Month: November 2023

Having ticked all the boxes for this particular trip we still had a balance of days on our Custer State Park 7-day pass. After a browse through Alltrails for local trails we had not tried, we plumped for Lovers Leap Trail.

The trail starts at a community gathering place which, very handily, has lovely clean flush washrooms…!! The trail starts going steeply up immediately…(groan)

It was another very hot day, with some thunderstorms forecast for the afternoon. We had picked this trail as a relatively short one we reckoned should be completed before the storm moved in.

The trail description had us climb up onto the ridge and then follow a fairly level trail to the lookout. The return half of the loop was dropping back down to the valley floor then following that back to the truck.

I’m pretty sure the fire damage was from a massive wildfire in 2018. Every time we encounter these landscapes it makes for a sobering walk through the blackened areas, always hard to believe how many years have passed when you walk through those charred stumps.

The trail along the ridge was not as level as promised……or maybe it was just because it was hot, and with the fire damage, the trail left us mostly exposed.

But with a few pauses for water (and breath catching..!!) we made it to the lookout.

….and then there is a short scramble up the rocks to get to that viewpoint (isn’t there always…!!!)

It is most certainly as spectacular as promised. By this time there was some significant thundery growling happening around us, it was not the time to be lingering….so off we went back down the hill….

The last thing we needed was to be up on those rocks when the rain started. I felt better about the way we came up as we wound around steep switchbacks through the trees on the way back down.

The rain was starting and the thunder closing in. We started to see some flashes…well before the thunder Gaye…!!! It was still a long way off…..!!!

As we hit the valley floor the raindrops got bigger and a bit more frequent….still not enough to actually get us wet…..but enough to remind us not to dally.

The trail along the valley weaves back and forward across a creek. There are about a dozen little bridges to keep hiking feet out of the mud. Much appreciated..!!!

It was a lovely walk…..and would have been even better with a little bit of sunshine…LOL.

The rain started a little more earnestly at this point and we were definitely getting wet. We realised that in two years of hiking……this was the first time we had actually been caught in the rain.

Good thing we are not soluble……..and the rain was warm making it very pleasant (though the thunder gaining on us was a bit disconcerting….LOL)

Back to the truck just in time for the real rain to start…..and my ever prepared blogtographer had the coffee thermoses wrapped up and ready for us. Love this life…… 😁.

Extra Pix

Custer South Dakota is a great jumping off point for many spectacular parks and historic sites around the Black Hills. This visit was primarily for the Balloon Festival in Hot Springs, but we made some time for some extra adventures while we were here.

Last time we visited the National Parks, Wind Cave National Park, and Jewel Cave National Monument……this time we headed for Custer State Park.

Custer State Park and Wind Cave NP butt right up against each other, both have those extraordinary distinctive Black Hills landscape and bison herds roaming free.

The 7 day pass for Custer state park is a mega bargain at $20…… and the top recommended hike for the park is the trail up to Black Elk Peak. (the highest point in South Dakota with a fire lookout built on top) too good an opportunity to miss and an excellent reason for a day out….. 😁.

The trail head is at Sylvan Lake and was not immediately obvious, there were a few people milling around trying to figure it out same as us…….but eventually we found the signs…

Here in the Black Hills the landscape is like some fake Styrofoam film set for a 1960’s Star Trek shoot…….except this stuff is real…..lol…

It was a hot day…so we were well prepped with lots of extra water…

Part way up there is a side trail to Little Devils Tower……well why not….!!!!!

It’s not far (when you look at the map…!!!)…but then you get to this little baby. A fissure in the rocks that you have to climb up…….

It looked worse than it was…..ironically…..when you are crammed in between two rock walls it dramatically reduces any sense that you might fall….!!!

The next bit looks easier than it is…..I clambered part way, then could not make myself go any further…….so I stopped here for some water and a snack…Scott continued on up….(Editor. My protestations, come on it’s for the blog, were completely ineffective)

The intrepid blogtographer, dedicated to his craft…LOL…….

….and took some pretty spectacular pictures whilst calling to me how easy it was to get up there ( not buying….!!)

The previous picture (above left) is of the Cathedral spires……you can’t actually make it out on the picture…..but there were tiny little ant sized climbers on top of the spires…..amazing….

….and then he reappeared……triumphantly…..!!!

…and then it was time to go back down that crevice…..

back on the regular trail to the fire lookout……we met lots of folks walking the loop in the opposite direction to us. Interestingly….I think it’s the first time we have done such a popular hike where every person we met was appropriately dressed for the hike….and carrying water.

It was a fairly gentle hike to this point…other than the bit of rock climbing at Little Devils Tower

This area has a generous dusting of mica flakes from the rock formations glistening in the sand causing parts of the trail to look almost wet…or siliconised with the amount of now powdered mica through the sand…….it was impossible to photograph…so if you want to see it….you’ll have to go there….

At this point the trail started to climb…seriously climb…

The Black Hills is an area which has seen more than its fair share of settler/native conflict. Much sadness has happened around these places.

…and …did I mention that it was hot. The last part of the trail separates for the cheaters on horseback…..

…and then…at the top…access to the fire lookout is carved from the rock of the peak.

This is the highest point in the USA outside of the Rockies.

It’s one of those ‘top of the world’ places….the view is outstanding.

Mount Rushmore is just around the corner……we were pretty sure we were looking at the backside of it

Harney Peak was originally named for a US general, despite some of his conduct during his time in the army. After 50 plus years of campaigning to have the name changed and restored to its indigenous name ( Hinhan Kaga)…..in 2016 the Federal US Board on Geographic Names voted to rename it as Black Elk Peak , after Nicholas Black Elk.….a distinguished medicine man/shaman.

