the time to do then today so next time we get to town we will. After walking around on the beautiful day we decided that burger and fries sounded really good for lunch we happen to walk upon Black Hills Burger & Bun http://blackhillsburgerandbun.com/ omg!! this place is so good it is very small inside and it was packed on a Tuesday afternoon I could only imagine what it is on a weekend. The burger was worth the wait so if you have a chance to go there please do.
Now time to head how after a fun day and do laundry UGH... I still wish I could get away with paying someone to do this for me :-) but Todd will not go for it :-(
Keystone,SD
WOO HOO a day off and we get to go out and sight see and I am so excited and happy. The best part of this job is they give you a card called VIP (visitor industry partners) they want you to explore and promote the Black Hills this card will save so much money on all the attractions most of the things are free or really at a reduced rate!!!! Our goal is to do everything on this list with the exceptions on the other campgrounds and hotels that we do not need.
Mount Rushmore first thing on the list something that Todd and I will see for the first thing together. If you go to Mount Rushmore it is $11.00 to park which is not bad but since we have our VIP card we go in free. Walking up to Mount Rushmore and it does not seem that big I guess seeing it in all the movies was a different feeling then seeing it in person. It is amazing to see all the carving work and to read how long it took to complete it. While there you should do the guided audio tour it is very informative. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes there is a very nice walking trail called the presidential trail A LOT OF STAIRS but it is a very nice walk and you kind of get up close and personal with the presidents. It is not a good trail to take strollers on or wheels chairs. Make sure when you are there you check out all the flags of the 50 states as you are walking up to Mount Rushmore We took pictures of our state flags while we were there.Pictures below are our day at Mount Rushmore make sure you pick up a souvenir at the gift shop to remember your times there
Rushmore Cave http://www.rushmorecave.com/ second thing on the list of places to see today. It is not just a cave they have a Zip-line, nothing to big but fun to ride and give you a small rush and we got a sticker saying we rode the zip-line that will go great with our collection of stickers,pins and magnets. 7-D gunslinger now this was a great time. 3 different games and it is a motion simulator basically a interactive 3D ride very cool for all ages we also got a sticker from there as well. Then the cave it was very fun and beautiful. Make sure you wear sneakers and bring a jacket with you the cave naturally stays between 42-47 degrees no matter how hot it is outside. Not very strenuous walk there are some steps and some uneven walking surfaces and the tour takes about and hour. The tours guides are great very informative makes me wonder how to retain all the knowledge of the cave lol. I have posted some pictures below some make be dark remember we were in a cave LOL....Tired from the walk we take a few minutes to sit and take in all the beauty around us. then off we go to our last place to see of the day....
Big Thunder Gold Mine http://www.bigthundermine.com/ very cool place and fun for all ages you get to take a tour of the old gold mine and learn about how it was blasted out and made. Our tour guide tho did not make us feel like we were even part of the tour. There was one child there and that was the only person he focused on so we were not that pleased with the tour. He was very informative but he needed to include everyone not just one person or family. Our tour included free gold panning we were both really excited about this since we watch all those gold shows on TV lol... Panning for gold hmmm I am not very good at it i think all my gold was washed out of the pan because I did not get the hang of it lol..Todd on the other hand caught on very quickly and found a few flakes of gold very awesome. After he found his he came to my pan and helped me find some gold. We did get to bring the gold home in our little glass jars WE ARE RICH!!!! NOT but maybe one day :-)
All the things we did today in the area of Keystone,SD were free thanks to our wonderful VIP card that you only get if you are working in the area. On a bad note due to the internet connections where I am located I will not be able to post pictures until I get to a good internet connection and that may not be until we head to the sugar beet harvest :-( But this pictures are worth it when i do post them :-)
Mount Rushmore first thing on the list something that Todd and I will see for the first thing together. If you go to Mount Rushmore it is $11.00 to park which is not bad but since we have our VIP card we go in free. Walking up to Mount Rushmore and it does not seem that big I guess seeing it in all the movies was a different feeling then seeing it in person. It is amazing to see all the carving work and to read how long it took to complete it. While there you should do the guided audio tour it is very informative. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes there is a very nice walking trail called the presidential trail A LOT OF STAIRS but it is a very nice walk and you kind of get up close and personal with the presidents. It is not a good trail to take strollers on or wheels chairs. Make sure when you are there you check out all the flags of the 50 states as you are walking up to Mount Rushmore We took pictures of our state flags while we were there.Pictures below are our day at Mount Rushmore make sure you pick up a souvenir at the gift shop to remember your times there
Rushmore Cave http://www.rushmorecave.com/ second thing on the list of places to see today. It is not just a cave they have a Zip-line, nothing to big but fun to ride and give you a small rush and we got a sticker saying we rode the zip-line that will go great with our collection of stickers,pins and magnets. 7-D gunslinger now this was a great time. 3 different games and it is a motion simulator basically a interactive 3D ride very cool for all ages we also got a sticker from there as well. Then the cave it was very fun and beautiful. Make sure you wear sneakers and bring a jacket with you the cave naturally stays between 42-47 degrees no matter how hot it is outside. Not very strenuous walk there are some steps and some uneven walking surfaces and the tour takes about and hour. The tours guides are great very informative makes me wonder how to retain all the knowledge of the cave lol. I have posted some pictures below some make be dark remember we were in a cave LOL....Tired from the walk we take a few minutes to sit and take in all the beauty around us. then off we go to our last place to see of the day....
