As you might have notice, South Dakota was just nailed with a blistering blizzard that left 100’s of cars sitting idle as decorations on the landscape we usually know as roads.  I admit that I was one of the destined many that found my way into the night to test the ’stay off the roads’ warnings.  I make a little side money delivering bundles of newspapers to carriers in the middle of the night, so being a man of commitment, I was going to give it my best.  I learned many lessons along the way. Read More…

Posted under Videos, Whacky Stories & Thoughts

I love a little mystery, especially if it has anything to do with history.  The historical marker near the parking lot of Halley Park is titled “Rapid City Founder Camp Site”.  I stumbled upon the marker a couple of years ago, it says

“Near a perpendicular sandstone cliff a short distance North of here and across Rapid Creek was the first camp of those hardy pioneers who founded Rapid City.  Here John R. Brennan….(listing 10 others) made their camp on Feb. 24, 1876, and the name of Brennan, where he carved it in the sandstone cliff, is still to be seen….”

Now if that isn’t an invitation for the adventurous type to stomp right on over the creek in search of the inscription, I don’t know what is!  Of course, I didn’t do it right away because I thought…’pffft, if that is true I certainly would’ve heard about it before now.  After all I grew up in Rapid City!’

Well today was a new day and I decided to throw a beautiful Friday evening to the adventurous winds and take Charles to find the camp site.  We drove over Rapid Creek on the small bridge near the back 9 of the executive golf course to avoid a long trek around the creek on foot and found a parking space.  We started down the well worn 4 wheel drive trail to “M Hill” or Cowboy Hill, and kept an eye out for a ‘perpendicular cliff.  Read More…

Posted under Off the Beaten Path, Outdoors

lose something?

I don’t know how long the gentleman doing the snake and alligator shows at Reptile Gardens (located at the Rapid City edge of South Dakota’s Black Hills) has been doing what he does, but if he tires of it, a visitor would never know. So good is he, that when my family shared our Reptile highlights at dinner, I had to admit that he was mine. And why not? The poor guy stuck his hand into an alligator’s mouth for my entertainment . . . three times! And then to interest us more fully, he taught us about crocodiles while standing in the their pit, vulnerable to the bugger who sneaked up behind him and nipped at his sneaker. That would have been enough to drive me into retirement, but he was planning on doing it again a couple hours later.

The rest of the family’s favorites shows the range of fun at Reptile Gardens. My daughters’ favorite part was playing in the giant sandbox - no snakes hidden inside - and my wife’s was this turtle that kept trucking around the perimeter of his little enclosure, never stopping, so that our daughter could run ahead of him, peek through the fence (which was only a foot or so high) and yell, “Here he comes!”

On our SmartAlec tour we tell the story of Earl Brockelsby and the founding of Reptile Gardens, which illustrates how these folks are not rookies in this tourism business, but they deserve a ton of credit for doing what they do so well. From the gardens (which alone are worth the price of admission), to the 120 year old giant turtle, Methuselah, to the 15 1/2 foot long alligator, Maniac, to tropical birds resting before guests in the Sky Dome, this attraction truly captures everyone’s attention.

Look ma

The Quick Look

Where it is: On Hwy 16, about 12 minutes outside Rapid City on the way to Mount Rushmore. It is at the beginning of the Smart Alec Blue Route. See the map for more on where it is.

How much time: It will take almost two hours if you aim to see all three shows, but it is easy to spend three or four hours before remembering to check your watch.

Works well when paired with: Something the grown ups want to do, like Mount Rushmore. The fun should resound long enough to last the kids until evening. Many people pair it with Bear Country, but that tends to make too long a day of animal watching for most folks.

Best time to go: Mornings, before the sun gets too hot and the crowds get their thickest. If you run into lunch, there are multiple places to eat.

Cost: Adults $13.50; Seniors $12; Children $8.50; Four & under: Free (2008 season). If you’re pinching pennies, beware of the gift-shop - it’s items range from classy to ridiculous, and if you’re human, you’ll find something you’ll want to buy . . .

