Raining on Our Parade

 ...but so what?  While much of the nation was in a heat dome and in triple digits on Independence Day, Belle Fourche, SD, was at 59°F with a forecast for rain. The weather didn't stop the Independence Day parade participants and spectators from having fun. Let the water battles begin!

We had so much fun at the parade last year, then chatting with the BFHS class of '82 afterwards, that we made it a point to return this year. We think it's great that the BFHS graduating classes have parade floats. We love watching the water battles. "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!" The industrial size garbage can of full of water would only go so far. We even managed to get our share of candy, though this year most of it went straight to the trash since the wrappers were rain soaked. 

The brief video below is the float for the Class of 2013. Watch the sound levels. Somebody is laughing rather loudly. 😳

After a quick trip back to the campground for some lunch and a change to dry clothes, we returned for the Black Hills Roundup. Our front row seats granted us great views and put us in the splash zone. Our raingear and ponchos came in handy as the mud came flying. 

We love spending Independence Day in Belle Fourche. We will return. 

Ammo ready

Might need the pontruck later

Transferring Off

Could be a laundry detergent commercial

Muddy good time

Where Are We Going Next?

Dahl's Chainsaw Art

The Dahl brothers have made a name for themselves in the Black Hills and beyond. Dahl's Chainsaw Art has locations in Hill City, Keystone, Deadwood, and Wall. You'll easily spot their work. It's amazing. 

World's Largest Smokey

World's Largest Bigfoot

𝅘𝅥𝅯 Head out on the highway𝅘𝅥𝅰

Bear bustin'

Ha!

Where Are We Going Next?

30 Minutes or Less

We finally made it to the Delta 01 launch control facility tour.  First the tour was closed because of Covid. Then we didn't know how hard it was to schedule a tour. So this year, scheduling that tour was one of the first things we did when we arrived in the area.

The Minuteman Missile National Historic Site is actually three locations along I-90, just east of Wall, SD. If you're headed east on I-90, be aware that the visitor center is the last stop. The first stop is the missile silo with a training missile in the silo. The next stop is the ever-so-hard-to-get-a tour launch control facility, 11 miles further east. Finally, you hit the visitor center at the same exit as the eastern end of the Badlands National Park loop road. 

The first two stops do not have interstate signage. The parking lots are small, and they don't want the sites overwhelmed. If you're headed east, just be aware so you don't have to retrace your steps.

Another thing to watch is the hours. We learned the hard way that the visitor center is closed two days a week. I had just assumed that they'd be open daily during the summer tourist season. They aren't. 

The launch control facility only takes 6 people on the tour. The Ronald Reagan site in Cooperstown, ND, and the Quebec 1 site in Chugwater, WY, both handle more people and are far easier to tour. So we asked why that was. It's the elevator. Delta 01 was one of the first sites built and the generator was above ground. The later sites moved the generator below ground and thus had a larger elevator. 

Remember Domino Pizza's "30 minutes or less or it's free" delivery promise? Well, the Minuteman Missile missileers knew that promise and had a sense of humor. Their blast door is now famous. The story goes that the missileers received a large envelope from Domino's. Concerned it may be a "cease and desist" warning, they were pleasantly surprised with Domino's swag and coupons. 

Camper security teams

Where Are We Going Next?

On the Trails in Custer

While the bison herds and burros get top billing at Custer State Park, we enjoyed the abundance of wildflowers along the trails. The photos below were taken on the Wildlife Loop Drive, the Prairie Trail and the Bison Trail. We loved the pops of extra color the flowers brought. 

Rain is coming

Cinnamons!

The brown dots in the middle are part of the herd

Where Are We Going Next?

Stratobowl

Stratobowl is an area just outside Rapid City that has been on our radar for a couple of years now. It's where high altitude balloons were launched in the 1930's, a joint effort between the Army Air Corps and National Geographic. The natural bowl topography shielded balloons from the wind until they were ready to be launched. 

The rim trail is more of a walk than a hike. Around 1.7 miles round trip, it's a wide, gravel path that is easy for most folks. The views are so worth it. 

Where Are We Going Next?

Interior and Wall

Badlands National Park is in what some would consider a remote area. The nearest full blown grocery store is around 30 miles away. The nearest urgent care is about 45 minutes away. If you want a Walmart, you're heading 50+ miles away into Rapid City. We stocked up accordingly before arriving at the Badlands/White River KOA. The campground is nestled beside the White River and there are a number of trees shading the sites. So the campground was much greener than we expected. 

We took a bike ride on the gravel road across the street from the campground, savoring the views of the Badlands. The swallows on the bridge, and in the park for that matter, were crazy in number. They were only outdone by the moths which seemed to find their way into our RV despite our best efforts. 

Naturally we stopped at Wall Drug as it is at the western entrance to the Badlands loop road. Harold gets his free coffee and donut, and I wander around the various departments. 

The visitor center for the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site is at the eastern entrance to the Badlands National Park loop road. We stopped at the visitor center on one of our loop trips.We will tour the actual launch control facility in June. I booked in May for a June tour. I overheard one of the rangers say that they're booking for August now and its only the beginning of June. If  you're serious about touring a launch control facility, you might have better luck at Quebec One in Chugwater, WY, or the Ronald Reagan Missile Museum in Cooperstown, ND.

Wind, loose gravel, and a hill...yeah, let's just walk

Badlands and ranch lands

I need Comfort Drive for this crosswind

Distant view White River and Badlands

Swallows under bridge at White River

Us and a new New Aire

Godzilla vs Mothra minions

Stained glass in Wall Drug

Catch a dinosaur by the tail

Where Are We Going Next?

Badlands National Park

The beauty of Badlands National Park never fails to make an impression on us. We like taking the loop road from east to west in the morning with the morning sun at our backs. In the late afternoon and early evening, we like heading from west to east to get that "golden hour" glow.  

However with the Badlands being about 45 minutes to an hour from our campground in previous years, we'd make the trek out to the loop road only once or twice during our stay. This year we decided to spend a week in the area so we wouldn't have to make that drive.  Plus we could explore a couple of areas like the Sage Rim Road in the park that we hadn't in prior years.

On each loop trip we'd see wildlife of some sort, bison and calves, bighorn sheep and young, and the ever present prairie dogs. The grass was fresh green and the wildflowers were in bloom with the recent rains. Perhaps one of the more memorable trips on the loop was when we went to Norbeck Pass and watched a storm coming across the valley. Wow, oh wow, was that beautiful. 

Where Are We Going Next?