Spearfish Canyon, Bear Butte, and Pierre, South Dakota

Friday, September 14, Two Days Behind

Our enormous bed was so comfortable that it was painful to get out of it.

We walked across the street to the Latchstring Inn, which has a beautiful view, for breakfast. I ordered sourdough French toast with maple syrup, and Randy had trout with eggs and red potatoes. It seemed like a very woodsy breakfast, and was delicious.

After breakfast, we went back to the Lodge, and I sat in the huge lobby with my computer and tried to get caught up on my journaling. We drank coffee and looked out the window at the rock mountains and the white-trunk birches whose leaves are yellow already, for fall. We sat there until 11:00, which is check-out time, savoring the beauty and the peace.

Once our “stuff” was in the car, we hiked the path near the Latchstring Inn that leads down to Spearfish Falls. We didn't know what to expect, but the walk was ¾ of a mile, up hills, down hills, and across a bridge. The falls came from a high rock wall. It was breathtaking.

Once the hike was over, we drove 2 ½ miles into the canyon near the falls we'd visited yesterday, to see a place that was a site for the movie “Dances With Wolves.” A sign marked the area, and our understanding is that many scenes in that movie, one of my favorites, were filmed in Spearfish Canyon.

South Dakota has many places where the movie was filmed. If you remember the last scene, where Kevin Costner and his Indian family are riding horses up into the Black Hills, I am sure that was filmed in Spearfish Canyon.

We then drove the remainder of the scenic byway, which took us awhile, as we kept stopping to take pictures. We saw Bridal Veil Falls, some fly fishermen, a few motorcyclists, and relatively few people. It was peaceful and beautiful. Somewhere in the middle of this, we made peanut butter sandwiches for our lunch, and ate them while we watched a rushing creek. When we reached the end of the byway, near Spearfish, we wished it were not over.

We drove to Sturgis, home of the motorcycle rally that is supposed to be for a week in August, but seems to last most of the summer. We've been to Sturgis during the rally when the bikes lined the streets, and vendors were selling things all along the sidewalks. Today there was none of that. We couldn't help but think that the town residents are probably glad when the rally ends each year.

Bear Butte
 

East of Sturgis, is old Fort Meade where there is a VA hospital and some other army buildings. We drove a few miles up a mountainside to visit the Fort Meade National Cemetery. From there, we could see Bear Butte, which is a mountain that is held sacred by Native Americans. Tribal ceremonies are held on Bear Butte. The cemetery was fenced and had headstones for cavalry soldiers and others, totally 188 graves dating from 1878.

We have turned east, you note.

We'd decided not to cross over into Wyoming, because we'd be opening up a can of worms. We wouldn't be able to stop with just one place to go. We'd be there for over another week if we let ourselves go there. So east we're heading. We will be stopping along the way, don't worry..............There's plenty more to see.

Almost suddenly, the mountains gave way to prairie, with rolling hills or miles of flatness. The fields have been harvested, and they're all golden brown. It is a different kind of beautiful. We saw herds of antelope, deer, and one wolf stalking something in a field.

Tonight we're in Pierre, South Dakota, the state capital. I think they have the most beautiful capitol building of all the states. There is a lake around some of it, that is lit up at night. Six statues, each representing a difference branch of US Services, stand on a stage-like thing in the water, saluting the flag. We walked around the lake on the capitol's grounds tonight, visited the statues, then ate our very first Taco John dinner at this fast-food Mexican chain.  More than likely, our last. 

Tomorrow we will find the old St. Charles Hotel, where my Aunt Angie Pierce Warren lived for many years, then be on our way to see what else South Dakota has to show us.

As I said before, I am in love with South Dakota.

Spearfish Canyon, South Dakota

September 13, 2012   (Posted 2 days afterward)

Our old hotel in Deadwood was very cold in the night. There was a frost here. Some of the leaves are turning yellow, and it just makes this fabulous scenery all the more beautiful. I am in love with South Dakota.

We did another footwalk through Deadwood before we left. I actually figure that I won about $20 in slot machines, and promptly lost it all back to them. My favorite machine is right inside the door of Kevin Costner's casino, The Midnight Star. It pays off periodically, so the people on the street will see it, I think. It gave and it took. Addictive.

We visited the #10 Saloon which claims to be, “The only museum in the world with a bar in it.” And it did. That's where we saw Bill Hickok's last hand of poker cards and lost a few quarters.

We also went to the Adams Museum which the tour book says is the attic of Deadwood. The Adams Family (not the TV one........) lived in an old Victorian house near the cemetery. Within 48 hours, Mr. Adams lost his wife, his daughter, and a newborn grandbaby. He was desolate. Eventually, he remarried, a woman 40 years younger than he. When he passed on, the new wife closed up the house, moved out of town, and never returned. She claimed that the house was haunted, and many of the belongings from the house are now in the museum.

We learned that there had been an underground, literally underground, Chinese population. They had an opium trade and some shops down there under the streets of Deadwood. Tours used to go there, but I heard that they were not very interesting.

Whenever people would ask, “Why South Dakota?” when I would tell them where I wanted to go to celebrate my retirement, I would answer, “To eat an Indian flatbread breakfast in Spearfish Canyon at Cheyenne Crossing.”

Today was the day I got my wish. I've never forgotten the breakfast in 2007 that I had there. I've tried to recreate it in my own kitchen, quite successfully, I think. Perhaps being the one of the most gorgeous places in our country helps the flavor.

Spearfish Canyon is so named due to the Indians using spears long ago to catch their fish. It has high mountains of stone and rock, tall pines, rushing creeks. Blue skies contribute to the beauty. The Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway is worth going up and back and up and back again..............

We stopped at Cheyenne Crossing at the junction of 14A and 85. There is a store and restaurant there, where now twice I have literally swooned over the Broken Arrow Ranch Breakfast. This consists of either Indian flatbread or hash browns covered with a layer of chili covered with green chilies, black olives, red onions, chopped tomatoes, two eggs cooked your way, shredded cheddar cheese over this all, and topped with sour cream. OMG. I ate the whole thing.

We traveled Spearfish Canyon as slowly as we could get away with it, and some road construction helped us to slow down. At the intersection of two roads sits the Spearfish Canyon Lodge and The Latchstring Restaurant. Randy surprised me with a gift of staying at the Lodge tonight!

First we took a mile ride into the woods to see the Roughlock Falls which were Randy's favorite thing today, I think. A yellow jacket stung my hand while I was oooing and ahhhing, but it didn't spoil my visit here.

We are in a suite with a king bed, a fireplace, sofa, and amenities beyond anything we've seen on this trip. We spent some time at the bar in the lobby, then enjoyed wine on the porch while we sat in the rocking chairs just watching the scenery.

A long hot dip in the hot tub finished our evening. Tomorrow we will stay in the lodge until checkout time, and visit the Spearfish Falls near the Latchstring Restaurant across the street, after breakfast.

Almost Heaven.

 

 

 

It will break my heart to drive out of Spearfish Canyon.............