Pet my snake

Highlights:

• The flowers - not only outside, but inside the dome there is an impressive tropical flower display.
• The shows - there’s one for snakes, one for alligators, and one for birds of prey, and they occur at regularly scheduled times.
• Admission is good for a week for visitors and for the year for locals, which means if the family doesn’t have the time or patience to sit through all the shows or displays, you can come again later at no extra charge.

Keep in Mind:

• Most of the facility is outdoors, and while there is plenty of shade under which to hide, you’ll need sunscreen to play it safe, and a hot day will feel hot.
• The shows can be long for some young children, but so entertaining for adults that they’re hard to leave. My wife was willing to miss half the alligator show to play in the sandbox.

Posted under Attractions

I just can’t get enough of the fall colors this year.  Maybe the summer went to fast but they are just fascinating to me.  One of the secret outdoor local favorites, yet still visited very little in comparison to Spearfish Canyon, is Rochford Road.

Rochford Rd. is about 30 minutes outside of Rapid City on Hwy 385, just past Trout Haven.  Trout Haven claims to have fished over 1 million fish from its pond, now THAT’s some serious spawning.  Anyways, just past there, traveling north towards Deadwood, you find Rochford, Rd.  Starting as paved asphalt but turning to gravel within 1/2 mile, it’s a fantastic spin into the intimate nature of the central Black Hills.  The road meanders easily over hills and around the bends highlighting great access points for the 4 wheeler fans (pick me!), hikers and bikers.

Waterfall near Rochford, SD

The reason I ventured onto Rochford Road was to show my family a sweet surprise I had accidentally discovered while 4 wheeling last summer.  While zipping on and off roads, my brothers and I were of course looking for a few splashes and BAM, opportunity knocked near Rapid Creek, just off Rochford Rd. near the Mickelson trail.  We gunned it and 2 out of 3 of us made it through.  My brother Danny stalled his 4 wheeler mid flow so we figured out how to pull him out and push him into the flat creek side nearby.  “It’s  about time for a break anyway” we said in consolation.  As we rested we heard a pretty strong gush of water coming from behind the trees so we gathered our lunch and walked up the creek towards the big pine tree.  WOW!  There was a 3 tier waterfall right there!  You can’t even see it from the road, and just barely from the Mickelson Trail.  It was a cool, inviting sight for that June afternoon celebrating our (I’m a twin) 33rd birthday.

So this fall I had to show my wife this awesome discovery.  You should check it out too!  Bring a picnic and maybe even a gold pan to play in the creek with.  There isn’t a bridge so bring some sandals to wade in the water.  You should be able to find a shallow crossing point.   If you really want to make a day of it, bring your bikes and travel from Rochford down the Mickelson Trail to this waterfall, it’s absolutely breathtaking in the fall of the year. Try late September or early October, around the Custer State Park Buffalo Round-up dates.

Have some fun and remember… never miss an opportunity to glance around the corner, you never know.

Photo Credit:  Ken Jones

Posted under Off the Beaten Path, Outdoors

Time: 5:00 pm

Location:  Lovers Leap Trail Head behind the School House west of the Game Lodge in Custer State Park

Length: 3 Miles

Recently I spent a day seeing some of the best fall colors the Black Hills has had in a few years. I spent the day with the best adventurer I know, my brother.  We took mountain bikes! I rented mine in Rapid City from Two Wheeler Dealer, a great locally owned bike shop that rents bikes for about $29 for 24 hours.

My brother had a friend that said, Lover’s Leap isn’t too difficult and it’s a ‘loop’ trail so we wouldn’t have to back-track. Sounds good to us!  We didn’t read the trail head sign for difficulty because, of course, we had a ‘friend’.

Turns out said ‘friend’ has never attempted the first 1000 feet of the trail or any part of the trail for that matter.  The beginning was all up hill, not just a little incline but a stutter step incline with rocks.  We just pushed our bikes up.  I admit I was internally slandering said ‘friend’ because this was not the easy ride I’d hoped for.  After we arrived at the to top of the ridge about 25 minutes later, we handled the ride from there on.  It’s not for complete newbies mind you, but definitely a challenging trail for the adventurous type.  Another 20 minutes up the trail we arrived to the spectacular view!  Lover’s Leap is awesome!  See the video here after we arrived. Legend has it that two Native American forbidden lovers jumped to their death from here.

