a very festive and fun fun fun week

So off we went to Deadwood to celebrate King Richards birthday, thank you to all those who took the time to email, text and phone himself, the King ~ especially my sister Candy who's perseverance was greatly appreciated by both of us ... you really hung in there Candy through trying to learn YOUR new phone and us having horribly bad cell service here in the beautiful Black Hills.

Deadwood is one of Rick's favorite places (not sure why, but he just loves it) so that was his destination of choice to celebrate the birthday that he felt certain he would never see!

Below is a photo looking out from the parking garage towards main street, looking east I believe, at Bullocks.  If you watched the HBO series "Deadwood" (I watched about 30 minutes of it total, the language was just a bit over the edge for me, when every third word was "the big one").  Anyway, Bullocks was the site of the hardware store in the series.  It also is another beautiful old building in Deadwood.  

Our "dining destination" was the Deadwood Social Club, above, and part of, Saloon Number 10.  The original Saloon Number 10 was the site of the shooting and death of Wild Bill Hickok, way back when.  I think that perhaps one of the reasons himself loves this little town so much is that it is full of history.

No trip to Deadwood would be complete without a visit to the local Elks Lodge.  If the light is on, they are open - no set hours, ya gotta watch for the light!  

And as history has it, Rick has his picture taken behind the bar at this Lodge.  Sometime we are together in said photo, not this time however ... I'm not available for photo ops these days!  So the bartender happily stood in.  Doesn't the King look great for an old guy!  We had so much fun that night, great dinner, great people along the way, Rick had a blast and I got to be the D.D. through the winding, very winding 20 miles down the black hills roads back to Sturgis!

This is a shot of the campground we are at here in Sturgis 

vast open space, Sir gets to run and play and act like a fool because we have the place pretty much to ourselves!  I am just loving it here.

The day after himself's birthday we got on the bikes for a great ride through St. Onge and Belle Fourche then down into Spearfish (one of my favorite places) ~ about a 40 or 50 mile loop ~ great weather, in the low 80's.  The weather has been terrific here low 80's nearly everyday (except today which was 90) and beautiful nights in the low 60's perfect sleeping weather!!!

Anyway, on the return from this great ride we stopped at the "Full Throttle" (a "biker bar") that is open for rally ~ there are two or three "big name" establishments here that are open only for rally, as well as many many campgrounds that are only open for a month or so preceding rally and a week or so after rally ends.  I guess this is an indication just how profitable rally week is to the area!  

With that said, when we were out here in 2002 for rally we rented a house with three other people (friends of ours) ~ people in these parts leave their homes for two weeks every August and rent out the property ~ the proceeds of which make several mortgage payments, if not a years worth of mortgage payments!  Kind of a "win/win situation".  It sure worked well for us in 2002!

I digress once again ... the photo below is of himself behind one of the bars at the Full Throttle ... hmmm is there a theme here?

About five or so miles from the Full Throttle is the Bear Butte State Park ~ we didn't go there, but the photo below is of Bear Butte ... Beautiful or what?

Yesterday we did my much anticipated ride (in the car so Sir could join us in search of a beautiful swimming hole for him) through Spearfish Canyon ~ absolutely the most gorgeous place I've ever seen.

Seriously, how can you not think this is gorgeous?

The photos above were taken from the outside deck dining area of another of my favorites.  After we left there we headed down through the canyon towards Spearfish.  Alas, we found a suitable place for Sir to partake in some water sport, where the water wasn't rushing so ferociously that he was in danger.  

What a view huh!

And we had it all to ourselves!

Well except for the multitudes of baby butterflies ... thousands and thousands of them, teeny, tiny little fellas ...

So, my earlier post today (seriously, what is up with that two posts in one day?) stated that we'd extended our stay here and hopefully would be dealing with a trailer "situation" here in the Sturgis/Spearfish/Rapid City area ... well himself has spoken and we will be heading westward in the morning ... I hope when the time comes and the problem rears its very ugly head, once again, that I will be able to bite my tongue and not do the "I told you so" ... and rather Sir and I will just go for a nice quiet walk and not fly off the handle (so to speak!!) and hopefully we won't be forced to deal with it when we are climbing over an 8000 foot mountain in Montana, Idaho or into Washington .....  

