Go West Young Man... An Epic Journey...

the donuts in wall are great. coffee and pie are a must. also check out all the old west art in the dining area
 
I arrived about 4pm at the tourist trap of tourist traps... Wall Drug... I parked briefly and wandered through looking for a bag of ice and good outdoor/travel shirt. No luck... Just a bunch of crap and tshirts... Same as the first time I saw it.

Grabbed a bag of ice at the gas station and headed for the wall north of Badlands NP...

The wall is not the secret it once was. It's literally listed on Google Maps as "boondocking spot"... 🙄 However the view is spectacular and for free parking it's nearly unbeatable... Parked 10' off the rim I made camp and got my bike down...

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Rode my bike around the rims to see the sights and the other rigs...

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Still not sure how you get this down... 😂
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The scenery is amazing and the mountain goats aren't scared of anything... No bighorns around tonight.
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Diablos said:
the donuts in wall are great. coffee and pie are a must. also check out all the old west art in the dining area
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I'll give you those donuts are tasty but I already had a piece of pie waiting from a better source... 😁
 
This morning I made sure to get up before the sun... You have never seen color like the sunrise hitting the wall...

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The moon on the opposite side from the sunrise was also impressive at 6:30am... with the sun washing the horizon with purple and orange...

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Sun up... And the Badlands are shining...

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Today I'm being lazy... Relaxing on the wall. I found a better spot after many of the rigs left this morning. A shower and fried chicken poutine, made from leftovers, for lunch and I'll hang around here. Maybe ride the other end of the rim and just work on my plan for the next few weeks...
 
The corn palace in Mitchell is fairly entertaining…once.
 
Great pics Phil. Thanks for sharing
 
Don't know your route, but just South of you is Wind Cave NP its worth worth a visit, try the Wild Cave tour if available. Of course Crazy Horse, etc. is interesting too, although it appears that today their business seems maybe more milking tourists than actually completing the monument.
 
call ahead to check the status of cave tours if you want to go to wind cave, it was really busy this season and i dont know if its settled down yet. people were lined up at 0600 to get tour tickets.
 
If you get near Rosebud, SD raise a glass to Chicken Lady's Lakota Sioux relatives. She made a trip out there when her grandma was memorialized, They had a big pow wow and all the trimmings.
 
Alfred said:
Don't know your route, but just South of you is Wind Cave NP its worth worth a visit, try the Wild Cave tour if available. Of course Crazy Horse, etc. is interesting too, although it appears that today their business seems maybe more milking tourists than actually completing the monument.
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I've been through wind cave. It's cool but definitely doesn't require a second visit. And I agree crazy horse is just a tourist milk trap. They haven't done any construction on it of substance in 10 years. They're just raking in the dough from the visitors everyday.
 
Diablos said:
Stupid me, how could i not tell you about the Buffalo roundup

www.travelsouthdakota.com

Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup

Here is everything you need to know to be prepared for the Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup, including how to livestream the event.
www.travelsouthdakota.com www.travelsouthdakota.com
Click to expand...

Yeah I was aware of the roundup. It's why I've decided not to go to Custer this trip. There's just going to be too many people there. I've seen the herd. It's beautiful.

Today I'm driving through Rapid City on my way to Spearfish...
 
bigfelipe said:
Yeah I was aware of the roundup. It's why I've decided not to go to Custer this trip. There's just going to be too many people there. I've seen the herd. It's beautiful.

Today I'm driving through Rapid City on my way to Spearfish...
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leonescreamery.com

Leones' Creamery | Handcrafted Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts

Nestled in the heart of Spearfish, South Dakota, Leones' Creamery specializes in hand-crafting traditional and unique ice creams and frozen desserts from fresh, high-quality ingredients. Let us satisfy your sweet tooth!
leonescreamery.com leonescreamery.com

Dc booth fish hatchery is also up there

dcboothfishhatchery.org

D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery & Archives

The Booth Society is a friends group of the D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery & Archives that is a non-profit, citizen-based group who's mission is to promote, preserve, and enhance the educational, cultural, and recreational opportunities at the D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery.
dcboothfishhatchery.org dcboothfishhatchery.org
 
The sun shines a little brighter on some of us...

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A fresh latte on the wall this morning before departure...

Yesterday was a lazy day... Rode my mountain bike along/around the wall, hiked/climbed some ridges and valleys, and chatted with some fellow travelers... Even shared a camp meal with one...

