South Dakota Day 3, Crazy Horse

Monday, August 12

     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

South Dakota Day 2...Crows Peak

Sunday August 11

      In the early planning stages for these trips, there are numerous websites I visit.  One is a hiking site where they list their favorite trail in each state.  Some require multiple days while others are even wheelchair accessible.  Their favorite for South Dakota is the reason I came to Spearfish.
       The Crows Peak trail is listed as seven miles round trip and strenuous.  Based on the trail description, it certainly seemed doable.  It’s well maintained and simple to follow.  The view from the peak is said to be far and wide.  The Sioux named it Paha Karitukateyapy, which translated out to “the hill where the Crows were killed.”  The two tribes fought near the peak with the Sioux being victorious.
       The weather guessers all said the same thing.  The chance of rain(possibly heavy at times) would start going up by mid-morning with a good chance of a thundershower.   I decided to go anyway.  The big camera would stay in the room, and the pocket sized Canon Powershot would go with me.  If it got wet, it would be less of a loss.
        Sunrise from the drive out of downtown…

      Just a quarter mile further is the turnoff for Higgins Gulch Road.  It’s a surprisingly well maintained dirt road with one dry stream crossing, complete with a sign warning of flash floods.  With a potential storm on the way, this was indeed a concern.
     The trailhead was easy to find, with plenty of parking available. It was quickly approaching 6A when I left the car, passed through the gate and started upward.  As described, the first two miles were mostly compacted earth with the occasional rock to step over.  Easy enough, and a good workout. 

      A mountain biker was coming down the trail with his dog running along behind him.  He paused to give his dog a quick rest.  From the peak, he had seen thick clouds and some lightning in the distance.  He said it looked like it might skirt past the area though.  I could only hope.
     At the two mile point, the trail gets a little more interesting.  Dirt gives way to long stretches of rocky ground.  It’s still fairly easy going, as long as you watch your step.  This was about the time thunder could be heard off  in the distance.

      Finally, the view from Crows Peak…

      The storm did indeed look like it was going to pass Spearfish by.   There’s a half mile spur trail to Beaver Ridge about a mile from the peak.  With no real threat of imminent rain, I decided to take it.  A few downed trees blocked the path.  On the other side it was overgrown and not very clear.  That was far enough.

     Unlike the trail up, coming down I met quite a few people, most of them were there with dogs, including one very excited and friendly Husky.
      I was back at the trailhead at 9:30A under a blue sky with a full day ahead and nothing scheduled.  I sipped a cappuccino at a place called Blackbirds and pondered my day.
     There’s a picnic table by the parking lot of the motel.  It was so nice to take my book and coffee outside and just chill.  I was on vacation and needed this.
     Around 1P, it was time for lunch.  Just a few minutes walk from the motel is the Spearfish Brewing Company.  Their food selection is limited, but their beer list quite varied.  The best name on the list, Cofhefe.  It’s a German Hefenvicen with a “distinctive banana and bubblegum flavor.”  I passed.  Instead, I tried their “The Hills Have Ryes.”  It’s a brown lager with a hint of rye. It was also quite good.

     As you might suspect, Two Wheeler Dealer sells bicycles.  They had bike racks scattered around downtown.  I found is humorous to see a unicycle chained to one.

    As the day eventually waned, I went back out into Spearfish for sunset...

Coming Up,                                                                                                                                           Colorful Buffalo                                                                                                                                  

South Dakota Day 1... Bikers Everywhere

Friday, August 9, 2019

    On my drive home Friday, I saw a red light up ahead and perhaps a half dozen cars stopped.  If I continued, I wouldn’t go very far before I had to stop myself.  There was a woman trying to make a left out of a gas station across traffic.  I stopped, motioned her through and watched her pass in front of me with a wave.
    No exaggeration, she had cleared my front bumper by perhaps a foot when WHAM, a guy in a BMW SUV slammed into the back of my CR-V.  No squeal of brakes, just impact.  The good news, no one was hurt, the other guy did have insurance and when the Clayton County police officer asked what happened, he agreed with my account fully.  The other driver was ticketed for driving too close.
     So, instead of a cold one and a leisurely afternoon packing for the trip, the afternoon was spent on the phone with the insurance company and the collision repair place.  The guy who runs the collision shop slid underneath and did a quick inspection.  His response, “don’t be surprised if they decide to total your vehicle.”  The rear bumper was a mess, the back window shattered and the right, rear tire was sitting at a slightly odd angle.  My CR-V is a 2001 with 290K miles. I definitely got my money’s worth.  But still, the prospect of having to replace it still sucked.  We had been through a lot together.
     Seeing as it was late Friday afternoon, nothing could be done until the next week  The added factor, I'd be out of town and probably off cell service for lengthy swaths of the trip.   But, there was absolutely nothing I could do about it.

