Trip Cut Short

Our intentions were to meet up with our camping buddies on Tuesday, September 17 at Grant River COE Campground in Potosi, WI, however that was not to be.

We parted ways with Jim and Sherry in Mitchell, SD and planned to take two days to get to Potosi, our planned stop was Welcome, MN.  All was going according to plan. We stopped at a Walmart to stock up on supplies to get us through Sunday and while there I picked up some different treats for the dogs.

After arriving at the campground in Welcome, I stripped the bed, gave the dogs treats and had just stepped out of the trailer with the bedding when I heard a horrible cry from inside.  When I got back in Harley was on top of Quark.  I  didn’t understand what was happening as they would often play in that manner. Then I saw that Quark’s eye was closed. 

As he wouldn’t let us get a look at the eye and it was late in the day we didn’t get him to a vet until the following morning.  As it turned out that probably would not have an affect on the end result.  The following morning after several attempt we found a local vet that could take us.  (Apparently Tuesday mornings are set aside for surgery in the vet world.)  This vet was 20 miles west in Jackson, MN so armed with our trusty GPS packed up the trailer and took off.  We made it to Jackson just fine however,  there was a street and drive of the same name and as luck would have it we went to the wrong one.  The vet kindly stayed on the phone and directed us back to his office. 

He put some numbing drops into his eye and examined it.  He said the injury was beyond his scope of expertise and that the best thing would be to get him to an animal opthamologist.  He suggested either Des Moines or Minneapolis.  We suggested UW Veterinary School so if he needed follow-up it was close to home.  The found us the phone number, he put some antibiotic drops in his eye and we took off. 

For almost eight hours 418 miles, our brave boy rode in his car seat without making a peep.  Once in Madison, we had to drag the trailer through campus.  It was not easy with all the one way streets, students-on bikes and mopeds and walking with earphones in their ears, not paying attention where they are going.  Then we were very close and couldn’t find it and had to call and be guided to the clinic.  (The GPS worked this time but when you are dragging a trailer, you want to make sure you are going the right way.) Finally we got to the trailer parking area. Yeah. 

After a brief wait the too us and a student took down all the info then we had to wait for the doctor but she was not the eye doctor.  They had to call the eye doctor then she looked a him.  She said the cornea was ulcerated and there was some infection.  Two options were presented to us 1) take him home and treat him ourselves hourly and bring him back on Wednesday. However, we would not be able to tell if the cornea deteriorated or not, or 2) leave him overnight and let them treat him hourly and monitor the eye.  We chose option 2 and went home.

The following morning we connected with the doctor and got the bad news that the ulcerated cornea progressed into a rupture and we could either spend thousands of dollars on surgery to repair the hole for an uncertain result or have the eye removed.  They said they could do it for $1,200 to $1,500 or if our vet felt comfortable doing it, we could have him do it for a third of the cost.  The called our vet and told him what was going on and he said he could do it but as it was almost noon on Wednesday and he had Wednesday afternoons off he would do it on Thursday morning.  We were given 12-days worth of antibiotics and two kinds of pain killers and took Quark home.

Quark had his surgery on Thursday and came come the same day.  Again he was very stoic. The worst thing for him seemed to be the darn cone.  We had to cut it down by 1.5” as he couldn’t reach the food or water bowls.  He would get snagged going down and coming up the two stairs on the deck.  Then he would go under the deck and we would hear the cone scraping either on the stones below or the underside of the deck.  We breathed a sigh of relief after he emerged without getting stuck.  We took the cone off the following Wednesday and his stitches were removed the Saturday after that.

Quarkie seems to be getting along okay, however, when he makes a quick left turn he sometimes bumps into things.  He has been running around both inside the house and out. He has gained weight, though, due to having peanut butter with his antibiotic twice a day, his pain pills crushed up into canned dog food and all the sympathy treats he has been getting.

It was a rough time.  A lot of tears.

Black Hills Trip Stats

Our trip began on August 28, 2013 at the Illinois Samboree in Henry, IL. Our trip concluded when we returned home after dropping Quark off at the UW Veterinary Clinic for treatment of an eye injury on September 17.

• Trip duration—21 days
• Miles traveled with our truck —2725*
• Gallons of gas used—253.7
• Cost of gas—$897.86
• Cheapest gas—$3.29
• Most expensive gas—$3.89
• Average price per gallon—$3.61
• Average MPG—10.7
• Camp fees—$383.57
• Total expenses (gas, admissions, food, misc.)—$1895.01
• Average expenses per day $90.24

*After we arrived at our destination and parked the RVs, we alternated days driving to points of interest.  I do not have the miles Jim and Sherry put on their car.

