Winding Down In Rapid City

We're on our final few days in Rapid City and it has been a very nice stay.  Both Dick & I have enjoyed learning more about the area and both of us have commented that it is a very nice town of about 65,000 people.  The weather this week has been nice as well and today especially, Saturday, it is a perfect day with the high being 80 this afternoon (sorry AZ friends).  Mornings have been down in the 50's and evenings you might need a sweater if the breeze is blowing.

It was a week of just general 'catching up'.  Dick washed and waxed the rig one day, I shampooed carpet one day, and we just generally hung out enjoying our new friends we've made here at the park.  Murphy goes to 'daycare' at least once week where he runs off all his excess energy and comes home and crashes for the evening.

Chugging up the hill towards Keystone

As I mentioned in last week's blog, we took the steam train from Hill City to Keystone, SD last Sunday and it was a most enjoyable day.  The ride was an hour long (perfect length of 'chugging' along) and we had time to have lunch in Keystone and then return to Hill City where we started.  On the way back to Rapid, we stopped at Prairie Berry Winery to sample some Red Ass Rhubarb wine made here in SD.  Loved the name so had to buy a bottle to send to my sister-in-law in IL and may also also have to pick up a bottle of Buck Naked wine for her before we leave.


To tell you what a small world it is, we were enjoying happy hour one evening last week and a new couple from Auckland, New Zealand joined us.  Turns out they travel the US in the summer (4-5 months) while it's winter in New Zealand.  They bought a 5th wheel and truck 4-5 years ago while here and then store it in the Seattle area when they return home.  We exchanged addresses with them as we have some dear friends who live near Auckland.  As we talked more, they knew exactly where the road is that our friends (Walt & Georgea) live on as they travel that road all the time to go to their boat.  I'm sure when they return in October they'll be giving Walt and Georgea a call and enjoy a glass of wine together.  She said you can't be a kiwi if you don't like wine!  You just never know who knows who no matter where you are!  We love it!

Today, Saturday, is such a beautiful day that we took a drive to Lake Pactola Recreation Area, a dam and reservoir southwest of Rapid City.  What a beautiful drive and lovely lake with very few boats on the water.  We came home through Deadwood and Sturgis which are now ghost towns after bike week.  I'm sure the locals appreciate things returning to normal though.

Pactola Lake

Beautiful scenery

Scenery between Deadwood & Sturgis

The plan is to leave here Tuesday morning headed towards Cody, WY and Yellowstone.  Looking forward to somewhere new to see and explore.

Thanks for following along.  We can definitely feel the weather cooling off, especially mornings and evenings, so we will be making our way south in the not too distant future.