Black Hills National Forest: Meeker Ranch

 For our last day in the Black Hills before heading home to Western Nebraska, I looked online for a short hike to an interesting destination that we either had not been to before, or that we had not been to in a long time. I managed to find a place called Meeker Ranch on forest service land just outside of Custer. We left Hill City and made the short drive south into Custer. After turning on a county road just outside of Custer State Park we found ourselves at a gate and small parking area with a really nice view. 

We would hike the gated road to our destination; 

an old cabin and barn in a beautiful valley.

The views from the road were pretty nice, featuring distant looks at the Needles and other dramatic scenery in the highest elevations of the Black Hills. Soon enough we reached the valley containing the ranch. The first building we encountered did not appear to be part of the ranch. It looked to me more like a forest warden's cabin.

A short walk into the valley brought us to the cabin and other buildings left from the ranch which dates back to 1887. 

I went inside the cabin for a look around.

There's lots of broken glass littering the floor inside. I also found a Better Homes and Gardens magazine dating to 1947.

After exploring the cabin, we checked out some of the other buildings.

Besides the structures, it was pleasant to just admire the surrounding scenery.

I could definitely live in a little valley like this! From the ranch buildings, we headed up a ridge to see if we could get a better view of the Needles.

While we didn't get the view we had sought, it was still a pleasant place to explore. Sierra even found a rock to climb.

Soon enough, we turned around to head back to the car.

We headed into Hot Springs to visit some friends and get some lunch before the long drive back to Gering. 

A Day in Rapid City

 After our hike at Buzzards Roost, it was a quick drive into Rapid City. We stopped for a picnic lunch at Canyon Lake Park. After we had filled our bellies, we headed up to Dinosaur Park. Noelle and I had been here before, but it was Sierra's first time. She didn't seem as excited to visit as I thought she would be.

Besides the dinosaur sculptures, the park features really nice views of Rapid City, particularly downtown. 

From Dinosaur Park we headed downtown. First we checked out the Art Alley.

After some ice cream at Main Street Square, we checked out a few of the presidents' sculptures. 

Of course, I had to have my picture taken with Andrew Johnson.

I also thumb wrestled with Jimmy Carter.

Black Hills National Forest: Buzzards Roost

Over four seasons at Wind Cave National Park, Noelle and I have explored a large portion of the Black Hills. At this point its pretty difficult for us to find an adventure that we haven't done before. However, in doing some research about hiking trails in the area, I found an interesting hike that we hadn't done before; the short hike up to Buzzards Roost, just west of Rapid City.

This morning we awoke to cold temperatures in Hill City. We ate breakfast and hit the road, driving north on US-385 past Sheridan Lake and east on SD Highway 44 to the trailhead. It had warmed up a bit by the time we hit the trail 

and the snow and mud were starting to melt a bit. There's a whole network on trails at Buzzards Roost. They primarily cater to mountain bikers, but hikers are allowed to use them also. For the quickest ascent up to the overlook, we hiked primarily on the Jack's Trail. There is a section of switchbacks at about the halfway point. After that the trail levels out for a bit before the final ascent up to the overlook.

Once we reached the overlook, we hung out at the summit area for a bit. There are views out to Black Elk Peak. 

Many other areas of the Black Hills are visible as well. We took a few photos up there,

and watched a bald eagle soar overhead.

Then, we descended the increasingly sloppy trail back to the car for the drive into Rapid City.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial

Noelle and I both have a history with Mount Rushmore. We've both worked the July 3rd fireworks spectacular travesty in the past. I worked it once, Noelle twice. When I worked the event in 2003, the honored disgraced speaker was Bill Janklow. In addition, on a cold morning in November of 2015 I did a hike from Horsethief Lake to the National Memorial, only to discover the Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, filming some scenes there. He would pass less than a year later.

Today, Noelle and I did our American duty and took Sierra to see the faces of four dead white guys carved into the granite in the heart of the Black Hills. 

We paid the entrance parking fee and mingled among the throngs of patriotic Americans to look upon this symbol of democracy oppression. There was a bit of snow on the ground, but the sky was a brilliant blue. We took our photo with the carving 

and toured the exhibits. Unfortunately, the President's Trail and Sculptor's Studio were closed. We left after about an hour and a half and stopped at the overlook of George Washington's profile on the way out.