The BLACK HILLS of SD

 After we left the Teddy Roosevelt National Park we were undecided as to where to go. One choice was to make a big circle through Montana and winding back at Gillette WY for the Escapade, or to spend a month in the black hills of SD. The problem with choice one is 1000 + miles of driving  the RV, and the problem, or bonus to choice two being Sturgis, and Bike Week.

 I called America's Mailbox to see if we could get a site at their new CG, the good news was yes they had openings, but they jack up the price during bike week. I figured we could spend the $$ on fuel, or a RV site, and since we visited the Black Hills in 07 and wanted to see more we decided to bite the bullet and pay the jacked up fees so we made reservations.

 So Tuesday AM we headed south. Our GPS took us on route 23 and that was a mistake, after spending two days cleaning on the Kountry Star, hwy 23 is under construction near New Town ND , and about two miles of it was a dirt road. At one point I couldn't see the jeep behind us for the dust being stirred up by all the traffic on the dirt road. So much for the two days spend washing the rig.

 Once we got to Rapid City we passed up America's Mail box and went to Ellsworth AFB, and to our delight they had sites and they don't jack up the rates for Bike Week. So we will be using Ellsworth AFB as a base while we explore the Black Hills and spend a day or two in Sturgis during bike week.

 Yesterday we took a drive in the jeep to Deerfield Lake. It was a very scenic drive, we did a winery taste test, ( I really don't like wine) had lunch in Hill City at the diner, and saw some really beautiful land. We got back to the base just before the thunder storms hit the area.

 Today we did the petrified forest on the way to Deadwood. It was really interesting seeing trees that had turned to stone over the years, and seeing the petrified forest here has moved the petrified forest in AZ up on my bucket list.

 Deadwood is a mini Vegas with casinos everywhere you look. We hit almost all the casinos and drove off only $20 down. Not bad for an afternoon of entertainment, plus we got all the diet pop we wanted to drink. On the way back to the AFB we had to pass through Sturgis, so we decided to get some of them famous steak tips we missed out on four years ago.

 Tomorrow may wind up being a rest up day.................