Full of Hot Air

Roy seems to think I am. I said no it is the balloons that are filled with hot air. I was able to witness how much hot air goes into a balloon this past weekend at Custer’s 100th Gold Days. Saturday was a full day that included the balloon launch, the chase, pancake breakfast, a parade, a car show and a carnival. The highlight for me was getting up close and personal to the balloons. Like anything I do that is new the first day I was timid and not sure what to shoot there was action everywhere. One of the sponsors of the balloon launch and participant was Black Hills Balloon

Roy positioned the car perfectly for the filling and lifting off of the balloons. I on the other hand, was on Roy’s scooter and was mobile. I did not move around as much as I could. I could not believe how massive these balloons were. I guess they would have to be big considering how large they look when they are in flight. The size of the balloon is just one of those things that the mind doesn’t grasp until you actually see it.

It starts with the basket coming out of the trailer, then you have to spread the balloon out, attach the basket and then it is time to add the hot air. I am not sure that I would get that close to an open flame.

Once there is enough hot air in the balloon it is like magic as you watch the balloon lift and pull up on the basket and all it takes is a lot of hot air.

At this point I was not sure where to look everything was blowing up and lifting off, there was so much color around.

It seemed so surreal watching them lift off and just hearing a slow hissing sound of the fire heating the helium to get lift.

So off to the races so to speak. It seemed to me that the balloons were moving slow when in reality they were moving quite fast.

Well like everything there always has to be that one. The one that has to be different or a little difficult. I am not sure why the basket and balloon could not get airborne. It was interesting watching it try to take-off. I was able to catch some interesting looks on the riders faces during this whole process. I am not sure I would have continued with the flight. (Who am I kidding I would have never got into the basket to begin with.)

They were able to get airborne and catch up with the group. We decided to follow the balloons to the landing zone which was fairly close to the lift off zone. The drive over was one of I wonder where they are going, they are headed with the wind.

They went through the trees around the trees and finally in front of the trees all to reach the landing zone.

We had a front row seat to the almost choreographed landing of three balloons right in succession and so close together.

There was a balloon having trouble landing. I did not realize that it was the same balloon having the landing issues that also had the take-off issues until I was going through the pictures.

The hard part about landing seemed to be the wind. You know the general area to come down in. I was a little worried when I saw this balloon descending almost on the roof of our car. I thought I might be able to reach out and touch her. I think she was thinking the same thing.

I had so much fun that I knew getting up tomorrow morning and chasing balloons would be worth it.

Only 68 miles.

That is how far away the D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery is from our campground we are staying at for the summer. I bring this up because. Spearfish and Deadhorse was warm and sunny. We had an amazing time even stopped for ice cream. On the way home we were delayed by some big horn sheep. right outside of Deadwood. You can see a few clouds in the sky and a bit of blue. So, it should be nice like that at home, right!

That was not the story at all. 68 miles away there was a freak storm. I get a text from Monica the owner of Timber Ridge Campground (which is home base for the summer). Asking where we were and how was the weather. I said Deadwood and the weather was good. She then sends me a video.

All I could text back was holy CRAP. I guess it came out of nowhere. It did not appear on radar and only lasted for 10 minutes. Her hubby Pete was shopping in Custer SD which is only 14 miles from the campground, and it was blue skies. Just strange how weather can be so different within a few miles. After about ten minutes the skies cleared, and the sun came out. It took us about an hour to get home and there was still hail on the ground. The damage we received from this hailstorm was very minimal. It involved the lid to the citronella candle, our decorator lights and a bunch of leaves in the yard. The lights looked like someone used them for target practice. The awning had tiny bb wholes near the edge that is attached to the trailer. The awning is self-retracting and will roll itself up if there is a threat to it. This worked like it was supposed or we could have had more damage.