Mitchell, SD

“The Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village is the only archaeological site in South Dakota that is open to the public. The Village is an active research center and is a National Historic Landmark. Visitors to the site can see the many artifacts that have been excavated during the annual digs and they can tour the dig site itself in the comfort of the Thomsen Center Archeodome.”

http://www.mitchellindianvillage.org/

The above two pictures are of the reconstruction of a Mandan longhouse.

The archelogical dig is located in this archeodome.

Tom and Jim at the Corn Palace.

The following morning Jim and Sherry and Tom and I went our separate ways.  Jim and Sherry had to return home early due to family obligations.  Tom and I are continuing to Potosi, WI, to meet up with our camping group for our monthly meeting.

BuzzNet Tags: Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village,Corn Palace,Mitchell,South Dakota

The Badlands

We departed Steel Wheel RV Park heading down, down, down to Deadwood and up, up, up to I-90 at Sturgis.  Never did go to Sturgis, oh well. Next stop Wall Drug about 82 miles east.

Wall is now a destination rather than a stop.  There is at least a three-block area will all types of shops and museums.  We ate at Wall Drug and Tom was the only one to try a buffalo burger.

Map of the Wall Drug Complex

Jim cozying up for a photo op.

Inside Wall Drug

Animatronic tyrannosaurus.

In a weak moment we were talked into posing on this Jackalope

Tom was not interested in this lovely lady.

Wounded Knee Museum

In December of 1890, American soldiers massacred 90 unarmed Lakota men and 200 women and children using something similar to a Hotchkiss gun much like a Gatling gun. If that was not appalling enough, the government handed out at least 20 Medals Of Honor to Soldiers.

One of the many first-hand accounts of the massacre on display in the museum

 

Sherry is afraid of snakes.  We thought it would be fun to have her pose by this sign.  Did not see any snakes at all.

A herd of Bighorn Sheep

Discovered this big guy close by the road.

We went to the Ranch Store on Hwy 240 where you can feed the prairie dogs peanuts.  We all had a good time.

Prairie Homestead, Cactus Flats, SD

Sometimes you do goofy on vacation.

White prairie dogs at Prairie Homestead

Inside a soddie

I hope this guy has his Sears Roebuck Catalog

Badlands

Our Badlands campground

We called to make reservations and when we arrived 94 year-old, Jesse greeted us and ushered us to our sites.

We are rock-hounding on designated forest service land.

We each have a sack of rocks.

Jim climbed up this mound to take a picture. It was actually pretty difficult to get town without taking a tumble.

 

BuzzNet Tags: Badlands,South Dakota,Prairie Homestead,The Ranch Store,feeding prairie dogs,Wall Drug,Wounded Knee

Deadwood Area Day 3

We visited two museums today.  The first one was Deadwood’s Adams Museum.  In 1930, Pioneer businessman E.W. Adams founded the Adams Museum. This is a wonderful museum which houses a variety of local history including relics from the shooting of Wild Bill Hickok (below), Plains Indian life, the history of Deadwood floods and fires, Deadwood’s legends and outlaws and notorious businesses. Literally everything is labeled, making the self guided visit a pleasure. A suggested donation of $5 is optional but well worth it.

Wild Bill Hickok’s grave with dignitaries including Buffalo Bill Cody 3rd from the left.

a pencil sketch of Wild Bill Hickok.

Visited the High Plains Western Heritage Museum in Spearfish.  It was the brainchild of two ranchers who were fearful that when their generation passed the history of the area would be lost.  The museum exhibits represent the states of Nebraska, North and South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming. Western artifacts, Western art, cowboys, rodeo, cattle roundup, family life and various modes of transportation. The collection is large in both number of items and the size of some of the items.

The museum actually had a photo of these cattle when alive.  They are interesting colors.

This saddle was designed by Tom Selleck.

This beautiful horse hair bridle was won in a poker game around 1900

Cowboy Statue

Native American Artifacts

Chuck Wagon

I remember the story of Comanche from when I was a kid.  He was the sole survivor of Custer’s command.

Barrel Cradle

Yesterday we found a place called Philly Ted’s Cheesesteak for lunch in Spearfish and had to go again today.  Went to the Silverado in Deadwood for buffet supper.  Nothing to write home about.  Oops, I guess I am doing that.  We were told to park in the Wells Fargo Bank parking lot, take a ticket then have it validated.  Well there were no instructions at the parking lot. I wish I would have thought to get a picture of the sophisticated fee collection system.  Tom went back to the lot after the doorman told him about the ticket/validation.  He looked all over for a “ticket booth.”  Tom went all the way around the bank and when I didn’t see him coming back, I went to find him. When I didn’t come back Sherry came after me.