With all that said, I had a terrifically productive day at my sewing machine while the King was out on his bike.  It isn't often that I pat myself on the back but I did create a beauty for a very special friend today!   I was on such a "roll" that I started a couple other projects too (well cut them out anyway) then found out we are "outta here" in the morning so that creativity sort of faded away ...

As for the "video" below ~ don't even bother .... it wouldn't load and I can't get rid of the foolish icon thing.  Any advice Chad - mac/iphoto/video???? UGH and of course it was a great one of Sir Arlo fighting with Spearfish Creek!

the hills the rolling hills etc....

 

Seriously, how can you not love these gorgeous rolling hills and vast open land in South Dakota.  I haven't found one part I don't love - Sioux Falls that has so much to offer ~ great restaurants, fabulous parks throughout the city, many museums.  Then you head west through these hills ...

passing by many many abandoned homes.  This just blows my mind - these homes were someone's dream once, their pride and joy.  If the walls could talk imagine the stories they might tell.  And there are no more stories created within those walls anymore.

Then further along interstate 90 you spot your first glimpse of the amazing bad lands.  I remember when Rick and I were here for rally a few years ago, after we did the badlands ride I called my dad and told him I know why the badlands are referred to as the badlands ~ they surely are bad!  Beautiful and breath taking but BAD!

We won't be riding through the badlands this time through the area, nor will we be riding through Custer State Park either.  We did drive through fabulous Spearfish Canyon yesterday so Sir could go swimming in Spearfish Creek.  That trip will be a post for another day ~ I wish I could upload videos here because I took a couple doozies of him playing - what a clown he is.

So yup we were "suppose" to leave Sturgis this morning but guess what ... nope we didn't!  Rick did some coach and trailer maintenance and I've been at my sewing machine for the last five hours.  We are having a bit of a trailer "issue" that should be addressed sooner rather than later, but the decision when and where is Rick's.  We do have to be out of this campground on the 31st when the rates go up and the campground is sold out for rally!

a gaggle of ???

Okay for those in the know ~ is it a gaggle of turkeys or a gaggle of pheasants?  I took this shot while we were in Oacoma along the Missouri River.  There was a beautiful bike/walking path and guess what ~

I braved it (prompted by King's sarcasm about carting the bike around and Sioux Falls being the perfect place to ride it and I never did, yada yada yada forgetting that no one ~he or I ~ would ride a bicycle in 95 degree heat) not only once but twice, one mile each way along the river ... I was working that bike so hard I broke a peddle off!

So I had to walk it back to the coach, 1/2 mile!  I finally got some exercise!  So I rode 3 1/2 miles and walked 1/2 .... does that constitute exercise???  Oh I'm suppose to do that every day?

While we were there we found a great park ~ Roam Free Park in Chamberlain.  What gorgeous views of the river.  

And a good place for Sir to do a bit of free running and playing, although there were signs warning of rattle snakes, so I wouldn't let him go off the paths ~ hmmmm I guess he wasn't really "roaming free" was he!

Down the road from the campground (accross from Al's Oasis, sort of "South of the Border" kind of place) were these new friends for Arlo to kabitz with.  Look at the way he is eyeing the big one, not too sure about this guy!

The next day we headed out for a ride, to see what's around and to find a swimming place for Sir.  We found this great area about 30 miles north in Fort Thompson (a tiny town that I believe was on the Crow Creek Indian Reservation).  We came across this terrific area for Sir ~ the Big Bend Dam.  Turns out it is a Corps of Engineers property with an outstanding camping area.  Many open sittes that would have accomodated us.  Who knew?  I've been unable to find a good, easy to use source of information on COE parks (the website I found was very challenging to say the least).

Right now we are off to beautiful Spearfish Canyon.  Stay tuned.We left that area last Wednesday and came to Sturgis.  Looks like we'll be leaving Sturgis tomorrow headed somewhere in Wyoming.  I thought Sheridan, but it looks like it may be Buffalo for a couple nights then on to Montana and hopefully Yellowstone, which is creating a problem because we haven't made reservations there and may not be able to find a place with anything available.  I need to take a couple hours and sit my butt down and do some research and emailing ~ that however will call for planning and commitments, something we don't do well these days!

