Head of Tide

[Note: I have completed the section In Search of Charles Herbert and you can read it in its entirety on the website. There are also additional pictures posted in the Photos section.]

We had only been to the Black Hills of South Dakota once before in the fall of 2010. We spent only a few days exploring Mt. Rushmore, Custer State Park, and the nearby Devil’s Tower. We liked it then and decided to spend a little more time there so we found a campground in Hot Springs, South Dakota and booked the month of June.

The campground turned out to be a nice surprise as the owners were a couple who purchased the business a few months prior and were in the process of upgrading sites after redoing the utilities and bathhouse before we arrived. We visited with the owners, Josh and Alicia almost daily as they were visible, extremely friendly, and very welcoming. We even shared a couple of meals. We really enjoyed their company and the stay. I definitely recommend Sunrise Ridge RV.

Hot Springs, South Dakota, is a small town located at the south end of the Black Hills. The region is interesting because the hills rise up from the landscape which is mostly flat for miles around as you approach. Hot Springs is around 3400 feet above sea level while the city of Custer (the highest city in the region and state and about 30 miles north) is two thousand feet higher. It isn’t mountainous but the landscape is rugged in places and dramatic. There are two parks near Hot Springs, Wind Cave National Park and Custer State Park. Both are worth seeing. Custer State Park is the nicest state park we have visited and there are thousands of bison within its boundary.

The temperatures for the most part were moderate, however, we noticed that the hills seemed to have an effect on the weather. Storms would develop quickly over them and deliver a punch. During the month we experienced several unforecast afternoon thunderstorms with two of them dropping hail. We were pelted with golf ball-sized hail from one storm that dinged our car and broke one of the vent skylights on the RV. We didn’t care for the storms.

One cool thing we witnessed occurred in Wind Cave National Park. We watched a little drama between a pronghorn and a coyote. We saw them off in the distance and watched them for about 30 minutes. The pronghorn was following the coyote several yards back. When the coyote stopped the pronghorn stopped. The coyote would move a little and the pronghorn would trail. When they stopped the pronghorn would immediately graze as if to say “Me? No, I’m not following you. I’m just innocently grazing. Pay no attention to the pronghorn.” We couldn’t tell if the pronghorn was trying to make sure the coyote stayed away from the pronghorn’s territory or perhaps a nearby fawn. Perhaps it was something else entirely. We were wondering too if the pair were going to engage physically when another coyote snuck up. When the pronghorn finally saw the second coyote it turned and took off away from the pair in the direction it had come. We guess the pronghorn was willing to tackle one coyote but not two. Smart.

Overall the Black Hills were enjoyable and we hope to return but probably not before we do a little better job of weather forecasting.