As you can see in the photo, my 2013 HD Super Glide is snugly ensconced in a trailer we rented to haul our bikes to the Black Hills. Primarily, this was because we knew that it was likely to rain the whole time we were up there, so we weren't sure if we'd even get any riding in. Secondarily, we needed my Trailblazer's seating capacity for the seven of us who were going on this trip when we got to the Hills, so that way we could all travel places together instead of taking multiple vehicles.
I believe it had been eight years since my last trip up there, and it was my exchange student's first (and most likely only) visit there. Additionally, my boyfriend, my daughter, my niece, and my parents all came along. We camped at Rafter J Bar near Hill City in my parents' camper and in a cozy cabin for my man and me. If you've never been to that campsite, I highly recommend it. This was my third stay there, but the first in a cabin. We chose one with extra amenities of bathroom and kitchenette. We never needed the kitchenette, but the indoor bathroom was a great plus during the very chilly nights we were there.
The cabin could sleep six as there were two bunk beds, and the table folded down into a second double bed. There was a covered porch along with a cement patio with a picnic table, a raised grill and a fire pit. Since we spent our time exploring or relaxing at my parents' campsite, we didn't make use of those things, but the covered area was a good place to park the bikes!
My first stop was the Hill City Harley-Davidson store, naturally. I got a lovely black t-shirt with the historic train that runs from Hill City to Keystone in bright colors on the back. Then we drove up to Mount Rushmore for the nightly lighting ceremony.
I'm pretty sure that there was a conspiracy in play that night. The easy trail that takes you to the walkway under the faces was under construction! What? So, to get there we had to take the more -- much more -- arduous trail of stairs and more stairs! Fortunately, it was a cool night, but we were still sweating and huffing and puffing by the time we got to the top. Naturally, the kids made it look easy, but they're just a bunch of show-offs. We did make it, though. We got back with time to look around the museum a bit before the lighting ceremony began. In the photo, the benches are quite empty, but by the time it started, they were almost full.
The next morning, we did venture out on the bikes for a short ride before the rain turned us back. We made it just north of Lake Pactola, but we stopped at the lake for a quick photo.
Here's a better one of the lake without us blocking the pretty view.
We all piled in my vehicle and took to a roundabout way to get to Sylvan Lake since the short route from the campsite was also under construction! See? Conspiracy in play in the Black Hills. Once we arrived, we had a nice reprieve from the rain -- at least temporarily, as you'll see in a bit. Sylvan Lake is by far one of the prettiest lakes in the country. Here is photographic proof. The small boat you see is a paddle boat with my kids on it enjoying a half hour tour of the lake.
Right after this photo was taken it suddenly started to hail! We attempted to take cover under that overhanging rock, but we still got pelted quite a bit.
We continued onward after the hail abated. We had to dodge a lot of mud and water flowing where it normally doesn't flow. The streams in the Hills were all bursting from the excess of rain this spring, and there were quite a few flooded areas in the low-lying regions. So, to avoid too many mud and water problems, we took the short route around the lake and behind the giant rocks that flank it.
We even managed to climb up on some of the rocks, but if any of you have seen "National Treasure 2," don't believe the scene where the actors go behind Mount Rushmore and appear suddenly at a lake. That lake is Sylvan Lake, and it's definitely not right behind the Presidents, nor does it have some secret cave lurking amidst the rocks containing treasure. (Believe me, I looked. -- kidding)
The true treasure is the beauty of the place, and you should climb up on the rocks to simply soak it all in. Or to be a giant goofball as my boyfriend is.
Needles Highway contains twists and turns, narrow tunnels and great places to stop and look out over the Black Hills.
We also drove on Iron Mountain Road where we saw a few wildlife. By the time we returned to camp, the kids were able to go for a swim in the nice pool at Rafter J Bar because it's a heated one, so even though the air was chilly, the sun was finally out, and they had some fun. I went for a walk with my honey, and we saw some deer who also saw us and watched us even more than we watched them.