Right now we are off to beautiful Spearfish Canyon.  Stay tuned.

and a King (Richard) is born ... pa rump a pum pum .....

On this day, a long long time ago, himself, King Richard was born ... to parents Richard and Evelyn ..

He did grow up, in spite of shirts with large plaid, and challenging haircuts (oh to have that challenge these days) in Weymouth-land, and so sadly, the photo journals of those years are not to be found ..... those years long ago with his Nancy and their fine young lad Patrick ...

Through the years - oh so many many years, King Richard grew more goofy and silly and so very endearing to the masses  he did become ...

The "boppers" he wears so well to celebrate so many occassions, among them the most honorable and loving marriage of the fine lad Patrick to his dear Bethalene ~

Then through the halls of the hospital the King does roam awaiting the very proud announcement of

the birth of Princess Paige Elizabeth L. Whelan .... oh what a fine day that was ....

for the Kings on both sides and all generations ~ a fine Princess has been born ...

To be rocked in the very chair that her father, lad Patrick was rocked by his fine mother Nancy and father (the King) oh so many years ago ... Oh what an honor for herself the Princess to be rocked and fed and loved in the very chair that her father was rocked and fed and loved by his mother and father ...

And himself, the King, spent many hours enjoying the warmth of love and friendship abounding at the castle of lad Patrick and lady Bethalene

and being loved by our Princess Ms Paige 

and loved some more as the months did pass ... and Ms Princess Muffin Pie Face did grow oh so much older ....

And the warming month of April when the locks of our Princess Muffin Pie Face are adorned with oh so pink finery ...

And to this, we behold and praise the birth, oh so long long long ago of our most special King Richard ......

speaking for myself (as only I can do) 

Happy 60th to MY King Richard .....

 

We left Sioux Falls on Sunday and headed to Oacoma, SD to a beautiful campground on the Missouri River that Rick and Jaye had told us about.

One of the fun things about our travel is the "stuff" you see along the side of the road ~ NO I don't mean litter.  Like the "world's largest bulls head"!  No seriously, isn't everyone longing to see such a thing?  Well as we drove along Interstate 90, through Montrose, SD there is was ~ the bulls head I'd been waiting to see.  This is part of Porters Sculpture Park, which we should have gone to visit while we were in Sioux Falls.  Oh yeah, that's right it was so darned hot we didn't go out much during the day!

Further along (but not much further, because they go for hundreds of miles in each direction, we started to see the Wall Drug signs ~ they just crack me up, they are so "hokie" ~ like the South of the Border signs in the Carolinas.

Then we came to a rest area on the east side of the Missouri River ~ what a gorgeous view of the river.  The campground we are at is on the western shore of the river.

South Dakota really knows how to do rest areas - they are so gorgeous.  With so many states closing rest areas this was wonderful to see.  We were in one state (can't remember which one, other than MA, but that's an entirely different story) that had closed their Welcome Centers as you cross into their state on the interstate.  I'm not sure the various departments of transportation or departments of tourism realize the value of rest areas, and especially welcome centers, to those of us on the road.  No, I don't mean as a free campground (we've only slept in one once in 2 1/2 years) I mean as a source of valuable information as to where we'll be spending our money in their state, and as a means to showcase their state.  My interpretation of these closed facilities is that the particular state doesn't feel they have anything to showcase and they don't particularly care if we will be spending our money there ~ not a great message to be sending these days, do you think?

Anyway, this particular rest area was also the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center ~ Kimberly it made me think of our time in Council Bluffs and Omaha and the ride we took that Saturday and the re-enactment we saw.  You would LOVE this area ~ it is thick with Lewis and Clark history.  Much as history really bores me, I have found some of it interesting, as in how the river has changed and the wildlife they encountered along the way (they referred to prairie dogs as barking squirrels).  

This particular stop had several picnic tables overlooking the river, as well as walking paths and viewing areas.

I think today we will take a ride up the east side of the river to a dam about 20 miles away and Sir can have some swimming time.  

There's also a quilt shop in town that I'd like to visit.  We will be leaving here tomorrow morning headed to Sturgis for a few days - who knows it may be a week and a half.  We will definitely be leaving there on or before 7/31 when the rates go up because of the motorcycle rally.