Sippy Adventures

South Dakota

The Next Big Adventure:  Black Hills Vacation ’11

Did some journal writing this trip and thought I’d include it.  Feel free to just look at the short-sticked photos.

6.30.2011

Disaster! Headed West on Highway 14 and when we turned to go South, it wasn’t too long before we came across flood water.  There had been a sign that said “trucks only” but from what we could see, there wasn’t any flooding.  It was when we got over the hill that we saw it was impassable for out Corolla.  No matter.  We’ve taken an alternate route.

Flood..this SUV made it through.

10:15PM   Murdo, SD

Terrible storm.  Lightning and Thunder, rain starting. There is sand and gravel blowing everywhere…looks like smoke in this darkness. We are taking shelter at a Shell station–the dumpsters are clanging furiously. It has started to rain and the wind is strong enough to shake the car…Radio station is playing Hail Marys.

The power has just gone out at the gas station, rest of town follows. Can’t see anything. Emergency lights came one. Lights are gone again. It is like a strobe light out there. Ambulance at the gas station across the road. The lights have returned.

A second burst! Lights have gone out again. Wyatt says to write about the bimbos in the car next to us. 4 tramps and a pimp. Wyatt is cursing because they touched the Corolla.

7.1.2011

Got to rest area around 12:30AM and slept till 5.  Wyatt was awake for some reason and wanted to get going. We got to Rapid City sometime around 6. Went on to Mt. Rushmore–drove by a couple times to get a few good shots.

Rushmore around 6AM

Went on to Crazy Horse.  Sorta got tricked into paying $20 but in the end we were glad to help with the project (no Federal funding taken).

Crazy Horse Monument

This is a reproduction of the letter Henry Standing Bear wrote to Korczak Ziolkowski, the artist who designed and started the carving of Crazy Horse.

Korczak Ziolkowski

A good experience! Plus they had a little orange cat.

Little Orange Cat! This cat was just hanging around the museum and studio.

It started raining while we were there, a couple hours. We’re going to Rapid City (mistake?!) now to kill a little time before hiking Harney Peak and let the weather better itself.

RAINING! After spending a couple hours in RC, the sun was out and we headed back into the Black Hills and Harney Peak. We had a delicious garlic mashed potatoes (instant) for lunch at the North Harney Peak Trailhead. It started to rain again but we were growing impatient. We headed out when the drops were fat but it soon turned into a thunder and lightning downpour.

We had rain jackets but we have not yet invested in waterproof shoes or pants… The trail itself was/is beautiful. Heavily forested, the trail dirt often glittered like glitter. There were also many beautiful plants to observe, including the poor lichens. It eventually slowed (the rain) and stopped. The sun did come out.

Wyatt and I enter the Black Elk Wilderness

On the trail: our first view of the fire tower on top of Harney Peak

Wyatt predicts we went about 3 miles, 6,000 feet or less. We’ve made camp off trail, as are the rules and the view is beautiful. In view is the backside of Mt. Rushmore.  It is so quiet and peaceful.

This was a great lookout point, approximately 3 miles up the trail. Supposedly one of the mountains seen is the backside of Mt. Rushmore

Wyatt has gone off to head up back to the trail where there is a spectacular view of the Black Elk wilderness.  Hopefully he is taking lots of pictures because it is turning to dusk.

View from inside the tent

A good shot from Wyatt

7.2.2011

5:15AM – SUNRISE

5:45AM – HEADED FOR THE TOP

There were many good views on our way up. It was interesting because there was some thunder and lightning; we thought there was going to be rain but it left us alone. We have not met anyone yet on the trail today. The way is getting steeper, with more switchbacks and rock.

Wyatt leads the way; we are nearing the fire tower

Rains off in the distance miss us

Wyatt spots the fire tower after a particularly steep part of the trail

Reached the top. Harney Peak is the tallest point east of the Rockies in the US, and until the Pyrenees in Europe. It was really windy and cool. Seeing the fire tower was really great.

A reoccurring pose for Wyatt

They had a water pump and a couple rooms to live in. One, you could tell where the stove went. There were also places in the wall where sockets could have went, but I don’t know how they got electricity up there. It was all so wonderful to see.

Our trip back down to the campsite took half as long. We are now packing everything up for our journey back down, and lunch (!)

