November 14, 2018: Flume Trail Hike toward Rockerville

 The trail begins at the Spring Creek parking lot and you make an immediate crossing to reach the climb into the hills. We had a beautiful day for a hike, 64 degrees. Flume trail follows the old flume built through the hills.

 Click on the picture to enlarge and see how the ground was dug out to ease the flow of water.

 Couple of tunnel shots, I can't imagine the effort this took.

 Beautiful location for a home, no one else in sight. We did have a rancher and dog stop to ask us if we had seen any lost cows. You never forget you're in SoDak, cows are pretty important to West River economics.

 Trail number and the designation.

 Beautiful view in the distance.

Our total round trip distance was around 4 miles.

Veterans Day: 11/11/18, Sylvan Lake

 It was 24, overcast with flurries at Sylvan Lake. We decided to take a "walk" since the Vikings were off. Ice is beginning to cover the lake, the wind was blowing which made the wind chill single digits. Vick was dressed for the outing; I was not so it ended up less than 2 miles. It was also an excuse to go to Hill City and eat the best burgers in the Black Hills. We saw plenty of deer and turkeys on our drive back into town. Several were directly across the lake from us. Smaller deer were all at the lower elevations eating the better grass in front yards.

 Vick is trying out her layering abilities and new coat to make sure she doesn't freeze when we head off to Yellowstone National Park later this winter.

 If any of you looking at this are rock climbers the Black Hills have some of the best climbing in the U.S.

Something to Pray about

For the past two years Vicki and I have been blessed to read through the entire Bible twice. I cannot stress the blessing received from this daily time examining God's Word. My thanks to Matthew Henry, N.T. Wright, and Warren Wiersbe for clarifying difficult sections of the Old and New Testament. At only a couple of points did the daily reading become difficult but perseverance seemed to bring about a verse that made even those tough times in Leviticus and Job a blessing.

For 2019 we will be reading through the Bible in chronological order. This plan is as close as recent archaeology allows. We are inviting you to consider this and you have about a month and one half to prayerfully consider joining us on January 1. If you have done this a number of times, great, join us for another time through. If you have never done this, great, it will open your eyes to the connectedness of the Old and New Testament. Keep your Bible dictionary and commentary handy as you join this joyful journey.

November 5, 2018: SoDak Road Trip

We decided that today would be a great day for a road trip. Over 300 miles later we returned from seeing a beautiful portion of our home state. We left Rapid City and drove over to Sturgis where we took Route 79/34 exit. Out by Bear Butte we headed back east on Rt. 34.

 Passed this abandoned home and in spite of gusts hitting 50 mph I had to try a picture. The shades of color told a story that made me want to know what happened to the family that built this home. It was obviously well built, the upper window suggests an artistic flair of the builder but the surroundings tell a story of hardship. Trees are rare in this area of South Dakota but the wind blows wickedly hard. Bitter winter cold and baking summer heat would take its toll on the hardiest soul.

 Get out your atlas and search for Plainview, SD. Still heading east on Rt. 34, 13 miles east of White Owl right alongside the road is this solid Catholic Church. 1918, flu, war, and working hours per day to survive on the prairie. It's flaws reflect our lives that have been cleaned on the inside but remain scarred on the surface.

 We turned left (north) at Howes, SD and just south of Faith, SD the east side of the road had a field of sunflowers ready for harvest while the west side of the road had a field of corn ready for harvest. For those of you in central Illinois not all farmers pick their corn as early as you do. I didn't see anywhere to dry the corn other than on the stalk. 

 We followed Rt. 73 all the way to Lemmon, SD where turned left (west) onto Rt. 12 where we headed into North Dakota and on to Hettinger, ND. This is the region where the last large scale bison hunts were held in the later 19th century as the US government carried out its plan to force the Native American population onto reservations by wiping out their primary food source.  In Hettinger we turned left (south) onto ND Rt. 8. Rt. 8 will turn into Rt. 79 when you enter SoDak.

We recently met a couple at First Wesleyan Church (Rapid City) and the wife attended a one room school like this one south of Hettinger. What amazed Vicki and I is that she is younger than us, had 4 in her class. What a unique opportunity for us to visit with her. She has been an R.N. for over 30 years so her education wasn't lacking.

 Behind the school we noticed this stone commemorating the "Lodgepole Dam." If you have read anything posted by me you will understand that I am a strong supporter of FDR's WPA and CCC programs. All over South Dakota their projects still benefit thousands of us. The training provided was unmatched, it taught young men and women to work and develop the skills they had in a wide variety of activities. Not all New Deal programs were successful but these two were and should be a part of modern world. There is nothing wrong with work.

 The real purpose of our drive today was to see the "soddie" where our church friend spent the first 5 months of her life. This home was built in 1918 by her Great Grandfather and passed down through the family. While currently slipping into memory, this home has stories that need to be recorded. Yes, it was a two story home; very unusual for a sod home.

 Heading back toward Sturgis on Rt. 79 is this view looking northeast. The sun came out to light up the white cliffs. Traveled over 300 miles today, saw at least 200 antelope, thousands of cattle and a couple of dozen deer. We are blessed to live in a geographically diverse state.

Birds and Snow

 We received a light dusting of snow last night. Love the snow that is removed with a broom instead of a shovel. Able to get a few pictures of our feeder being used.

10/26/18: Wounded Knee and the Southern Badlands

Wounded Knee was a difficult trip for Vick and I. Late 19th century, the Native American wars were winding down but this final "battle" marked the revenge the 7th Cavalry had been seeking since the Custer battle at the Little Big Horn. I try to stay non-political but there are rarely circumstances where women and children need to be killed and here that ideal was ignored.

 These first 3 pictures are of the "battleground."

  The cemetery overlooks the battle site. The town of Wounded Knee is in the distance. I took this from an overlook a couple of miles from the battle site which would be to the east (left) of town.

 Leaving the area of Wounded Knee we had to make a 911 call to report horses near the main road. They were beautiful and we had walked up to a house to see if they belonged to the resident. She told us to call 911 because that is what she has to do all the time. The grass must be better on the other side of the fence.

 The southern Badlands NP unit has almost no hiking. You have to drive back 5 miles on this road to get to the Sheep Mt. "walk."

 Views in this area are amazing.

 After 5 miles of very slow driving you come to a parking area. Unless you have a high clearance vehicle this is where your 2 mile (one way) walk begins.

 The peak in the background is Black Elk. We calculate you are looking about 35 miles.

 The deer provided endless entertainment on the walk.

 Your trail back to Sheep Mountain. We did meet a ranger on his four wheeler coming back from checking out the area.

 Tracks were everywhere.

10/26/18: Badlands National Park at Sunrise!

Cooled down to a brisk 39 during the night and getting up to take sunrise photos was difficult. There is nothing like a warm sleeping bag (no, we don't use our furnace). I did plug in the electric heater so Vick would have a bit more comfort getting up.

 I love the light shade the early light gives these pictures (no, I haven't altered them in any way).

 About 10 minutes after the first picture.

 About 15 minutes after the previous shot.

 Last two are 5 minutes after above shot and then another 5 minutes.

 We are so blessed to be within an hour drive of this place.