Day 1
Saturday August 10, 2019

      My Lyft driver Vincent, couldn’t have been any nicer.  I told him my story.  Considering he drives for a living, and I’m just a commuter/roadtripper, I realized how fortunate I am to have only been involved in two bad accidents over my lifetime.  But, still.
      During the summer months, Delta has one non-stop flight per day between Atlanta and Rapid City.  The flight itself is less than three hours and crosses two time zones.  I was out of the airport and on the road by 1P.  The rental was a Toyota Rav-4.  Not a bad ride, but not on the list to replace my CR-V.
       A few years ago, my friend Deb sent me a link to an article listing the oldest bars in each state.  In South Dakota, that's "The Buffalo Bill Gaming Complex" in the town of Deadwood.  It wasn't by far the first to open.  In fact, it was the eighteenth bar.
     When Mike Russell arrived in Deadwood in 1877, he saw seventeen bars and thought the town could use one more.  He named it after his friend and hunting partner Buffalo Bill Cody.   You can still get a drink and a meal, gamble in their game room or get a room upstairs for the night.
      Three years prior, Lt. Col. George Custer led an expedition into the Black Hills.  He was charged with finding suitable locations for forts, establishing a route southwest through the Dakota Territory and investigating reports of gold. 
       Along with his Seventh Cavalry, Custer brought civilian experts.  They set up camp in what is
now the town of Custer.  While Custer's men looked for sites to build forts, the civilian experts
went off looking for gold.  Their reports sparked the Black Hills Gold Rush of 1874.
       Two years later, in a ravine full of dead trees, thus the name Deadwood, a large deposit
of gold was discovered and a town quickly grew. Deadwood was built on land owned by
the Lakota Sioux, the U.S. government had no jurisdiction and considered it illegal.
        Deadwood quickly developed a reputation as a rough, crime ridden place.   The murder
of Wild Bill Hickok over a poker game only cemented that reputation.
       But, Deadwood also has another claim to fame. While in 1880 Wabash, Indiana was the first town to get electric streetlights, Deadwood wasn't far behind.  Three years later, the Pitcher Electric Light Company of Deadwood was formed.  The company bought lights, one of Thomas Edison's dynamos and lit Main Street.
     With the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally  winding down a few miles from Deadwood, I wasn’t surprised to see the downtown area full of bikes.  It made for slow going.  Restaurants and banks were selling parking in their lots for half the price of the public lot.  The restaurant where I parked was handing out free drink coupons, if you can call a Busch Light an actual drink.

        I found Buffalos right on Main Street and went in.  There’s a sign out front claiming it’s the oldest in Deadwood.   Mark, my waiter, had never heard of it being the oldest in the state.  A decent barbecue sandwich and the Bomber Mountain Black Tooth Amber certainly hit the spot. 

      Between the inside and outside sections sits a rather large door on overhead tracks, much like a giant garage door.  Outside, they had a guy playing his guitar and butchering the Yardbirds song, “For Your Love.”  I generally tip these guys, but he was pretty bad.

     Leaving Deadwood via Hwy 85 North, it was an easy drive to Spearfish and the Bells Motor Lodge, my home for the next two nights.  It's your basic, independent motel with perhaps forty rooms.  It's for sale if you're interested.

      As you might guess, the parking lot of the motel was mostly filled with motorcycles.  There was a lot of rumbling as they came and went.  I really didn’t mind and was out cold fairly easily.  Besides, my body was still on Eastern Time and I had an early start the next morning.


Coming Up,
A rumble of thunder, and I keep hiking upwards