Stairs build by the CCC, as was the tower

Wyatt and I have just finished some well-earned comforts.  Cheese, soup, apple cinnamon bagels, apples, strawberries, and lemonade… I immediately went for an apple. It was one of the best apples I’ve ever had. Not sure where we are going next. The plan was for Jewel Cave but maybe some showers?

Some stupid deer we saw while driving through the Black Hills

Bison--some Asians were within 6 feet of another one, posing with it for a photo. Asians.

Got to Jewel Cave but there weren’t any available tours left for the day, so we go two for the Scenic Tour tomorrow. Next we went to Rapid City. There is an alley in the city that is “free range” for graffiti artists so we checked that out (Art Alley). There were a couple of good ones.

For dinner was the Fire House. I got a mediocre Buffalo Burger and Wyatt got a BBQ Buffalo Brisket that was pretty good.

After that we stopped by a memorial for the Berlin Wall

Next we went to Dinosaur Park, which is on top of this big hill over-looking the city.

Some little kid ran out into the street when a car was coming and told us to watch out. He then proceeded to lead us around until his dad grabbed him. There was a stegosaurus, a triceratops, a brontosaurus, and a T. Rex.  Wyatt wasn’t too impressed.

Went went back to the North Harney Peak Trail Head, which had a KOA by it to get some mint iced cream to share. Then we stopped at Crazy Horse’s external parking lot to catch a glimpse of their laser light show. Watched that till we got bored/tired.  Slept at the N. Harney Peak TH. in the Corolla.

7.3.2011

FOUND A SHOWER

So nice to feel clean and fresh. Both of us felt much better after that.  (We ended up paying $15 to get into Custer State Park and use  their facilities.)

Needles Highway — saw the Cathedral Spires and Needle Rock.

Needle Rock

Had some oatmeal and hot cocoa up there for breakfast. People wanted us to make them coffee

Did some climbing. No we’re on our way over to our tour at Jewel Cave.  Had to quick-stop at 4 Mile/Moss City, a Ghost Town, for some sasparella.

Some longhorns we saw on our way to Jewel Cave National Monument

Jewel Cave

Very pleased because I convinced Wyatt to buy the 25th Anniversary Passport to the National Parks passport. Now he’ll have a book to stamp.

Natural entrance to Jewel Cave -- original size was about as big as a basketball and was dynamited

Karst formations...

They called this "Bacon"

Made the trip out to Devil’s Tower and definitely worth it. Reminds me of the Black Hills family vacation of long ago. Quite a wonder to see. We sat at the Visitor Center bench with an old lady and talked about what we were seeing. That was nice. A bunch of turkey vultures were flying around the summit too. And the poor lichens! There were neon green patches of lichens all over Devil’s Tower — it seemed triumphant.

View from the Visitor's Center bench

In the Visitor Center gift shop they had this poster telling the legend of Devil’s Tower. It was the exact same poster Rachel got on the family vacation some 15 years ago or whatever it was.

After that we hiked around the tower. Along the way they had these tubes that supposedly pointed to the remnants of an old wooden ladder from the 1800s that the two climbers, who had first climbed Devil’s Tower, used… but you really couldn’t see anything…it didn’t even have a magnification.  It was just a tube. A little further along they had some binoculars on a pole — that took awhile but you could see the ladder. We also stopped to watch some climbers descending, which was fun. Wyatt said they were Chad Ward wannabees.

Some Chad Ward wannabees descend from the side of Devil's Tower

After that we drove on back through the Black Hills, to Rapid City and down to Scenic, SD…

This place was really creepy.  It was really late at night and Wyatt was frustrated because we seemed to be in the middle of nowhere and our plan was to sleep in the car near the west entrance to the Badlands. We ended up driving through Scenic, SD and for some reason it really bothered me/creeped me out. We had found a place to park and sleep for the night but I was anxious and was making up scenarios in my head. Eventually Wyatt asked if I wanted to leave and so we left and ended up sleeping at a gas station instead. It was a real shame because there were no clouds out that night and the stars were gorgeous.

7.4.2011

BADLANDS

The next morning we drove back to the west entrance of the Badlands, which is gravel roads, and continues to be inside the park.  But before that, we wanted to drive through Scenic again.

This was mainstreet, if you could call it that

...And no joke: http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/07/30/entire-south-dakota-town-goes-up-for-sale/

Finally we went into the Badlands.

This guy just looked perfect for the moment so I left him in the frame

After driving though all of it and stopping at the Visitor Center on the east side, it was time to go home.  Originally we had planned on stopping at the Corn Palace on the way back after the Badlands but by this time we just wanted to go home and rest.

