Happy Birthday Popi!

We are thinking of you today and telling stories, sharing memories of you!   John has been waking up early so he’s getting the coffee going and watching the sunrise.   It’s really nice to have coffee ready and waiting. ;)   We took our time repacking today and regrouped on things.  When we packed in Badlands, we didn’t get everything back in to the crates.  When we packed today, we had a little space to add something more.  We stopped one more time at the grocery for supplies – headed to nowhere in the Big Horn Forest!  Goodbye Custer...

First stop Deadwood to feed Marvin and John’s curiosity.  A lot of the buildings are very old and you can see hints of the old town but it’s also very much touristy.  There was a “gun fight” posted for 2:00 in the street.  Turns out it was really just a little bit of the Wild Bill story and one gun shot which I think must have been the shot that killed Wild Bill.  We couldn’t hear a lot from our outside seating at a restaurant.  It was an American grill type food and I don’t even remember the name – neither good nor bad.                 

John wanted to look for a book by Craig Johnson about Walt Longmire.  We just finished watching the series on Netflix, so decided start one of the books as we drove through Gillette where the author signs books at the library during Longmire days.  It was fun to listen and drive through the area of inspiration for the books.   The drive up the mountain into the Big Horns is breath taking even with the sun setting in our eyes.  We spotted a few mule deer and antelope along the way.  Arrival at camp – 8:08PM.  It was a race to get camp set up and dinner (sandwiches) prepared before it got dark.  There was time for "King of the Hill" during set up. 

       

The landscape for all three of our campgrounds so far has been very different from one another.  This one has big pines like Custer but different kind because the branches to very near to the ground where the others were 20 feet off the ground.   The kids started a fire – it’s cold here.  Kids got hammocks all set up and climbed in just as we started to see lightening in the distance and then heard thunder.  We were able to watch the thunderhead roll in across the landscape as we quickly put the rain fly onto the tent, fortunately already set up, and move the kids into the tent.  Parker has a hammock rain fly so chose to stay put.  It was a great sleep with rain pelting the tent. 

      

Buffalo or Bison?

Sleep in day!  We got up at 6AM, J grabbed coffee and snacks so that we could go drive the wildlife loop.  We were beginning to wonder about seeing anything other than random white tail deer and antelope until we found the burrow and in the far distance a buffalo heard.  Nearby was a wildlife center but sadly it is closed due to COVID.  Side note: Don’t think I’ve mentioned CoVID before now on this trip.  It changes things quite a bit.  Very short "run in" stops when we need and we are discovering it saves a pretty good amount of money.  It’s just so strange to walk into any place or walk down the sidewalk in a town with a mask on and seeing so many masks around us.  We wear masks everywhere we are around people not because we are afraid of the virus but for two reasons:  We have a child going to college and don’t want him to miss his first days because he’s sick and because we don’t want to potential bring it to these small towns that don’t have very many cases, etc.  The travel is ingraining new routine in us anytime we enter a public place.  On a fun note, GraceLin woke up to a visitor on her hammock this morning - she named him Sneaky the Squirrel.

 

Beyond the wildlife center we turned off on dirt and shortly found a heard of buffalo.  There were  two males blowing, pawing the ground and grunting.  There were many mamas with adorable calves.  We had lots of discussion about whether they were buffalo or bison and if ther is a difference.  I’m not sure we came to a conclusion.  John was on alert as the males came closer to one another not far from us.   A few hundred yards away two pronghorn (antelope) running and playing.  The female would run away and wait for the male to follow.  He would stop near her and she would take off again.  Finally, they began a chase that just continued at a decent pace but then she kicked up the speed and they ran incredibly fast, crossed the street and over a ridge.  When we turned at the next dirt road, we found the pronghorn drinking at a nearby pond. 

                                   

    

Back to the camp for yummy griddle breakfast of sausage and very tasty eggs, we brough along hot sauce just for these.  We all did a few camp chores then John and I went into town.  He dropped me at the Lost Sock laundromat – they were amazing family owned business who did full service laundry but sadly didn’t have time to get to ours that day.  Still, they stopped to help me get acquainted with the machines and checked on me regularly.   John went to the grocery for supplies then came back to help fold.  Around 3, we drove to Crazy Horse and Mt. Rushmore.  Back home in camp, with firewood from church (donation) to build a fire, we cooked corn on the cob, chicken over the fire, played frizbee and roasted marshmallows.  Lots of great connection with kids.  

  Loving these long days filled with fun!~~

Sunday Gulch

What a beautiful day!  John woke me up at 5:30 instead of 4:30 AND had coffee ready for sunrise.  GraceLin joined us this time.  It was pretty cool, nice breeze; later in the morning, we packed our gear in a strong wind.  Finally we drove out through the park for final magnificent views and saw mountain goats on the cliff really near us, lots of prairie dogs and deer.   We drove right on past Wall Drug which we had seen advertised for a hundred miles and their billboards so littered the landscape that we didn’t want to visit.  

 

Our drive was about 6 hours to Custer State Park.  We love watching the landscape change!  We found a highly rated lunch spot on the way in to pick up in Custer (Black Hills Burger and Buns) and eat at our camp site.   They were so busy, they didn’t answer the phone and we had to go in to order.  The desire of the adults on this trip – BLFGT sandwich (Fried Green) was spoiled when we got to site with burgers.  So sad.   Camp set up was much more quick this time!   We are learning.

 

Headed out on a beautiful scenic drive through the park to Sylvan Lake.  Parker did some research and picked the Sunday Gulch tail which starts behind the damn – 3.5-4 miles, difficult but would not trade the toughness of that for not going.  So breathtaking!   Coming off the trail, went around the lake and watched the sunset along the way.  Back to the park and showered before all crashing hard with cool air and breeze making it very comfortable.

Sunrise - Sunset

John woke me out of deep sleep at 4:40 for sunrise at 5:26.  SO worth it over the badlands – sunrise and sunset.  We kept thinking we would go back to bed after so no coffee.  Kids slept in – in a tent; no trees here for hammocks.  After a camp griddle breakfast of pancakes and bacon, we headed for the trails. 

 

Most of the trails aren’t very long to see the best sights.  The best was notch trail – ladder – some steep drop offs and some pathways maybe 3 feet wide so no running and climbing for one young man who thinks it’s no fun to climb and hike with parents because we don’t let him do anything.   The views from the windows at the far end of the Notch Trial are spectacular but be cautious as you approach, the last step wouldn't be good.   

  

Back for lunch and John put some prior cooked pulled pork on the griddle for amazing sandwiches on hand made ciabatta rolls we picked up at Looks Market yesterday.  GraceLin videoed so that she can start a cooking blog.  Took an afternoon drive to see the park and found prairie dog.  Yellow and pink stone…  finished it off by driving into Interior which is a town of 93 residents and one very small old fashioned general store.  We got ice, water and cocoa powder for kids.  Neighbors talking/visiting with groceries in hand outside the store when we arrived. 

 

Afternoon naps, just great down time and showers (coin showers that cut off on you).  One thing I love about these trips are long days like this!  We watched storms roll in from the west and surround us on both sides.  We got rained on for a while, fortunately no major lightening near us that we saw in the distance. then the sun came back out.   We snacked some for dinner and then climbed a nearby hill to watch the sunset while I tried not to watch too closely to where the boys were climbing.  Parker came back and layed up on top of the picnic table shelter to look at the stars.  We are so fortunate that according to our weather app, the sun and moon rise are around the same time - we are not getting any moonlight to interfere with star gazing so it is absolutely incredible.  We can see the comet NEOWISE from this campsite.  What a blessing today was!