A Close Encounter

We had returned to Rapid city to see more of South Dakota.  Long time readers will know that we had stopped through in June of 2017 which seems like ages ago.  On that visit we saw the Badlands, took a missile launch facility tour, saw Rushmore and visited Custer State park.  It was a whirlwind and I had thought it would be nice to see some more and revisit the Badlands.

So of course, our first stop this morning was in Wyoming.  Yes we went to Montana and ended up visiting Wyoming several times and now we were in South Dakota repeating our pattern.  Readers of a certain age will remember Close Encounters of The Third Kind. Younger readers can Google it now.  The climax of the movie is at Devils Tower.

After all those years of playing with my mashed potatoes, I was finally going.  Some logistics notes here.  It is always good to google the crowds at the parks.  First, I learned that September was still pretty busy but that there would be minimal issues before 10 AM.  The second is that Google offline Maps are a must out West and especially in the parks.  You can download wide areas to your phone and still be able to get directions and navigate even though you have no signal.

I hate early mornings but I hate waiting more so we got going and were on the road by 7:45 which got us to the Tower by 9:40.  As promised we drove right in.  They have an odd system where you pay or show your pass on the way out.  This appears to be a busy season thing. The entrance is right next to the park boundary and an intersection.  This keeps the traffic from backing up outside the park.

Once inside the gate we did not get distracted with overlooks or the prairie dog town.  We went directly for the summit.  It is a short drive up to the parking lot but there is a sign about half way up that says “About a 75 minute wait from here”.  They have other signs counting down and it ends at a light which meters traffic into the lots above.

As we cruised up the light was not yet in use.  At the top there are two lots, a nice paved one and the overflow which is dusty and further away.  The cars ahead went to the overflow, we took a chance and went for the primo parking.  CC is on a streak and scored the perfect space right at the trailhead.

We did the loop trail, about 1.5 miles where you walk around the tower.  On the way up we met a ranger about to give an educational talk but we decided that learning too much might remove the magic.  The trail around the tower has great views of both the tower and the surrounding terrain.   While it is a stunning natural formation.  It also holds significant religious significance to Native Americans and you can see many prayer clothes around the monument.

The first thing I noticed was that some people were climbing to the top.  CC was going to give it a go but the 11 AM permits were all allocated and you know I wasn't gonna wait an hour so she could climb at 12:00.  A sign said children as young as 6 and. 7 had made the climb.  Since I am not close to that young I had the perfect excuse to skip the climb too.

As we continued around the Tower and they had many informational signs. One pointed out a ladder that had been installed in 1893.  The remnants are still there but in the 1920s they took out the bottom 100 feet to discourage use and people falling to their death.

My favorite Tower story was the daredevil that parachuted unannounced to the top in 1941.  His plans went sideways when he lost his equipment for climbing down during the landing.  To make matters worse, there was an ice storm that trapped him for six days.  Luckily pilots flew by and dropped food, including a steak and warm clothes.  He was eventually rescued by a pair of climbers.  I would not recommend repeating the stunt these days. 

On the way down the mountain we passed the traffic light and it was in use with a line of cars waiting for their turn to park.  We scooted on down and made a quick stop to admire the prairie dogs.  We have now seen several dog towns and this was a good one with the dogs right up to the road on both sides.  We got a last few pictures of the Tower and then headed back to South Dakota.

On the way out I had seen an odd sight, a Twin Bonanza on a stick.  More accurately, a 70 foot pole.  In 2014 a local had taken a Twin Bonanza, or more affectionately called a T-Bone, and mounted it on a 70 foot pole with a crane to make a giant working windsock.  The T-Bone is an ancestor of the Baron so we have family connections.  You would think there is more to the story but that’s it.

We returned to South Dakota and stopped at Bridal Veil falls.  It is a roadside pull out and requires no effort but not much of a fall.  The highway is a scenic byway and was a great drive.  A bit further down we pulled off to see some big white fluffy mountain goats.  They were at a distance and seemed very intent on sitting or grazing.

The byway took us to Roughlock falls.  These were a bit of a pain to get to as the last bit was unpaved but after working our way there and parking we found a nice clear burbling stream, it even had some small trout.  There was a paved path that took you down to the falls.  The falls are tiny and the view is poor.  You then need to walk up the hill to get back to your car.  It scored low, maybe a 3 and the only redeeming features were the clear water and surrounding canyon which was quite scenic.

We continued down the Byway to Deadwood.  I had read it was a historic town and worth a visit, saying it is historic is like saying Cinderella's castle at Disney represents European history.  The place was mobbed with tourists and the main street was like a cheesy remake of Frontierland.  We decided to keep going after a quick drive through.

Our next stop was Sturgis.  Sturgis is known for the annual motorcycle rally which takes place for nine days in early August.  The town's population increases from 7,000 to over 500,000. I was curious about the town but had no desire to show up during the Rally.  

We stopped by and strolled the main drag.  They have a rally picture with entire steet full of people.  Today it was empty.  Many businesses were closed.  One had a sign saying they would reopen next June in 2027.  That’s a really short season.  The place has lots of bars, t-shirt shops and tattoo parlors, not much else though.

It was a nice stroll and after driving by the Harley Dealer which was much smaller than I envisioned, we headed off to get some BBQ.  I had read about JRs BBQ and we stopped in to give it a try.  CC and I split the 3 meat platter.

It came with ½ pound each of turkey, pulled pork and brisket, plus Jalapeno Mac and Cheese, Bacon Potato salad and a piece of white bread.  The brisket and pork were exceptional.  The sides were excellent.  The turkey was good but nothing special.  It was slightly dry and not that smokey.  The bread was white bread which seemed to be a let down.  Overall it was delicious and a good value.