There was no booth, just a metal box about 2’ x 2’ with slots in it and Post-it Notes stuck under each slot.  We would still be there trying to figure it out if a local hadn’t showed up to give us the low-down.  You take a Post-it note, it is cut about 3/4 the way up, each side as the same number.  You then shove your $5 into the slot which is about 1/4 x 1 1/4,” then you take a special tool that is hanging on a chain to shove the money into the slot. Then you tear the Post-it apart and put one part on the dash of your vehicle and take the other into the Silverado for validation.  What we got for our $5 were four strips of coupons, one of which was for $1 off the buffet and with ID we got a Senior Players Card loaded with $5 each.  Sherry didn’t bring her ID so she couldn’t get one.  Well after dinner we played our cards and Tom won $1.25, Sherry won $2.50 and I won 8.25. So when all was said and done we came out $11 ahead.

 

BuzzNet Tags: Deadwood,Adams Museum,High Plains Western Heritage Center,Spearfish,Comanche 7th Calvary,Silverado-Franklin Hotel and Gaming Complex

Deadwood Area Day 2

Our first stop this morning was Lead (pronounced leed, which is a mining term) and the Homestake Mine only to find that tours were cancelled due to repairs on something or another.  We did get to view a video and the open pit mine behind the visitor’s center.  The mine operated for 126 years, closing in 2002, due to falling gold prices. There is still gold in the mine but operating costs surpassed income generated by the gold produced.  Homestake Mine provided a good living for the workers, company sponsored health care and many other benefits for the town.

The open cut portion of the mine is 1,200 feet, however the underground portion extends to more than 8,000 feet.  A system of shafts and drifts that extend under the town. 

Demolition of buildings and cleanup of the site is expected to take several more years.  Part of the mine is currently houses the Sanford Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory at the 4,000 foot level.  Pumps are constantly removing water below that level as the water table is near the surface.

We went down the road a couple of miles to the Black Hills Mining Museum.  This is another wonderful museum.  The well-informed tour guide takes you down to basement level to a simulation of the Homestake Mine.  The tour takes you from the earliest years to the close of the mine, describing mining methods through the years.  The museum was made possible by the Homestake Mine Co.

There is a nice museum above ground, with mining and local history.

1904 Homestake Mine Employees

We next took an excursion over the border into Wyoming to see the Vore Buffalo Jump.  As with many of the places and things we wanted to see it was closed after Labor Day but they did leave the gate open so you could take a self-guided tour.

The site was discovered in the 1970s during the construction of I-90.  This is where buffalo were driven into a sinkhole by Native Peoples and butchered for meat, hide, bones, sinew, etc.

This is a photo of a sign depicting the buffalo falling into the pit.

Here is a view from the bottom of the pit.  University students intern here during the summer months.  The building protects the dig site.

The large teepee on the left appears to be a visitor center.  It is not made of canvas rather wood covered by roofing membrane to resemble a teepee.  The teepee on the right covers a “sandbox with arrow points you can dig with the trowels provided and keep for $1.  I’m sure these are modern versions of artifacts not the real thing.

We took Hwy 14A, the 19 mile Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway, back to Deadwood.  Spearfish Creek parallels the road and there are pullouts that allow you to access the creek or the waterfalls along the way.  The cold water comes from springs.  Spearfish Creek disappears to the north in Spearfish.  Some water is diverted for domestic use and the remainder finds its way into sinkholes created from dissolving gypsum in the ground.

Bridal Veil Falls

Fly fisherman fishing for trout.

 

It was quite a hike to Spearfish Falls across a bridge and over rugged terrain.  On the way back I was huffing and puffing so loud that I didn’t know there was a man behind me until he scuffed his foot in the gravel.  I nearly jumped out of my skin. He apologized for frightening me.  I told him that I couldn’t hear him over my heavy breathing.

Roughlock Falls is handicap accessible with a paved path and very nice viewing platforms.

There are several picnic tables like this at Roughlock Falls.  The top and seats are 4” thick.  There are similar chunky benches there also.

BuzzNet Tags: Vore Buffalo Jump,Homestake Mine,Black Hills Mining Museum,Spearfish Canyon Scenic Drive,Spearfish,Lead

Deadwood Area Day 1

As everyone knows, mountain roads make me pretty stressed out. As mountain roads go, Hwy 14AFrom I-90 to Deadwood is not bad.  it is plenty wide and while there were steep grades they didn’t seem bad.

This is the Steel Wheel RV Park and Campground.  There are 30 some sites including tent sites and pull-throughs. The sites are level and each have a concrete patio with a good picnic table, fire pit and individual garbage cans.  The campground is fairly new and boasts a gift shop, gas station and restaurant.  Now the bad—there is no ATT or Sprint cell phone reception and although they advertised WiFi, we cannot connect.

I took this photo for our friend Steve.  This rig is set-up much like his. 

We spotted this business that has cast iron sculptures.  It appears that they custom paint them on site.  There is also an antique store on the premises. American Pickers should be alerted as they have gas signs and old bikes.