Big Thunder Gold Mine http://www.bigthundermine.com/ very cool place and fun for all ages you get to take a tour of the old gold mine and learn about how it was blasted out and made. Our tour guide tho did not make us feel like we were even part of the tour. There was one child there and that was the only person he focused on so we were not that pleased with the tour. He was very informative but he needed to include everyone not just one person or family. Our tour included free gold panning we were both really excited about this since we watch all those gold shows on TV lol... Panning for gold hmmm I am not very good at it i think all my gold was washed out of the pan because I did not get the hang of it lol..Todd on the other hand caught on very quickly and found a few flakes of gold very awesome. After he found his he came to my pan and helped me find some gold. We did get to bring the gold home in our little glass jars WE ARE RICH!!!! NOT but maybe one day :-)
All the things we did today in the area of Keystone,SD were free thanks to our wonderful VIP card that you only get if you are working in the area. On a bad note due to the internet connections where I am located I will not be able to post pictures until I get to a good internet connection and that may not be until we head to the sugar beet harvest :-( But this pictures are worth it when i do post them :-)
First Day On The New Job!!!
Housekeeping and office for me and Maintenance and Housekeeping for Todd. We are very excited to get started working. We work 5 days a week and have 2 off together and all are hours are paid for things could not get any better then this OH and we are in the Black Hills it could not get any more beautiful then this!!!
There are 16 motels rooms here and 13 or so cabins I clean the bath houses as well.... ugh that is my least favorite part of the job!
Todd cleans the pool does maintenance and cleans with me on the crazy busy days with everyone checking out and in.
On our two days off Monday and Tuesday we plan to explore as much as possible. Stay tuned for posts on all the fun things we do and see while we are here.
There are 16 motels rooms here and 13 or so cabins I clean the bath houses as well.... ugh that is my least favorite part of the job!
Todd cleans the pool does maintenance and cleans with me on the crazy busy days with everyone checking out and in.
On our two days off Monday and Tuesday we plan to explore as much as possible. Stay tuned for posts on all the fun things we do and see while we are here.
WE MADE IT FINALLY!!! Crooked Creek Resort!!!!
AHHH Finally we are here...... Crooked Creek Resort http://www.crookedcreeksd.com/ home for the next 3 months and we could not be happier. We met a few people on the way to our spot and they came and helped us back in. Since we have a new rig with a slide we had to get backed into the spot just right in order to open the slide it took about 10 mins a few tries and we are in woo hoo....
Our spot in very nice we are tucked back away from everyone the dogs have there own little area and so do we. Once we get an awning it will be prefect because the awning will cover our whole area. It does not get super hot up here but it is always nice to have some shade for just chilling outside.
We have met the owners of the campground Doug and Michelle very nice people this place is beautiful. We have one day to get settle in before we work which means that day will be spent at Wal-Mart getting food and a few things we have discovered that we needed along our travels.
Nothing feels better then getting parked and knowing that you do not have to move for the next 3 months..... I am sure Todd and the Animals feel the same way. We can not wait to get out and explore the Black Hills and just get to know South Dakota!!!!
Our spot in very nice we are tucked back away from everyone the dogs have there own little area and so do we. Once we get an awning it will be prefect because the awning will cover our whole area. It does not get super hot up here but it is always nice to have some shade for just chilling outside.
We have met the owners of the campground Doug and Michelle very nice people this place is beautiful. We have one day to get settle in before we work which means that day will be spent at Wal-Mart getting food and a few things we have discovered that we needed along our travels.
Nothing feels better then getting parked and knowing that you do not have to move for the next 3 months..... I am sure Todd and the Animals feel the same way. We can not wait to get out and explore the Black Hills and just get to know South Dakota!!!!
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