I lucked out on my arrival to Custer. Monday is the annual ‘Herding of the Buffalo’ celebration at Custer State Park. Other festivities are going on in Custer this weekend, including art showing and the auction of the Buffalos used in the ‘Footsteps of the Buffalo’ exhibits that have been around town, and there is another celebration in Custer State Park on Saturday. I am camped less than four miles from Mt. Rushmore, but haven’t been yet.

Today I went to the Visitor Center to see what was happ’ning and to arrange receipt of a UPS package, as there is no UPS office in town. Picked up my mail delivery, as yet unopened, at the Post Office.

I walked both sides of the street of Custer, and 5 minutes later, at the end of the walk, I had breakfast. Then I walked the street again to e sure I didn’t overlook anything. I didn’t.

Off to Wind Cave National Park, and a tour of the cave. Interesting, but no pictures. When you have seen one cave, you have seen them all, I always say. I haven’t even been to Kirchner Caverns, quite a big deal, and about 30 miles from my home!

After that tour, We took of to the Mammoth Site, rather impressive, but the photos would interest only a paleontologist (spelling, or even the wrong word?). However, the world renown excavation, under a roof inside a building, are quite impressive.

All together a good day, except for the lousy stock market. I now have one distant neighbor in the campground. A German couple pulled in at dusk. I chatted with them some, but their English is not good, making it difficult. The wife finally said ‘food’ and pointed toward the camper. That was my queue to leave because they were actually going to cook supper! Although they would be totally useless in any emergency situation, it is somehow a comfort to have a neighbor.

Annie mostly sat in the Jeep, barking at anything she felt was unusual. Jeep jittered it’s front wheels as if something isn’t quite right after all those 4WD roads.

Where is Willow Creek Equestrian Campground?
Sighhhhh… A Frustrating Day.

Up at the rise of the sun. Left Flying J to pick up Jeep, restocking groceries on the way. Gassed up Jeep and Gerry cans of gas for the generator. Pleasant drive to Custer. I found the Forest Service Headquarters, who directed me to a nearby campground open year around… NOT.

I pulled into the campground to be confronted by the conventional loop, but a short road with 3-4 tent sites, and a barricade – CLOSED. That is always my fear, that I will be confronted with a situation where I cannot turn around. Welcome to SD!

After unhooking Jeep, and screwing around for 30 minutes, I finally got it turned without hitting a tree. Very painful experience. The only alternative was to back onto a busy US highway, a RVer’s nightmare.

Spent about three hours visiting three other sites they recommended upon my return, in the Jeep, with Barth parked on a side street in town. The only one acceptable was this horseman’s camp. I do not think it is technically kosher for me to camp here, but, hey, they told me I could, twice. I fully expect to be challenged by a Ranger, or worse yet, a dignified horseman who wants segregation.

Is a nice spot, without sites per se. Mostly a parking place for horse trailers.

But I am here, it is nightfall, I am tired, and I will just see what happens. Nobody else here, but I would expect some of the horsey gang to show up on the weekend, and that is when the fun will begin. I will be inclined to cooperate, and move if I am in the way, but I will not be inclined to actually leave unless it gets ugly.

I am tired, it is getting cold, and I just want to relax a while and go to bed.

I was low on propane, food, water, gasoline, and the weather looked like it was going to snow/rain shower forever, so I bailed out on Sitting Bull Campground. I am currently sitting in the back of a Flying J Truck Stop, hoping that they do not boot me out. I plan on staying here overnight until the Jeep alternator is replaced, hopefully tomorrow. Will probably rain here, and is noisy as hell with all the trucks. Annie barks at every new noise.

At flying J I asked a local guy that was also getting propane about a local garage. He sent me to K & K, said he used to work there. So I towed Jeep two more Interstate exits, and found K & K. I told him that the mechanics at Buffalo said that they could not get to it until Friday. Then K & K initially said that they could not get to it for a week. But realizing that I was lost as to locating garages, he decided to look at the Jeep so that he could call some shops on my behalf and tell them what I needed, to see if they could get me in. When he decided that the problem was most probably the alternator, he decided that he probably could do the job Tomorrow, Wednesday. So I left it and headed back to Flying J without Jeep. Thanks, Ed!

I backed in beside a motorhome with a huge gouge on the side. Later I chatted with the owners, who turn out to also be from AZ. At the Walmart down the street they were shopping, planning on moving on. Some lady in a 4WD pickup, in the Walmart parking lot, managed to hit their motorhome, bounce off it, and total a Saturn that was being towed by another motorhome, there shopping. In a parking lot! The couple are stranded here until basic structural repairs are completed. They lucked out in that there is a Freightliner Chassis shop here. They are replacing suspension and steering parts, but are waiting for parts for completion, probably for a week. The body repairs will wait until they get back to AZ, because the lead time on the body parts is about 5 weeks. And I thought I had all the bad luck!

In a parking lot,! Unbelievable damage for a parking lot.

On the good news side, they just came from Custer, SD, where I am headed, and said there is lots to do, especially in the Custer STate Park.

Today is the day of the SHAVE.

We got up to a thin covering of snow this morn’, after 3 days of showers, clouds, and fog. There is no sign of clearing. I have hopes of a more pleasant day, but those hopes are being quickly dashed with a wet snowfall at 35 degrees. I left the furnace off, usually set at 55, off last night to save propane. So it a very cold Barth this morning. Strangely, I have to pound the keyboard with a vengeance and retype to get the keys to ‘take’.

I turned on the satellite TV last night, and discovered that Dish Network did not put my account on vacation as I asked the semi-English speaking Indian Customer Service fellow to do three weeks ago. I think there is one guy that I get every time I call any CS these days, or they all sound alike. So I could have been watching Geraldo tied to a pole in Port Arthur in the hurricane winds all along.

I am all alone at this campground, as all the hunters have left. Must be the end of the archery season, or they saw the weather forecast. It is kinda spooky all alone at night. But I will get used to it. Every time Annie gets up to reposition and shakes, I wake up thinking I am getting a shakedown from outside.

Well, I was online immediately as I left the dish up overnight. But for some reason, I went offline, and have had difficulty getting back on. Turns out that a signal strength of 50, normally over 80, is at the threshold. I had to wait for the snow to melt from the dish, and some cloud density to change, to get a signal strength of 54 to get a reliable connection.

The wet snow fall keeps getting heavier. I could capture one flake in a cup and put flavored syrup on it to have a snowcone. I might have posted some pictures, but there is not enough light outside to take photos

The Feds have suspended many of our rights in the name of Homeland Security. Now there is talk of putting the military in immediate charge in case of disasters such as hurricanes. The soldiers would be much more helpful if they were placed on the Mexican border to stop the invasion there. But do not hold your breath. They will probably be deployed there eventually to stop harrassment of the illegals as they cross the border, providing them with bus servidce to the major cities.

This creeping Federal control is scary. Bush is turning out to be the Democrats’ dream president. I have no idea why they fight him so.

Homeland Security was created to protect the Government. FEMA was placed under Homeland Security. Now FEMA’s charter must have changed from helping the People to protecting the Government. Be wary of FEMA’s intentions, now that they are being directed by Homeland Security.

Does anyone else see what is happening here? Open your mind, think more, listen less.

Garry climbs down from the soapbox.