 

6.17.2011

He asked for it.

5.30.2011

Biggest Hick Moment

Wyatt and I were on our way back from visiting Home for Memorial Day weekend when we get a text from a friend that there are Tornado Watches for Brookings and the surrounding area.  We are getting pretty close and the sky has gotten darker and darker with clouds.  We turn on the radio to hear that this huge storm is heading right towards Volga, where we live and it sounds pretty bad.  People are calling in and describing their surroundings, so we get a little nervous.  We decide to pull into the Walmart in Brookings and listen in our car while the storm passes/to see how bad it really is.

Well it starts to get worse and by now the sky is a charcoal black with lots of wind.  We decide it is a better idea to wait it out in Walmart.  So we have cat with us because it was a long weekend and we didn’t want her getting hungry and eat our bread so we took her with us.  The problem was that halfway on our way back she basically pees her pants in her little travel kennel.  Poor thing meows and meows but we can’t really do much about it at the moment so we drive on and roll down the windows.  So, we take our stinky cat carrier with the cat inside and go into Walmart.  I must describe myself.  I had gotten a sunburn from earlier that day so I am wearing Wyatt’s flannel, which is big on me, and some shorts.  My hair is a mess from the traveling and wind.  And I’m sunburned.  So there I am pushing my cat around in a shopping cart, sunburned and wearing clothes that are too big with messed up hair.  I wish I could have taken a picture but I may have been able to get onto the “People of Walmart” webpage…maybe.  It was a lot of fun and people were staring because who brings their cat into Walmart anyway?  I was hoping someone who worked there, perhaps a manager or someone would be aware of what was going on outside but everyone was basically carrying on as usual.  Shoppers still shopping, picking out their aloe-e lotions and such.

In the end it was all fine.  Bad storm but no tornado touchdowns in our area.  Still wish I had a picture of us though.

5.27.2011

Maggie, Kate and I at the Sanctuary in Iowa City.

5.8.2011

I invite Answer over for some Hot Pot…so good.

Hot Pot!

On the way home.

5.7.2011

Wyatt and I go home to surprise Mom for Mother’s Day.  It is also the fantastic Swisher Garage Sales.

4.20.2011

Wyatt and I went to the Twin Cities so he could do some testing in a lab for Daktronics. Afterwards we went to meet up with my friend Katherine. Hadn't seen her since our wedding so it was great!

Wyatt and I with some shrimp guy

4.4.2011

Brookings, SD

3.25-26.2011

Mom and Dad visit

We make pretzels.

We eat at Guadajahara's

Next day we eat at Nick's Hamburger Shop.

Mom buys me a Singer at one of the 15 antique shops in Brookings.

Kocka is forced to sit on the refridgerator.

3.24.2011

We’ve been having flooding happen since the temperature has climbed.  Then it rained, and then it snowed.  These are pics from when it started to thaw again.

This is someones driveway--this truck was sitting here for a couple days or so.

Flooded field

Road Closed on a side road from Highway 14.

The "Snow Waves" now are "Ice Waves".

This was taken as the same place as the photo below.

3.10.2011

Some pretty scenes outside of Volga.

Little Fox was thirsty

3.6.2011

I decided recently that the University of Alberta, located in Edmonton, Alberta Canada was the place for grad school.  I’ve been accepted into the Drawing/Intermedia MFA program.  Don’t know when exactly we will move but mostlikely the end of summer/beginning of fall.  woot!

A little about where we live…Volga is a very small town of less than 1500.  It is surrounded by fields and right now looks like a frozen and desolate wasteland.  There are 2 elevators and a soy bean processing place.  Main street consists of a laundromat, overpriced grocery store, city hall, a clinic, a bar/casino or two (they can say ‘casino’ because they have video poker inside) a hunting/fishing store and some other random stuff.  Typical small town buildings but may be on its way out…

2.26.2011

Pat Visits

He tells us of his exploits in Central America as well as some goodies (pecans, toilet paper, sugar, and rum).

Pat visits us--we buy him an SDSU shirt to commemorate--Go Jacks.

1.14.2011

Wyatt got an excellent electrical engineering internship with Daktronics, located in Brookings, SD.  It is a little remote but enough to keep you sane.  Can’t wait for the snow to melt so we can do some hiking/camping.

Snow ocean outside of where we live (Volga, SD)