The next day was my exchange student's 18th birthday. We had intended to take him to Deadwood to go to Gulches of Fun where he and the other kids could drive go-carts and play miniature golf, but the weather had other ideas for us. We did, indeed, go to Deadwood, but the rain became almost torrential, so after watching the reenactment of Wild Bill's assassination in the No. 10 Saloon, I ventured into the Harley store for a quick peek, and then we stopped at the Celebrity Hotel to see some of the memorabilia. Naturally, I was most impressed with this particular piece!
Then we still needed to find some enjoyable indoor entertainment, so we checked out the Broken Boot mine in Deadwood and the Mining Museum in Lead. While they weren't our original picks for the day, they both proved to be informative and entertaining, and my exchange student liked them both, so that was what really mattered. Here my daughter points out the valuable sign in Broken Boot mine.
On our final full day in the Hills, it was still raining! A lot! So, we headed for Hot Springs to see two interesting places. The first was the Mammoth Site. I wanted to take my daughter there because she plans to be a paleontologist, so I knew she would really enjoy that place. I wasn't wrong. In fact, we all greatly enjoyed it. I could really see her working there or somewhere like it someday. She was most fascinated by the laboratory, though, while the rest of us oohed and aahed over the giant bones in the ancient water hole where a lot of mammoths fell into it but couldn't get out.
The second place in Hot Springs was Evan's Plunge, a giant pool fed by an underground spring. It's been a local swimming hole for over one hundred years. I don't have any photos because I went there to swim. I've loved that pool since I was a kid, so the kid in me couldn't resist another opportunity to swim there. The floor of the pool is covered with rocks, so that takes a little getting used to. There are two indoor slides, and there is also an outdoor smaller pool with a giant tube slide leading to it. I've gone down that slide in the past, and it is really fast, but I avoided it this year due to the outside cold temperature. The true kids ventured down it a few times, though. My boyfriend and I both did take a turn down the curvy indoor one, and he attempted the monkey rings a few times along with my niece and my exchange student. None of them made it across the pool despite getting better and further with each attempt, but they had excessively sore arms the next day to prove they had at least tried.
On our final trip back to camp, we took another scenic route, and this time we were awarded with sightings of elk and bison.
By the time we returned to camp, the sun was out -- go figure -- and we had just enough daylight for one last ride on the bikes. We took them over to Keystone and past the Presidents one last time. The air was quite cool, but it was crisp and delicious. We wore full leathers and our helmets, despite South Dakota being a state where you don't have to wear one. Traffic was light, so we made excellent time to Keystone and back via Hill City. We even could have done it all again, but by then the temperature was well into the low 40's, so we thought better of it and went to the camper for a late supper and some time with the family.
The next morning we bid farewell to our campsite and headed for home.
On the way back, we had one final stop at Carhenge, a place I wanted to show my exchange student before he left us. Despite being a lifelong Nebraskan, my boyfriend had never seen it either. Hmmm. It sits near Alliance on Highway 87 just a few miles outside of town. Since it is way on the other side of the state from us, I'll give him a pass on this. A lot of people think that there isn't anything to see in Nebraska, but it does hold many treasures. While Carhenge may not be a treasure, it is a unique thing, and it's worth a stop if you're ever in the western part of our state.
If you look closely, you'll see my beast of a Trailblazer and the yellow trailer holding our bikes.
This summer marks the 75th bike rally in Sturgis, SD, so there were a lot of preparations for that taking place in the Hills. I don't plan to attend that myself this year. Maybe next year. This year, at that time, I will be in Mexico, so I'll invite you to come roam with me down there when the time comes, but before that, I will be attending a rally in Branson, MO, called the Ozark Mountain Thunder Motorcycle Rally. If you're planning to attend as well, let me know in the comment box. I'd love to meet up with any of my readers while I'm there. I invite you to come Ride with Me down there!
Tammy
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