I don’t remember every being in a hailstorm before. This is one first I did NOT need to experience. We got ‘treated’ to a hailstorm the next night. It seems I needed to get the full effect of a hailstorm not just the damage afterwards. We were just leaving Rapid City after dinner and some shopping when, the hail started to pound. You can see us pull under the awning of a gas station to wait for it to pass over us.

We pulled out from under the cover when it looked like it was letting up. This allowed us to stay behind the storm. Our dash cam was able to catch the aftermath of hail on the road by catching the steam rising from the road. Once in the trailer and getting ready for bed the sky let loose again. This time I think the hail was larger. It sounded like someone was throwing rocks down on the trailer roof. One sounded like it was the size of a bowling ball had hit the roof. Lucky for us the only damage was a small crack in the skylight over the shower.

This has been a crazy summer of weather. I was however able to practice shooting lightning so that is a plus.

Here Fishy Fishy

No, I have not taken up fishing. We did however go to the D.C. Booth Historic Fish Hatchery in Spearfish SD for the day. (We chose the best day to go more on that later.) This is a FREE attraction it is situated right next to the city park in Spearfish SD. It looks nondescript when you park in the lot and walk across the boardwalk. Once inside you see turn of last century buildings, water and fish the grounds are well kept.

Our first stop was the pond gift shop to get the lay of the land and buy some fish food. Roy never misses an opportunity to feed the animals. I never miss the opportunity to photograph him feeding the animals. We headed down the elevator to see the underwater viewing windows. In the pond there is rainbow, brown, and cut throat trout. The fish in this pond are only for display they will not be released to the wild. Some of the fish are over 8 years old and about 14lbs. Big uns I tell you. The window was a tad muddy due to all the recent rains and the small flood the hatchery experienced earlier in the month. I couldn’t figure out why all the fish were moving back and forth and jumping out of the water, it looked strange. I was seeing the underneath action from the fish being fed.

We headed back up and decided it was time to feed the fish. The amazing thing is watching from above was not as cool as watching from below. Although I did get to see a few fish breech the surface. You could also see that the ducks knew where free food was.

We tried to figure out where to the start the journey. The museum of course. This building was the original 1899 Spearfish Hatchery.

Inside there was a model of a Fish Rail Car. The model was made for $400 and was displayed at the 1900 Paris Exposition. The car itself had crew quarters for the employees who had to ride along and make sure the fish arrived alive. The system for aerating the water was advanced for its time. This was only one mode of transportation to get fish from hatchery to stream. Here is a link to the fish car era.

Some other methods of transportation include, backpacking, trucks, planes, and helicopters. The containers included backpacks tanks on trucks and even milk cans. The photo to the left captures stocking fish using a milk can. Whatever container the fish are in the water still had to be circulated, cooled, and oxygenated.

Also in the museum was the hatchery office. It included the original roll top desk, plus two pieces of equipment I even used when I was younger. Unfortunately, kids today have no experience with this type of equipment. (I felt a little old after seeing these.)

I learned that the fresh water from Spearfish Creek was brought into the hatchery via cedar water pipes. This occurred until the 1970s when most of the pipes were replaced. The hatchery made their own fish food by grinding up raw meat and mixing it with grains prior to the invention of fish pellets.

After the museum we headed up to the Booth House which is where the superintendents lived until 1983. The house was constructed in 1905 it was one of the first houses in Spearfish to have indoor plumbing and electricity.

Finishing up with the hatchery and enjoying the beautiful weather we stopped for ice cream then headed towards Deadwood and home. Where a surprise was waiting.

A True Sunday Drive

Sunday the 9th we headed around wildlife loop in search of animals. It was a beautiful partly cloudy day perfect for photography. I haven’t done much landscape photography this trip so I thought maybe we can do some of that today. There are a series of hairpin turns heading down onto the wildlife loop.

Roy pulled off in a turn out and I got a few pictures showing some of the vastness of the park. The dirt road you see is Oak Draw Rd, this is sometime where you can see buffalo also.

