Our First South Dakota Visitors!

All work and no fun makes for a grumpy couple. Luckily we averted GCS (Grumpy Couple Syndrome) by infusing some fun into our week.

After working all day, we started taking drives at night right at sunset to see if we could run across some of the area wildlife and boy, did we ever!

Our most exciting events of the week was the fact that we had lots of visitors! Our first visitors were a local group of turkey’s who discovered that we put up bird feeders. Now they visit 3-4 times a day and have become so accustom to us and the dogs that they walk within 10 feet of us when we are outside sitting in front of the rig.

Our daily visitors

Our first human encounter this week was dinner with friends Phil and Rudee, on Phil’s birthday no less! Phil and Rudee are originally from Indiana and were fulltiming RV’ers for over 5 years until they started their “summer” job at Crazy Horse Memorial just outside of Custer. They liked the job and area so much they decided to buy a house in Custer and have taken a temporary hiatus from life on the road and enjoy life in Custer for a few years. For dinner, we met them at Lintz’s Pizza in Hermosa. We are slowly but surely learning the places to go for good food in the area.

Rudee and the birthday boy in front of their bike

Next up was a 3 day visit from virtual friends, bloggers and fellow fulltimers Jim and Diana Belisle. Although we had not personally met until this week, we have been virtual friends for several years following each other’s blogs and travel adventures. They have been on the road for about 3 ½ years and are passing through the area on their way back to their home state of Michigan after spending the summer in Oregon.

They are a great couple, we spent one day visiting the Prairie Berry Winery for a wine tasting and the Alpine Inn for a great lunch. Then it was off to Crazy Horse Memorial. Having never been here before we were amazed at the size of this complex and the number of displays there were to see. And bonus, if you are from Custer County, you get in for free! They just ask that you bring a few items for the local food self.

Diana and Jim at Prairie Berry

One of the many displays at Crazy Horse

With the temps up into the 80’s most of the week it was hard to work past noon so we tried to get as much done early in the day and spend the afternoons running errands or doing other nonphysical activities. One afternoon this included a tour of the local 4 wheeler trails by the owner of Country Charm Cabins. Owen and his wife Lois have owned their campground/cabins and horse camp for over 15 years and know the local trails like their back of their hands so when Owen volunteered to take us on a ride, we could not say yes quick enough!

He showed us a section line road where we could access the National Forest within a mile of our property. From there you can access literally hundreds of miles of trails. We saw some really cool country including an old homestead, an elk carcass and some beautiful scenery. Thanks Owen!

Ruins of an old cabin

This tree was growing right out of a rock!

But wait there’s more, we our second visitors arriving today! Jim and Brenda were too on their east after spending the summer in Alaska and are stopping by for a few days on their way through! Stay tuned for more Black Hills adventures.....