It’s easy to see why this was such a sacred land for the indigenous peoples.

We lingered for quite while here…….drinking it in.

Then the journey down and around the other half of the loop

By this time, we were pretty tired. That last part was a hard climb on a hot day.

Extra pix

After the reconnaissance trip that took us to the wonderous Mammoth site…..the day of the Balloon Festival finally arrived. Well, it had not quite arrived when we had to be out of bed and going LOL. It was an early 3.30am start. (Time to get the coffee brewed for the drive ….and we needed to get to the Hot Springs airfield before 5am)

The journey to Hot Springs crosses the amazing Wind Cave National Park and once we hit the edge of the park, it became clear we should probably have left a little earlier. The road across the park is narrow, winding, undulating with no shoulders and a darkness that completely absorbed the head lights. The ever present wandering bison herds add to the usual deer/elk hazards. Suffice to say speed limits were carefully observed and both of us were wide awake anticipating the big beasts on the road around every corner….LOL

We made it down without incident…parked at the airfield in the persistent darkness and readied ourselves to be wowed just after sunrise..!!

And wowed we were…

As the light from the unfolding sunrise started to infuse the airfield….team trucks started arriving and unpacking.

My intrepid blogtographer disappeared as soon as they told us we could wander through the emerging balloons as long as we were careful and listened to the pilots.

We were able to wander through and observe the whole process.

The first balloon to be inflated is ‘the hare’. Once the hare is aloft, the others start inflating and then ‘chase’ the hare.

On this occasion the hare was Roaring Glory.

In that last picture you can see the guy with the camera bag holding down the inflating balloon eyeing Scott.

He had spotted a guy with a camera same as his….so handed Scott his camera and asked him to take pictures for him while he helped with the balloon….!!!

The Hare balloon was kitted out with US patriotic Roaring Glory Eagles and Red white and blue livery.

The Hare carried the flag and as it rose from the ground an incredible rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner resounded from the field……an emotional moment for sure.

After the hare was aloft…all the others started their inflation regime in an effort to catch said hare. First, they are filled with cold air, then they fire up the heat and up they go.

It’s a slow beautiful ballet as they gracefully lift from the ground.

As each one pops up to the fully upright position…there’s a little emotional catch in your throat …. every time…….or at least there was for me ….!!!!

What a sight …these huge billowing tents rising up into perfect drops of light and colour before drifting skyward.

One by one they float upwards and don’t ‘take off’ as much as they ‘let go’ of the ground…..

More and more of them waft upward and fill the morning air with colour and delight.

….and then ….once they were all up and floating above our heads……I felt a bit like a kid watching bubbles….

….it was quite wonderful…….!!1

With almost no wind that morning, the balloons did not travel far….which just added to the beauty of it from the ground……it may have been a mite disappointing for anyone who paid to go up for that short trip…..most of the balloons managed to do a round trip and actually made it back to the airfield.

Then there were these guys in their motorised kite things weaving through the balloons. ….. if I was not so deathly afraid of heights that might even look like fun….!!!

If you have ever considered going to a balloon festival…..find one and do it. We thought it was going to be busy, fun and pretty…..We were not prepared for how truly awesome it is as those jewels float up into the sky. It is surprisingly emotional, breath-takingly beautiful yet overwhelmingly quiet and peaceful.

We might have to check out Albuquerque for a future trip……😁

Extra pix

Custer, South Dakota is one of those little towns I imagined to be large and touristy (kinda Niagara Falls-esque) simply because of its proximity to iconic American tourist attractions, Mount Rushmore being one of them…!!

It really isn’t…..yes it has a bunch of rock shops and some kitschy souvenir places …but overall…it is a lovely little town with a classic main street of small stores and a clean and friendly vibe to it.

The campground we stayed at for a second time, Broken Arrow Horsecamp, is nestled in the hills above town. A great location as a jumping off point for Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave NP, Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore and Deadwood. (yes, it’s a real place ..!!)

We just had to stop at the Founding Fathers brew pub and indulge in their ‘Rattlesnake Bratwurst’……. I had a taster of Scotts…that was enough of a challenge for me….(it was not bad actually….LOL).

We found ourselves in the area again to attend the Hot Air Balloon Festival in Hot Springs, SD on the Saturday. The plan on Friday was a pre-flight check of the 45 minute drive, and the actual location of the event so that we were not trying to find it at 4.45 am in the dark..!!!

Hot Springs SD was another little surprise gem of a town. The buildings are all red sandstone and looked like a movie set.

…and all the local stores had hot air ballon stuff happening..!!

In dire need of caffeination when we arrived……who could resist the Wandering Bison coffee shop…!!!

Our visit also managed to coincide with the farmer’s market. Browsing the vendors took us across the creek/river that runs through town where the embankment has springs of water bursting out in several places.

Since we were there for the day we visited the Mammoth Site, one of Tripadvisors recommended activities for this town. It is an incredible place.

Basically, the story is that in the 70’s a developer bulldozed some dirt off what turned out to be a mammoth tusk. Recognising that it might be important he contacted the appropriate people to investigate, and excavation of the site revealed it to be an ancient sinkhole with not only a variety of animal fossils trapped in the prehistoric mud…….but also 62 mammoths. The museum has been built over the site (beautiful building also…!!) and they continue to excavate to this day.

This is an incredible ongoing project…..and well laid out for curious visitors, built and operated entirely by donation, volunteers and entry fees.

The walkway has QR codes that we could play with our smartphomes.

While wandering the walkways, we watched volunteers in the pit still carefully scraping and dusting to expose more creatures from the ancient mud.

I had to keep reminding myself that this was the real site and not an elaborate reconstruction in a museum.

If you ever find yourself in the area…this is one that is definitely worth the price of admission.