We had a little bit of a surprise rounding a curve we come upon some stopped cars, thinking oh it is probably prairie dogs because we were in that area of the park. Turns out it was the begging burros.

I enjoy watching little kids interacting with the burros. I am not sure if this little one was enjoying it or just a little nervous about touching the burro. We stuck around for a short time watching them pose and do selfies with the burros. But we headed off for more of our Sunday drive. Buffalos were waiting for us somewhere we hoped.

At the other end of wildlife loop rd. where we hadn’t seen buffalo this year, there they were. I think this Sunday drive was a drive full of oddities. We were near the middle of the line of cars waiting to move ahead and get around the buffalo. We had been waiting awhile with no movement in sight, it was then we saw what we thought at the time to be stupid people trying to get selfies. This was not the case.

It turns out that the holdup was not stupid people but bikers who were having some tire issues. Not something I’d want to have happen surrounded by buffalo. In the video you can see the bikers walking and standing off to the side of the road.

Speaking of bikers and buffalo it is interesting to see the wide berth the bikes do give a buffalo who has decided to stand in the road and not move, so you must go around. I know sometimes when they are that close, I get nervous. I don’t think I could be brave enough to do it on a bike.

We inch our way through the buffalo and decide now we can get back up to speed and head back to the trailer only to be stopped in our tracks by this buffalo who was going nowhere fast. Roy did end up going around him after a short time.

Sometimes you just have to take your time and drive like you are out on that Sunday drive.

Friends on the road

Last week it was cool catching up with the Lance people we met in Fruita CO on the start of the journey. Rachel and Greg, were exploring the Hotsprings and Custer area so we got together with them, caught up on their adventures and our adventure. They drove through Custer State Park and saw a few buffalo but nothing like being engulfed by them. I think the buffalo are resting up for Sturgis which is in a couple of weeks.

Roy and I decided to run Wildlife loop before heading into Custer for our dinner date. There were no buffalo to be found but I was able to get some photos of the wildflowers along the side of the road.

We did however get to see a few pronghorn even got one for my in the mirror series. On the way out of the park we did see a deer just hanging out on the side of the road.

We also got to catch up with Rachel and Greg at the Badlands Astronomy Festival. They were still camping in the Badlands which was where they were headed after Hotsprings. I forgot that they were still there, so it was cool bumping into them. The presentation was interesting about where we live in the universe and how small the earth is in comparison to the whole universe. It is hard to grasp how large the universe is until it is put into perspective.

We said goodbye and they headed off to Yellowstone and Glacier NPs. We on the other hand were headed off to some night shooting, Milkyway baby. It turned out to be smokyway though.

It is always great bumping into people on the road. Hope to see them on our pass through Fruita in September.

Open Windows

Yes, it happened again. No kisses or attempted kisses, she just wanted to let me know she would like an apple. The begging burros were at it again. This is the first time that one has actually stuck their head inside the car. I froze but I will say I’ve come a long way. You can judge for yourself by these two photos. The first photo was from our trip in 2013. I was terrified and Roy I think bribed me with maybe ice cream or something later. That’s my story at least. The second photo is this year when one of the burros probably, the same white burro or a relative of the white burro who terrorized me previously stuck his head in. If you look closely in my right hand you will see a piece of apple. I did feed him, and I wasn’t as scared as I was in 2013.

I have never understood some of the irrational fears that I have. Birds, trains, animals that can’t eat me but are friendly. I am getting better with all of these. (I however will not get over my fear of helicopters.) I’ve gone from bowling for burros as a way to feed them (see photo) to gingerly handing the piece of apple to them and quickly pulling the hand back.

The funny thing is Roy enjoys and gets a kick out of the burros. This is a picture of him from 2013. If you notice I am safely in the car. It is enjoyable seeing him twinkle and smile as he is exploring the animals up close. I on the other hand will sit back and continue to take photos of them.