Went way out on a ridge... Great views...

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You can see where I left my bike way back where the RVs start on the wall...
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Ok .. so where were we..? Friday? So after my latte on the wall, I headed into Badlands NP...

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Immediately came across some big bulls and goats...

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See him..?

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Close up...

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Random shots around the park...

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After the Badlands I grabbed some diesel and a buffalo hotdog...(tastes like a hotdog 🤷🏼‍♂️)then headed towards Rapid City and some lunch....

With @Diablos ...

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Then I
Rolled through Sturgis and stopped for a beer... It was ok. I continued on...

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Next was Deadwood... Meh... I did check out a couple things... Mt Moriah Cemetery and drove by the Adam's House...

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Made the brewery rounds through Spearfish on my way to my parking spot for the night at Crow's Peak... Spearfish Brewing, Sawyer Brewing, and Crow's Peak...20210923_185323.jpg20210923_200611.jpg20210923_200801.jpg

Really good pizza at Sawyer...
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Old timer at Crow Peak had the same hat on as me... half the patrons were tile guys... 😂
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Hung out with a couple patrons and the bartenders several hours after closing...

Crashed there and was invited to stay tonight as well...
 
Today I was hungover... So I made my way out around 11am... Found a coffee spot on the creek...

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Then I figured I would have a lax day... So I drove over to the fish hatchery... It was fascinating... I was surprised... Didn't know such things existed in 1899...

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Walked over the creek and looked down... Saw a monster rainbow...

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Then I got to the hatchery... Jesus... monsters... They were a good 2' on average... Browns and rainbows...

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The fingerlings and adolescents ready to stock...

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The original hatchery house is still there from 1899... They shipped fish all over the country by train, boat, horses and mules... Even Pisgah!

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Then I wandered around Roughlock Falls area... Saw the filming area for Dances with Wolves... 🙄

It was beautiful around there though... Also scouted some trout streams...

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This is awesome. I would love to do something like this. Man I miss fly fishing.
 
Beautiful day... Great fishing... The catching? Not so much... 😂 I'm already too fat to live out here though I realize. They really know how to eat. Breakfast was coffee and pasties... So a flakey pie crust, handpie filled with hash browns, eggs, ham, and cheese... So good...
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Then I drove down into the canyon and started hiking through the various parts of the streams... Saw some more of the fluffy, impossible to photograph goats again. Even a couple (one tagged) walking down the road...
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Then I spent about 4 hours watching fish ignore my flies and lures... 😂 I saw more trout than anywhere I have ever been. Water was thick with them, but they weren't buying what I was selling...

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Stopped by the Boar's Nest in Lead for a burger and some character... Interesting biker/motorhead dive... Yes, that's there extensive menu on the wall, lol... All 5 items...
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Beautiful small waterfall just outside Deadwood coming from Lead I passed on my way to Mount Roosevelt where I was camping for the night...
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Found a spot I've been to before on the very highest point of the mountain...
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Then I hiked the trail around Friendship Tower and climbed to the viewing area..

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Then back up to my campsite for sunset...

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Settled in and fired up some skillet potatoes, onions and sausage for dinner, and called it a night... Tomorrow I set out for Yellowstone...
 
bigfelipe said:
Beautiful day... Great fishing... The catching? Not so much... 😂 I'm already too fat to live out here though I realize. They really know how to eat. Breakfast was coffee and pasties... So a flakey pie crust, handpie filled with hash browns, eggs, ham, and cheese... So good...
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Then I drove down into the canyon and started hiking through the various parts of the streams... Saw some more of the fluffy, impossible to photograph goats again. Even a couple (one tagged) walking down the road...
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Then I spent about 4 hours watching fish ignore my flies and lures... 😂 I saw more trout than anywhere I have ever been. Water was thick with them, but they weren't buying what I was selling...

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Stopped by the Boar's Nest in Lead for a burger and some character... Interesting biker/motorhead dive... Yes, that's there extensive menu on the wall, lol... All 5 items...
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You need to adopt me Dammit. This looks like an awesome trip. I am not a fly fisherman, but am willing to learn. And I’m lucky on the water usually. I’ll clean ‘em, you cook ‘em. I’ve seen your meals. Do I need my own camper or can I curl up at your feet?
 
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