Saturday, June 9th
Today, we got up early and hit the road by 8am. Our destination was Hill City, South Dakota, about a 6.5 hour drive. We headed out and made good time going through Denver, and then crossed into Wyoming. This was the first time for us and the Mammoth to enter this state, so we took a pic of the welcome sign.
Entering Wyoming for the first time!
We stopped in Cheyenne, WY to get fuel and eat some sandwiches, then continued on our treck. This part of the state is rolling prairieland, and not very exciting to look at, so mostly we listened to music and tried to entertain our minds as the miles passed by. There is not much evidence of civilization, either!
Wyoming landscape
After we stopped at a few small towns (Lingle and Lusk) to make sure we were good on fuel, we followed the GPS as she headed us towards the black hills of South Dakota, another state we'd never been to. The terrain definitely changes! We were began seeing the elevation change and soon we were in forestland and among rocky outcroppings of the Black Hills National Forest.
South Dakota landscape
We passed through the town of Custer, and then arrived at Rafter J bar Ranch, just before the town of Hill City. We got set up and enjoyed our dinner, then decided to explore the park. It's very large and spread out, with everything from tent camping and cabins, to pull throughs and secluded back-ins.
Our site in the "Island" Section
Here's a little history of the park:
We also discovered another couple with a Landmark, that were also headed to the Gillette Rally. We stopped and visited with them for a few minutes, then headed back to home.
Storm clouds rolling in
Not long after we got back to the rig, it started Thundering! it rained very hard at times, and the we had some brief hail, but overall, it wasn't anything more than we'd experienced in Texas. About 10:30pm the weather finally calmed down and we went to bed, exhausted from the day.
I hope you both made it home safe and sound. Rana and I are now back in St. Paul after spending time in the Rapid City and the Black Hills. I wanted to say thank you again for the ice maker; it is working great and making enough ice to keep us happy. We have moved it from the counter inside into the basement because of the weird noises it makes.
ReplyDeleteWe'll be in St. Paul for about a week and then we're heading to Northern Minnesota to go fishing and visit with old neighbors.