This year Roy commented about how soft the lips and mouth was on the burro. He also said that they don’t bite they are just interested in the food you have. (Apples are what we feed them). I still am not buying that. Maybe one day I might get a tad braver. I think both Roy and the burro enjoyed the encounter.

the burro wasn’t finished

I do like to sit and watch just how other people interact with the burros. The video on the right has a person with an empty bag being followed by a burro. The burro was not buying that the bag was empty even though the person showed him.

These burros are friendly and fun. Who knows maybe by the end of the summer I will look like Roy when I feed them.

Fireworks

I can’t believe that this year’s 4th of July was almost 10 days ago. This summer is flying by. We spent a quiet 4th at home until the fireworks. Dave and Candi left in the morning, and there was rain here on and off all day. That also meant that the fireworks were touch and go. Thankfully it settled down and dried out enough for the show to go on.

Here are clips of the fireworks from the dash cam.

Snakes on a Plane… NOT

I mean snakes on the Plains more specific at Reptile Gardens in Rapid City SD. This is where I ran away from a turtle, even though he is an animal that won’t eat me.

Orville

I will come back and discuss Orville in a few paragraphs. I don’t mean to get ahead of myself.

This was another morning Candi, Dave, Roy and I got up and out early. Good thing because there was a line out the door to get in when we were leaving and the parking lot was full at 11am. Who would have thunk creepy crawly things would be so popular.

On the drive over Candi and Dave kept saying we should have gone this way when we came over. It is way less curvy then the way they followed with the GPS. I’ve said GPS do not always give the best directions. We did convince them this is the way they should head back. Before we headed to our destination for the day we drove through Keystone and saw the other end of the 1880s train and depot.

On arrival we did what anyone else would do and decide where we want to go. We head towards the back and ended up near the turtles or desert tortoises Orville was just hanging out and was being petted by toddlers and adults, but not me.

I have not learned yet that you do not make eye contact with animals because they want to come visit you. (I think it is my animal magnetism.) Well, I caught Orville’s eye and he was headed straight towards me. I faired better then Roy because Orville got stuck between the wall and Roy’s scooter. I was long gone though. I guess they had to lift the back of his scooter off of Orville. It is all fun and games until you are getting run over by a giant tortoise. Orville has a right to be cranky or pushy he is over 125 years old.

After Roy got loose, we left our tortoise friends behind and headed over to the prairie dog town. This is where Candi decided to get up-close to a prairie dog. She popped up in an observation bubble and even had a dog come inspect her. I have never seen so many slow-moving prairie dogs. I think, in captivity they don’t have to worry much about predators. Candi caught a picture of four of them just being stationary on a piece of wood. I thought they were either dead or stuffed until one did move.

Travelling through the old west town Candi had to take a time out. Dave decided to try and break her out and they both got thrown behind bars. We however did not throw away the key. They were released on good behavior.

We decided to see the gator show but I thought it was going to be a croc. (I couldn’t resist).

It was fun and I learned that my husband is a reptile, because he has mastered the art of doing nothing. The most movement out of the gators and crocs was during feeding time. Check out this video.

The tamer jumped on the back of a gator to show us how to subdue one. I found out the only true man eating crocodile is the Nile crocodile. At the end of the show the trainer brought out a baby

After the show we stop for drinks. Then it was off to Mount Rushmore again. Ok, not the real Mount Rushmore – a replica.

From here it was off to the birds, I have gotten better about being fearful of birds. I still keep my distance though. They had the usual vultures, hawks, owls, and parrots. The red tail hawk was missing part of her wing. The most interesting bird of all was a king vulture Roy was interacting with it by making eye contact and having the bird follow his movements. I myself was just glad he was behind glass.

A stop at the Sky Dome had me a little jittery due to Roy pointing out the Boa Constrictor above my head. This is also where the giant saltwater croc Maniac lives.

We finished the morning up by a stop at the gift shop. I bought a bite me t-shirt. Quick lunch stop at Culvers. (had to get cheese curds). We finished our outings for the day with a tour of a Black Hills Gold factory.

