Vore Buffalo Jump-Sundance, Wyoming

July 9 & 10.  We are in Sundance, Wyoming, staying at Mountain View Campground.  We went in town and saw the memorial to The Sundance Kid, but just weren't in the mood for another museum.  Instead, we drove over to the Vore Buffalo Jump.  A natural sinkhole was used by many Indian tribes between around 1500 and 1800 to aid in their harvesting of the Buffalo.  They would chase the buffalo to this sinkhole and after the buffalo fell in, they shot them with their arrows.  Then, they went down in the hole and butchered the buffalo.  For most of this time, the Indians here did not have horses, so they had to carry out the meat, marrow, hides, and body parts miles back to their teepees.  At some point they used dogs to carry meat, until horses were used by the Shoshone.  The Shoshone got the horses when a small Spanish contingent left the area quite quickly and left their horses behind.  The Indians used every part of the buffalo, leaving only the bones behind.  They used the buffalo brains to tan hides, the bladders for canteens, etc.  Arrowheads found at the site prove that numerous tribes hunted here.  The arrowheads are made from different stones from areas around North and South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana. Once the excavation started in 1971, they found 22 layers of bones in a total depth of 105 feet.  300 years=22 layers.

Archaeologists at work

Recently found bones

View of Sinkhole rim

Sifting for small pieces

Our campsite

Deb and the Sundance Kid



            This photo of the 1971 dig shows some of the 22 layers. (found photo on web)

Belle Fourche, South Dakota

July 6-8.  We are staying just outside Belle Fourche at Rocky Point State Park.  We are right on the water of a huge lake and the world's largest earthen dam, the Belle Fourche/Orman dam.  On Friday, after getting an oil change and having our EGR valve cleaned at the local Dodge dealer, we went to Spearfish.  In Spearfish we went to the D.C. Booth Fish Hatchery.  They've raised rainbow, brown, and brook trout here for over 100 years. Trivia: Before the U.S. Fish & Game Service started hundreds of fisheries west of the Mississippi, the only trout nationwide were in California and New England.  gold rush miners, settlers, and railroad workers needed a source of protein and the fish provide that.  D.C. Booth was the first superintendent of the U.S. Fish and Game Service and started transporting fish to all parts of the U.S. He adapted train cars to car fish from one area to another.
We then went for a trip through Spearfish Canyon, which was spectacular.  As we descended into the canyon, the temperature dropped from 77 to 63 degrees. We had a picnic at the bottom in a cozy little wooded picnic area along side a stream. 
Saturday we went to Deadwood to gamble, see a parade, and visit Mt. Moriah Cemetery.  In the gambling, Vince lost $5. and Debbie won $3.25. The parade was for the opening of the new Grand Casino.  Unlike the last two parades we have attended, this one had a band, the Spearfish High School band. The parade include country singer John Rich, who is part of the Big & Rich Duo, and the Governor of South Dakota, Dennis Daugard.  My favorite group was the girls from the Grand Casino.
We went to Mount Moraih Cemetery and saw the graves of Wild Bill Hickock, who was 39 at the time of his death and Calamity Jane, who died at 51. Back in the 1800', the life span was much shorter.  We saw many graves of residents who died in their twenties and thirties.

Our Campsite

Rainbow Trout

Spearfish Canyon

A waterfall in Spearfish Canyon

A canyon stream

Deb at a canyon stream

Orman Dam

Spearfish Canyon

Grand Casino Girls

S.D. Governor

Big Winner

Hickok's Grave

Photos of our RV

We have been asked a few times what does our RV look like inside.  So, we decided to post some older pictures of what it looked like when we purchased it.  There are no pictures on the wall or items on the counter.   We have a step up kitchen and our kitchen table and chairs are on the right in the slide out.  We took out the bar stools and put in bookcases.  Sorry no pics of the bedroom or bathroom.  We have a queen sized bed with a Sleep Number mattress.  We have a closet and two built in dressers and a bathroom with shower.  I will take some updated pictures of what it looks like now to post in the next few weeks. 

Debbie

                                                                                                   

                                                                        

July 4th Rodeo at Interior, S.D.

The 4th of July.  We are still in the Badlands of South Dakota.  Yesterday we went to Interior ( population 67), to see their July 4th parade, rodeo, and fireworks.  The town is so small, that the parade goes around twice!  No bands in the parade, just lots of candy being thrown to the spectators.  This was the first rodeo that Debbie had ever been to, and she was excited.  It was great.  We saw saddle bronco riding, bull riding, calf roping, barrel racing, bareback riding, breakaway roping, steer wrestling.  Those cowboys are one tough lot.  Although Interior has only 67 people, the place was alive for the rodeo, with hundreds of spectators. It was 81 degrees, with almost no humidity last night for the fireworks.  It was nice, except for the mosquitoes. The fireworks were great, but not as long as those that you big city people get to see.  Tomorrow we head back to Wall, for a quick visit to Wall Drug again and to do laundry somewhere in town, then we head west into the Black Hills.  Belle Fourche (bell foosh) and Devils Tower are our next two stops.

Honor Guard

New Fire truck

                                                                            

  

 

                                                                                         

                                                                                






                                                                                      

Wall Drug, Wall, S.D.

Wall Drug takes up half of  Wall, S.D.  It is a huge store on the prairie and it sells anything and everything.  There are signs directing you here 200 miles away. Their claim to fame was, and still is free ice water.  They also have 5 cent coffee.  We purchased one postcard, but we plan to go back before we leave the area.

Wagonmaster Debbie

Riding a Jackalope

Wall Drug

Deb and a new friend

Big Chief

My Squaw & papoose

Minute Man Missile Site

We went to see a Minuteman Missle Site and launch center.  At one time during the Cold War, we had 1000 of these missiles.  Due to treaties with Russia, we now only have 450.  Each missile delivers 1.2 million megatons of destruction, compared to the bombs dropped on Japan in 1945, which were only 20 megatons.  This site has been deactivated and the nuclear weapon removed, although the missile remains. We saw the sleeping and recreation areas for the air force personnel, the launch area, 31 feet underground, and the missile through a glass cover. Each launch site controlled 10 missile sites.  We drove 11 miles from the Launch control to the Missile.  The tour was in two parts, one inside the sight and one tour and talk at the missile.

Topside at Launch Facility

Launch Control

Luanch Control

Minutman Missile

The Badlands, South Dakota

July 1-5. We are in Philip, South Dakota at the edge of the Badlands and Badlands National Park, exit 131 on I-90.  Why do I tell you what exit are at?  Beacause it's trivia time.  Trivia: Did you know that the Eisenhower Interstate system requires that in every 5 mile section, there be 1 continuous mile of straight road, useable as emergency landing strips!
This area is breathtaking, as you will see in the photos. The prairies go on for miles.  Today I had to go 66 miles to the nearest fuel stop with diesel. We spent most of our first full day in the national park and at a prairie homestead, just outside the park.  We also took an hour long lecture on fossils found at the park.  We are going back tonight at 9 p.m. for a Stargazers talk with park rangers and viewing the night sky through telescopes.

Lunchtime Picnic

A prairie homestead

prairie outhouse

Sunset

Rolls of hay on the prairie