After a quick stop for gas and a coffee to go from a nice, local place called Common Ground, it was time to head south towards Custer. Just a mile or so south of the Bell Motor Court is the turnoff for Hwy 14A, the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway, into the Black Hills National Forest.
Five miles down is a pullout and overlook for Bridal Veil Falls.
I also saw a sign for The Devils Bathtub. I’ve seen these before. They’re generally a place where flowing water has eroded a basin into the rock. I saw nothing remotely like that.
There’s a small resort in the town of Savoy. That’s where you’ll find the turnoff for Fire Road 222, a well maintained dirt and gravel road. Almost immediately after turning off, there’s a parking lot for the Roughlock Falls trailhead. You can walk along the river for a mile to the falls, or simply drive to the overlooks up the road. I chose to walk. Two miles would start the day just right. It turned out to be the right decision.
Roughlock Falls...
On the hike back, I spotted this spider web glistening in the morning dew. As I was shooting the web, Rose and Dan walked by and paused. We chatted for a few minutes before moving on. Yes, they do come back in the narrative.
Two and a half miles further up the fire road sits a small campground. According to my hiking guide, at the far end of the campground is a small parking area. That's where you'll find the trailhead for the three and a half mile looping Rim Rock Trail. I did find the parking area. There was one post with the symbol of a hiker and an arrow. What might have been the trail was overgrown. I walked out perhaps fifty feet and didn’t see any other markers. So much for the Rim Rock Trail.
Seen on the drive out...
Back at Hwy 14A, tucked behind the resort’s restaurant is a three-quarters of a mile trail down to the base of Spearfish Falls.
And who did I pass on the way back up, Rose and Dan.
Hwy 14A eventually took me to Hwy 85 and Hwy 385 South. On my map, there was a road leading back to Custer Peak Overlook. Curious, I took it. At about the half mile point, off in the distance I could see the observation tower. Imagining the view, I pressed onward.
The road was dirt and gravel and pretty well maintained, but fairly narrow. Imagine my surprise when I met a road grader at about the mile and a half point, coming my way. I had no choice but to put the car in reverse until I found a place to pull off. He went around me with a wave.
So, I started back up the road, only to encounter three gravel trucks coming my way. Fortunately, I was able to pull off enough for them to get by, barely. The last truck stopped and the driver asked where I was going, I told him Custer Peak. He said he had seen other drivers heading up, so I “should be okay.”
At three mile point, the road starts going up. The dirt and gravel quickly turned into dirt and rocks. The condition of the road surface also started to degrade. I started having visions of an uncomfortable conversation with the folks at Enterprise Car Rentals about why I took their vehicle up this particular road. A side road to who knows where gave the perfect opportunity to turn around and head back. Custer Peak would have to wait. Of course I passed graders and more gravel trucks on the way back down.
A quick stop at the Pactula Lake and Dam…
It was early afternoon when the road took me through Hill City. That’s where I encountered the Miner Brewing Company. The beer list seemed to have a lot of fruit flavorings so I chose a Scarlett Irish Red Ale. The menu was a bit limited. I was curious about the smoked salmon. I was cooked with apricot and goat cheese and served on bread and spinach. An odd combination, but quite good and not heavy at all. Perfect.
A little further south is the Crazy Horse memorial. I had been here years before and curious how much had changed with the mountain. At first glance, it didn’t seem like much. But, when you take into account they’re removing large chunks of the mountain top, front and back, I started to see how much had been cleared. In the visitor's center, there are close up shots of the hand. None of that was cleared the last time, and quite a lot seems to have been removed around the base.
In the 1930's, Korczak Tiolkowski was making a name for himself as a sculptor. He was hired as a sculptor's assistant in 1939 to work on Mount Rushmore. One of his sculptures won first prize at the World's Fair later that year. It was at the world's fair that he was approached by Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear with the proposal to build a monument to their own hero, Crazy Horse.
After serving in the army during World War II, Tiolkowski moved to the Black Hills to start work on the project. At first, he worked alone. He would carry his tools up a series of ladders and drill holes for dynamite. His generator would sputter and die, forcing him to climb back down, restart it and climb back up again.
His family still runs the project. It's funded by entrance fees, donations and by turning the rock that's removed from the mountain into gravel for sale. Twice a year they open the road to the top and let people walk up. For a fee of $125, they'll drive you up. We did that fourteen years ago. I would have done it again, but the first ride up was still two hours away.
As I was walking out, who did I bump into, Rose and Dan. This was their last top before heading west to Wyoming. I was headed south to Custer.
My home for the next few nights was another independent place called the Chief Motel. I had a nice chat with one of the owners at check in and wouldn't hesitate to stay here again.
They don't do breakfast, so I took my camera and walked the eight blocks to the closest grocery store for some supplies. On numerous corners are these painted buffalo.
In 2006, the city of Custer was looking for something to bring people into downtown,and once there, stick around for a while. The called the project The Custer Stampede Every spring, twenty buffalo are placed around town. Winning bidders decorate them as they choose. In October, they're sold off at auction.
This corresponds with the annual buffalo roundup in Custer State Park. Every year the buffalo are rounded up, counted and their health checked. The park's herd sits around 1,300. The park can only support so many. So, every year they auction some off. You can get an idea of what the roundup looks like here:
Seen outside a taxidermy shop...
Right next door to the motel is a place called the Mount Rushmore Brewing Company. I had a Buffalo Snot Nitro Stout with dinner. Nitro because they run nitrogen through the lines, giving the stout a smoother texture. Sounds a little weird, but it was really good.
Coming Up,
High Pointing
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