On the way to dinner we talked about cows sometimes on the road and how animals can dart right out in front of you if you’re not careful. Dave thought we were going to experience an animal jumping out in front of us. He said oh no that’s a big elk and it’s going to jump. Wait, it’s fake. It sure got his heart jumping. On the way home Candi was convinced the deer she saw were fake until their heads moved all because of the elk.

Dinner was at Powder House in Keystone. They have great game meat, an amazing buffalo stew, which Dave will never get to try as they were out. He did try the buffalo meat loaf though and said it was good. This was a great way to finish off an awesome visit with family.

A Crazy afternoon

We had to stop and get refueled with food because the next adventure was Crazy Horse Memorial. More on that later. We pulled out of Mount Rushmore and stopped in the pull out where you can see George Washington’s profile. Then headed to Hill City, were we drove through town once and almost said that was cool. As always things open up and happen if we are supposed to be somewhere. Dave and Candi whose stomachs were on central time were growling for food. What opens up but a parking space in front of the 1885 Steak House. We were also there right before the crowd that always seems to follow Dave and Candi anytime, they eat out. As Roy says timing is everything. Lunch was good and when your full it is time to walk it off and go shopping. I confess unlike Mount Rushmore I did have a t-shirt jump in my bag. The front says “Who needs GOOGLE when you have a husband who knows evrything” Obviously that is an untruth. After we finished shopping back in the jeep and we head off to Crazy Horse Memorial.

I had never wanted to drive up to see Crazy Horse up close when I could view everything I needed to see from the road. Candi had visited Crazy Horse in 1990 where nothing at all like what she saw today. I’m jumping ahead of myself, but they have an area in the museum that shows progress on the statue from year to year.

I never had a desire to take the time to explore the grounds of Crazy Horse. In fact I’m not sure there was a visitor center to visit. I did just check and yes there was a visitor center. Click here for the timeline. The above pictures show the slow progress of bringing down a mountain. The amazing thing is how detailed the work is. You can see the finger take shape.

It was $35.00 for the carload and that got you admission into the visitor center. You can also ride a bus to the base of the mountain for $5.00. (this is not handicap accessible). We decided not to do this. I will be honest I was not expecting much. I have to say I was impressed with the details and artifacts in the welcome center. There was even a place to pick up a rock or two from the actual mountain. Both Candi and I decided to get some rocks. Also I found this to be quite interesting when it comes to how large the actual monument will be. The hole is 100 x 110 ft. the arm is 263 ft long. I do have to say the detail on the finger blows me away.

I learned more information on the Navajo Code Talkers. Enjoyed seeing all the hand worked beaded headdresses. Saw a large dream catcher. On the patio there was a plaster cast 1/34th version of the completed Crazy Horse, this will and is a multi-generational project. In the gift shop I bought a t-shirt that I will hold dear to me. ‘Never Forget Your Dreams’ a quote from the sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski. There are times when I just think my dreams are not within reach. I have to remember I will reach them just in another way. As we were leaving here there was this super cool cloud formation. Yes, it did hold rain.

Candi did mention I could take a helicopter ride around Crazy Horse I kept say not unless Dave goes with me. He said NO. We decided to head home via the Needles tunnel. We had to show them the one lane tunnel called Needles Eye. Well, we missed the turn-off to Needles Highway which turned into a good thing, otherwise we would have been doing the tunnel in the rain. As we pull in there was climbers who had just finished climbing the Needle I still need to catch one of them in the act of repelling down the rock.

Heading home on big daddy’s road we wondered if we might see him. All of a sudden, he comes running up the road and slows down right by the car as if to say I’ve been looking for you all day. (or something just spooked him).

run buffalo run

We go a little further and see another big daddy hanging out on the side of the road.

At home we had dinner and decided to hit the hay early because I heard Dave was going to be wrestling a gator in the morning.