Jim and Sherry on the Deadwood Trolley. Trolleys run throughout the day until midnight or so.  Each ride is $1 whether you go a block or a mile and each time you board you pay another $1.  Not bad if you park in one of the free parking lots.

We were told that Deadwood was allowed to have casinos to provide upkeep for the towns historic buildings.  We did find out that Deadwood had many more casinos at one time.  They bring in tourists by the busload and have events throughout the summer to attract people. In fact, this coming weekend the town is hosting “Deadwood Jam,” a music festival. 

BuzzNet Tags: Deadwood,Hwy 14A,Steel Wheel and Campground,Deadwood Jam

Change

I wrote a little about how Mt. Rushmore National Park has changed with the construction (1995-1998) of a parking structure, a useless information center, restrooms, restaurant and Ice cream shop, a gift shop the size of a Piggly Wiggly, Avenue of (State) Flags and Grand View Terrace with the actual Visitor Center below all finished in varying shades of gray granite.

The monstrosity in the foreground is the complex described above.

The entire town of Deadwood is designated a National Historic Landmark.  Sounds good, right?  The town is preserved as it  was, right? Not so, I’m afraid.  I don’t know when they got their Landmark Status but there is a mixture of old and newer in Deadwood. To me there has been little effort to retain the feel of the old west. A Deadwood and Mt. Moriah Cemetery tour bus is allowed to park almost in front of Saloon No. 10 where Wild Bill was shot.  A sign hanging on the building where Jack McCall, Hickock’s, murderer was captured is all that distinguished this as a part of Deadwood’s history as the building is vacant, it’s grimy windows watching cars zip by.  In fact there were many vacant buildings. The ones that weren’t vacant were touristy gift shops that all touted the same items.  Oh, by-the-way, Kevin Costner has a restaurant and casino on Main Street Deadwood, called the Midnight Star—his windows are dirty, too.

Saloon No. 10 where Wild Bill Hickok was killed.

This framed “Dead Man’s Hand” is located in Saloon No. 10. I don’t believe these are the actual cards as years ago the cards did not have numbers on them.

This is what you didn’t see in the photo of Saloon No. 10 above. Very tacky.

Site of the capture of Jack McCall is vacant and for sale.

And then there were the casinos.  Every hotel and eatery had slots and many had poker, blackjack and more. It seems, if you can afford the permit, anyone can have gambling in their establishments in South Dakota. We stopped for gas and the station had an annex with slots. 

We parked in a free parking lot and took the trolley for $1 around town.  All the passengers except us got off to try their luck.  One guy, who obviously had imbibed too much, said he dropped $60 that day and that he gambles 2-3 times a week. 

Oh don’t expect a shootout reenacted on the streets of Deadwood after Labor Day. And we were told that Saloon No. 10 had would reenact the shooting of Wild Bill at 3 p.m., so we double-timed it there only to find that the Travel Channel was filming and there would be no 3 p.m and most likely no 5 p.m. murder. We went back to the Deadwood Visitor Center and I mentioned it to the attendant and she had not been informed.

Mt. Moriah Cemetery where we found the graves of Wild Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane changed also.  Apparently Wild Bill’s grave was damaged by souvenir hunters so both graves have a fence enclosing them.  A monument with a bust of Wild Bill replaces the original headstone on his grave. 

There is change of another kind in western state forests—dead pine trees. Vast areas have been devastated by this little bug and nothing can be done to stop it.  Many areas have been logged, as the lumber is still good, in an effort to slow the spread.  The plan is to plant a mixture of tree species so in the future should one species be killed off the whole forest isn’t destroyed.

Black Hills-Hermosa Day 4 Custer St. Park Wildlife Loop Again and Wind Cave NP

Custer State Park Wildlife Loop 2nd Time

Everyone butts heads now and again.

Prairie Dogs

Finally got to see the burrows

Jim is warming up to a youngster.

Tom got worried when this guy began rubbing his head on the mirror.

Helicopter is chasing a herd of elk.  Don’t know why? They seemed to flow over the ground as they moved.  Quite a sight to see.

Wind Cave National Park

The original opening to Wind Cave. I wish you could see just how small this opening is. It really doesn’t look like a human of any size could squeeze through here.

There are basically three rules for touring Wind Cave. 1) No food or drink, 2) Stay with the group, and 3) never, ever touch any part of the cave.  This little, old Japanese man really had a problem with rule #3.

Mike our guide was excellent. He combined a good mix of facts and humor.  The funniest story he told was not about the cave, it was about a co-worker.  This fellow went jogging every day and on this particular day he went out after dark.  You need to know there are no street lights so it was pitch dark.  Well he rand smack into a bison.  Mike did not say exactly what happened after that.

Painted Buffalo in Custer, SD

BuzzNet Tags: Custer State Park Wildlife Loop,Wind Cave National Park,Custer,SD