Finis

Saturday, September 6, at about 3 pm we backed the Matilda into here space at Fohl Street Storage. a tad less than 10,000 miles driving on this trip (truck miles, less for the trailer). We saw what we had set out to see and then some. The Sangre de Christo Mountains of New Mexico were as we remembered them and are probably in the top five of places to settle with no regrets. The Black Hills of South Dakota may be another spot but a long way from the mecca of internal combustion engines in the Deadwood-Sturgis-Spearfish triangle.

The five day drive home was not too bad. Side winds through South Dakota, Iowa, and Illinois, were a bit of a fight and made for terrible MPG. If nothing else, Sophie the cat is happy to see me back in my rocking chair where she finds a lap. She is, we are sure, happy not to be in the truck.

So ends another expedition and this blog. Sometime before Christmas I may be at it again. Check it out. I will be noting temperatures in the sunny south to help those in the snow feel better.

Leave only your shadow

 To the right is Roughneck Falls. It is one of a series on a section of route 14A, designated a Black Hill Scenic drive from just south of Lead to Spearfish. There is a "lodge" and some rental cabins along the route but by Black Hills standards it has avoided commercialization. It is National Forest. The BHs are a mixed bag of vacation amusements and natural environment. If you want the bison stay south of Mount Rushmore. If you want playland stay to the north. The Sturgis Motorcycle Pilgrimage in early August is well known but as reported earlier Cool Nites Deadwood (50s and 60s cars and hot rods) is the weekend before Labor Day and then LD weekend is the Sturgis Mustang Rally. Fords not horseys. Actually, the motorcycles never leave but probably are outnumbered by ATVs. The powers that be seem to have done a fairly good job at balancing interests. You can take the path less traveled on foot and find places that you do not have to share with internal combustion. Still, I wonder about the pressures for commercial development despite quite a lot of businesses for sale. (Sign of the economic times?) In the movie The Big Sky, Uncle Zeb (Arthur Hunnicutt) talks about the White Man's Disease, "GRAB." First they grab from the Indians and then they grab from each other.

Another visit to Custer State Park

I did not get to a blog entry yesterday before the campground wifi service disappeared. We were in Custer State Park again and after driving through the bison herd (I have more than enough photos) we found a small band of pronghorns. I have a lot of photos of pronghorn also but this fellow was in his prime. His coloring was bright and distinctive and he looked in perfect health.

Throughout this trip the wildflowers have been a treat. Even in the desert areas they were in bloom. This one seemed to be at the end of its season. Goldenrod, thistle, and black-eyed susan are still strong here in the Black Hills where it seems unnaturally green as autumn approaches.

1880 TRAIN

The 1880 Train runs on a former spur line between Hill City and Keystone, South Dakota. The locomotive is interesting and unique but not dramatic. The ride (one way) is relatively slow and takes an hour or so to cover less than 10 miles. The narration is mildly interesting but intrusive and the use of the term "choo-choo" is offensive. Yet, we have ridden a number of excursion trains and the Black Hills scenery is probably the best of all. (Truth is the ride along the Oregon coast was not bad.)


For the sake of those who notice such things, this was yesterday's activity. Today was laundry day. I did not see a real need for photographs.

A day at Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota, any questions?

CCC example

This is the visitor center at Custer State Park in South Dakota. It was built by the young men of the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.

Civilian Conservation Corps

 Upstairs in the visitor information center in Hill City, South Dakota is the Civilian Conservation Corps Museum for the Black Hills. I have noticed some items in National Park Service gift shops related to the CCC. Perhaps a day late as the young men who served in this depression era program still living are few. If you visit national parks, forests, or similar Federal government areas you may well see the efforts of the CCC.

The father of a good friend served in the CCC and the rumor was that this was the reason he could not do carpentry with any wood smaller than a 2X4. These young men built their own camps and then went to clear woods, build bridges, dams, as well as other things. The picturesque stone bridges on park roads may well be a legacy of the CCC.

The organization was quasi-military. Work parties were led by junior military officers to give them command experience they would not get in a small peacetime army. The young men got a job at a time when there was no work. The pay was a dollar a day
and almost all of that was sent to their families to help out in the hard times. The worker got three meals and a "flop" (place to sleep). Camps also had recreation halls and educational programs were provided. An enlistment was for six months and if the experience/training did not provide an opportunity in the outside world, you could reenlist for another six months.