Monumental Reunion

After several weeks of family and friends, we headed to Scotts Bluff, NE for yet another reunion. If you’ve been following our journey, you may remember Jack who we met very early in our journey at Petrified Forest and then again in a Death Valley parking lot where we met his wife Marcia.  We hit it off and spent several chunks of time together finally parting ways at Kings Canyon park in California.

After a long drive with the mountains fading from view crossing the stark farmland of Nebraska with the wind wailing across the plains, we arrived at our rendezvous.  Jack and Marcia had a campsite waiting as well as a warm welcome and appetizers and we had no trouble settling in despite the blazing heat of the setting summer sun.

We planned an early rise to beat the heat and headed to Scotts Bluff National Monument.  A passage on the Oregon Trail, the park had amazing volunteer docents who imparted well researched and presented knowledge on the area and era.  We were disappointed that the trail up the bluff was closed for maintenance but enjoyed wandering where we could, viewing the museum, parts of the trail and around the grounds.

Being the 4^th of July, Marcia had a full BBQ planned for the evening.  We burned a few calories on an afternoon bike ride before falling into full holiday mode.  Feet up and drink in all hands, a neighbor, Mike, inquired about the Brew Tour and the next few hours we were entertained trading tastes of beer for tasted of his home brewed spirits. 

From plain vodka to salted caramel cream to apple pie moonshine, the samples kept coming!  Suffering from PTSD, Mike was an interesting character with lots of talent and lots of stories.  Leaving to retrieve his traveling nurse wife from her job, we dove into Marcia’s BBQ feast before climbing onto the RV roof to see the local fireworks.

We woke for an early morning departure with plans of securing campsites at the first come first served campground at Wind Cave National Park.  On the way, we detoured to check out Agate Fossil Beds National Monument.  Completely surprised with the quality of this remote monument, we enjoyed the displays highlighting a riverbed site where thousands of dinosaurs perished 20 million years ago and then we hiked out to the dig site in the searing heat.  The park also had a unique and impressive display of Indian relics gifted to a local rancher that did a great job depicting native American life.

Having spent more time than anticipated at Agate, we drove the final stretch to Wind Cave still in time to score two neighboring campsites.  We familiarized ourselves with the campground and area, had a picnic of leftovers and went to bed early thankful to be in a cool, quiet and fresh campground after the intensity of industrial Scottsbluff.

The next two days we essentially frolicked with our friends.  Wind Cave is an underutilized National Park although the cave tours still filled each day with visitors passing through.  We rose early to reserve our cave tour and get in a hike before the sun had its way with the daily temp.  The hike was eventful with Bison and prairie dogs and a full cover of poison ivy hugging the trailside to keep us alert and our steps intentional! 

We took the “strenuous” version of the cave tour in the early afternoon.  The tour was 2/3 mile with 450 steps (mostly down), which was anything but a strain for us daily hikers.  There was a lot of walking without a lot of ooh or aah moments but the boxwork feature found only in this area was interesting to see.

Having viewed the park’s main attraction, Jack invited us for dinner out in Hot Springs which we had passed through on our way to the park.  We wandered the antique shops looking for eye cups to add to Marcia’s collection but struck out.  Unfortunately, we didn’t find much else in the town to get excited about!   No worries when in the company of friends…we had a beer and food at the local bar and called it an adventure!

The next day, we headed for yet another great monument, Mount Rushmore.  Taking the wildlife loop through Custer State Park, we were stopped for a ½ hour by the bison herd.  Not only crossing but crowding the road, the rutting season appeared to have just begun with a lot of frisky bulls butting heads in the literal sense!  Further on we spotted pronghorn, wild burros, prairie dogs and a coyote; I’d say a good variety for our effort.

Taking the back road toward Rushmore, we passed through a series of tight tunnels bored through the mountains and had great fun stopping to get crazy shots of the famous site through the tunnel views.  Confirming our decision not to visit the monument officially was the long line trying to even get to the access road for the parking lot and we continued on to check out the Needles Highway.

A strikingly beautiful winding road, we were captivated by the ever-changing vistas before stopping at yet another, Sylvan Lake, where we had planned for a good 6.5 mile hike up Harney Peak.  The weather was a gorgeous 76 degrees as we headed up the trail.  The Black Hills is such a picturesque area and the trail was a pleasure to hike and we happily made our way up just as the clouds started rolling in.  Making it just over 2 of the 3ish miles up the trail, the rain began. 

Within minutes the temp started dropping as did the HAIL!  Without any extra clothes or gear we found ourselves at the mercy of the elements and realized we best turn tail and get headed down.  Getting soaked and progressively colder, we kept the attitude light with some good laughs about our situation.  We found out how lucky we had been as we drove back to our campsite along roads with 4+ inches of hail alongside!  Arriving back to our campsite where the sun was shining and the temp was 86, we marveled at the 30 degree change in temp we had seen in just a few hours. 

Ending the day comparing notes on each of our plans, we once again decided to continue in the same direction and set our alarms for yet ANOTHER early departure.  Taking the scenic highway through the Black Hills National Forest, we stopped in Custer City for “buffalo of a different color” and a surprisingly good cup of coffee.  Continuing on through quaint Hill City, commercial casino-laden Deadwood and finally to the party city of Sturgis, we arrived at Bear Butte State  Park and our destination for the night.

Jack suggested we take a ride back to Deadwood for some sightseeing and we were off again!  Just 30 miles back into the hills, we fought our way into a parking spot and wandered the main drag.  Pretty much a site for drinking and gambling, we were disappointed with the town and its offerings.  We took a few minutes to cool off in a bank-turned-bar and created our own entertainment. 

Returning to camp, we ate dinner as the sun set and the full moon rose with a hike planned to the top of Bear Butte in the morning.  Through the night, the full moon ushered in what we guessed were 50 mph winds and little sleep!  Being this far north, the full moon didn’t take long to turn to a 4am rising sun and the day began earlier than expected.

The hike up Bear Butte was a highlight. Being a spiritual site for the Lakota and other area Indian tribes, the trail was laden with prayer flags on every tree.  I couldn’t help but fall into a spiritual journey of my own as the path climbed the 1100ft elevation gain.  Summiting just after 9am, the sun was already searing but the heavy breeze kept things cool as we appreciated the views in all directions as we recapped the eventful time we had had together. 

Returning to our campsites, we shared dreams of what crazy adventures we might reunite for in the year(s) ahead and then got packed up and on the road headed in opposite directions…for now!  And Rob and I are back on our path again.  Headed for supplies and our final National Park for a while, we know we’re at a turning point in our journey.  With the mountains gone, the Black Hills fading and barely some bumps in the landscape ahead, the road ahead is a whole new chapter.