Nine Days and Counting

I know when it is time to go when I am counting the days to travel mode.  It is time to go back to Connecticut after one year of traveling the beautiful USA.  We have seen soooooo much!!!!!!!!!

The Booth House

This is where I spent some of my time volunteering giving tours.  It looks to me, the New Englander, like an ordinary turn of the century house but in Spearfish SD, it was a magnificent government house with electricity, hot and cold running water, an indoor bathroom, and central steam heat.  It was built in 1905 and was a showcase for the superintendent's family!

Eating with Our Volunteer Neighbors

Two nights we ate with our neighbors.  We all went to a local pizza joint named Dough Trader and then 2 nights later the campground had a BBQ cook off with band, sampling, and lots of people.  Great Fun!!!!!!!!!!!!  Next week we will have a final fire and then we all head out traveling after 9/28.

That is April, our boss.  Note the pizzas are gone!

At the Spearfish 1st Autumn BBQ cook off we went down the street of the campground sampling their smoked items.  We voted for tasters choice.  John liked the bacon brownies and I like a jalapeno stuffed with cheese and bacon.

Rigs like this are towed as well as their campers.

The BBQ cook off is judged by a panel also. There was a band and a beer tent and other vendors. This was right in the campground so we walked all around. 

The Infection That Would Not Go Away

On Labor Day weekend I felt sick and was lucky my Connecticut doctor was on call.  The prescription did the trick and I felt much better.  BUT the sneaky infection came back!!  At least this time it was during the week so things were open.  I went to a clinic here and got stronger medication.  It all worked out but I hate to be feeling lousy on the road!  My volunteer hours suffered a bit but I feel better.

Hill City 1880's SteamTrain

We were given a pass at Devils Tower that gives $$ breaks for the attractions around the Black Hills because we volunteer.  It is figured if we see them in person one can talk about the attractions. That makes a lot of sense. We were very far away at Devils Tower (2-3 hours)so we did not get to use the pass.  We had been in the area before therefore we could still speak about attractions we had been to. I thought we could use the passes when we arrived in Spearfish, closer to everything.  Well, a lot of the venues close on Labor Day or do not honor the pass. First we were in training and setting up. Labor Day came quickly with 3 days off and 3 days of work rotating.We did use the pass for Bear Country USA and Custer Needles highway. I went on line to see what was left I would like to see and picked Hill City 1880 train ride - still open.  It is about an hour plus away from Spearfish.  Well, to make a long story short we got there and they would not honor the pass after Labor Day.  Since we traveled already, we paid $56- to go on the train. It was a big tourist trap.  Popcorn and souvenir pictures were sold on the train.  Most of the narration was a canned program.  The museum also cost extra ($1 off if you took the train ride).  We did not go in.  It was very disappointing!!!  It was a train hour ride through the Black Hills from Hill City to Keystone and back but it followed a route that we had been on by car.  Well, you live and learn!!!!!!!!

Bear Butte

We visited Bear Butte State Park and Fort Meade in Sturgis 5 days ago.  What a contrast to the cold and snow now! Not many motorcycles in Sturgis.  They all went back home after the rally. The butte was formed around the same time as Devils Tower.  It is a very distinctive formation on the prairie and another sacred site to the Native Americans.  It was very hot and Emma was not allowed on the trails. We just visited the info center with Emma in the shade of a tree waiting in the car.  Fort Meade was built to protect the Black Hills settlers.  Today it is a National Guard training center and Veterans Hospital.  There was a fort museum we visited which was just OK.  We are kind of picky now!


Bear Butte



Just another beautiful day with awesome clouds



This photo reminds me of the Badlands to the east near Wall, SD.

 

When we returned to Spearfish I took a walk along the creek.



and John was in his usual spot

 .

Frost on the Pumpkin

It was cold and wet last night when I went to bed. The first hard frost of the season was seen this morning.  I stepped out to very icy slippery steps and crunchy white grass.  The snow was gone but replacing it was frost.  My plant I did not take in I covered over with a towel and placed under the picnic table last night.  This morning I took off a very frozen towel and put the plant in the sun.  I will see if my makeshift garage protected the geraniums and petunias.  And it is only September 12th in the South Dakota Black Hills!

9/11/14 SNOW

In the Black Hills snow from 2-7 inches was predicted for today.  We had the 2 plus that melted by afternoon.  Then it just rained.  Other places higher in elevation got the seven.


Snow came to the hatchery




Black Eyed Susans look sad!





This bronze statue looks cold.  Grampa is telling granddaughter "Let's go home!"



This maple is a mix of three seasons!



The tree does not know if it is in summer, autumn or winter!



Our campground  is welcoming and beautiful!



After today I think the flowers will be over.  There will be a hard freeze tonight and
the weekend is supposed to be 70's!  Got to love South Dakota - it has everything! 



It snowed just inches but it was magical.  John in the railcar and me in the store
met only 34 people but the Floridians were thrilled with the snow, the people
from England were cold but reserved, and the people from around
here were worried it will be another very cold winter.

Moving Trout from DC Booth Fish Hatchery

Early this morning two trucks arrived to take most of the trout from 3 ponds to South Dakota streams, ponds and lakes.  DC Booth has trout fingerlings placed in the spring to grow until they are caught and released into ponds & streams of SD.  Below are pictures of the removal process.


The original 1899 hatchery building is in the background

To capture the trout the pond level is lowered, then large nets are used to capture the trout.

They net, weigh and place the trout in trucks

John, in blue, has had enough watching!

The Pond Shop where I work from where the fish were being captured.
  The fog was rolling in. In 1 hour this pond was just a stream.

The inside of the Pond Shop...note our best seller, fish food!

View from the doorway of the Pond Shop...stairs go down to an underwater viewing area.

Some of the grounds around the Pond Shop.  It really looks like a park!!!