After we spent some time taking pictures and watching the sun start to set we realized we had better get down the hill before its dark.  We had made the mistake before of watching the sun set from Harney Peak and we hiked down in the dark, NOT recommended.  FYI- Bushes and boulders look like buffalo in the dark!

The ride down was absolutely fantastic.  It’s VERY steep at first but the last mile or two is sweet!  The trail pretty much follows a babbling brook, part of the Galena Creek drainage, and winds through the beautiful deciduous forest.  We loved it even though you have to cross the creek a few times but lucky for us the little rock bridges were still there.  If the sun would’ve stayed around we surely would have parked the bikes and just soaked in the babbling brook and quaking aspen!

The biggest challenge for us on the way up was the beginning ascent to the ridge.  The biggest challenge going down was avoiding fresh buffalo chips on the trail.  I admit that we were hollering most the way down “Hellooooo Buffaloooo” to insure that any waiting bulls around the next blind dark corner new we were coming. Fortunately, there were no bulls on the way down.  We didn’t stumble across a lone bull until we free wheeled up to our car to surprise a lone bull waiting for us…about 20 feet away….in the dark, NOT A BUSH!

Discover Lover’s Leap it’s an awsome trip, especially with a guy like my brother..thanks Danny!

Rock

Links: Mountain Bikers learn more here

Posted under Off the Beaten Path

43rd Custer State Park Buffalo Round Up:  September 29th, 2008

There’s just something exciting about the idea of venturing out into the open plains of South Dakota and experiencing for a few hours what it was like to see the horizon fill hundreds of stampeding buffalo.  I’ve been to the annual Custer State Park Buffalo Round-Up and I must admit that it’s a thrill every time.  The event itself can be a bit boring in the beginning as you’re packed into a make-shift prairie parking lot along with thousands of others. But when you see the flutter of dust race from your foot as you walk through the dirt you can’t help but say to yourself, today I’m a tough guy!  I mean, who doesn’t feel a bit of the western Clint Eastwood coming to the surface?  Here I am buffalo, you don’t unnerve me, ‘Make My Day”.

The adrenaline runs just a little when you walk towards the southern edge of the southern parking lot and realize ‘there ain’t no fence’ protecting you from the stampede.  Of course there is a fence that runs north and south along the pasture but ‘what if’ they don’t go that way.  Buffalo are known for their unpredictability.  Watch out, they turn on a dime and can out run a quarter horse.  If you don’t believe it, come to the ‘Round-up’ you’ll more than likely get a chance to see for yourself!  Check Youtube or Flickr for some great stuff!

If you want a great view, stay on your feet and be a little mobile.  I always start at the Southern Parking lot, watch the cowboys do their best, with horses, whips, trucks, and guns, to guide the 1,000 strong herd towards the corrals.  As they come into the valley near the Southern viewing area, the herd can break apart and you see the stubborn ones that won’t listen.  They become the crowd favorites!  You can hear… RUN!…”don’t let’m tell ya what to do’!!  Some folks even start there own personal voice-over monologue for the ‘maverick’.  “Listen, I’ve been running for half an hour and I’m tired of seeing every one’s rear end!” or ” Look Mr. I know you got a whip but I got horns and I’m the boss” or even “I forgot my horn polish.. I gotta go back!”

No matter what anyone thinks, seeing the Custer State Park Buffalo Round-up is a once in a lifetime experience that won’t soon be forgotten.  You will come away with your own favorite moment.  For me, I’m always looking for that last renegade bull that won’t go into the corral and forces about 5 cowboys on horses to go speeding down the ridge line to turn it back… Go maverick GO GO GO!

See ya there!

Photo couresy of SD Dept of Tourism

Posted under Events