The Mail-Journal, Volume 15, Number 30, Milford, Kosciusko County, 16 August 1978 — Page 10

SUMMER

Not cheaper by the dozen —

Family takes two-week vacation to South Dakota

By ELAINE STICHTER A family of 12 going on a twoweek vacation — camping? Some people shook their heads in disbelief, others gave us their best wishes. There was. seldom a dull moment! On Saturday, July 22,1 left with my family for South Dakota to spend our vacation in the southwestern part of the state. So many people had given us their nod of approval to visit the White River Badlands, the beautiful Black Hills and other places designated as tourist attractions that our excitement was great. One vehicle was not large enough so we took a Jeep, our passenger van and a U-Haul trailer. We planned to camp so three tents and lots of firewood were some of the necessities we had to take along. We took our time traveling to get there, yet driving 436 miles the first day. Illinois was the first state we crossed. Such flat land with hardly any color but for corn fields! It had to get better! The Mississippi River divides ■ lowa and Illinois where we crossed the state line. lowa is very green compared to Indiana and Illinois. Most of my family weren’t too impressed, but I found its rolling hills and colors such that I managed to keep awake. Exactly 24 hours after we entered lowa we crossed the South Dakota line. The colors

g™ SKI-HUTU.S.A. H WATERSKI CLEARANCE All water skis and accessories must go! We need the room! I 'W I TENNIS CLEARANCE Tennis Racquets and tennis clothes i drastically reduced! Out they go! Til INK a daily 111 IN II SNOW HIS SAVINGS *"* vATcitsKis, I —=" : °£ lgno) : m S EQUIPMENT _|_ l_ > ACCESSORIES! Everything muttgo! ( b ' - "zz : ' Last 2 Niahts § jF Shows At 7:15 & 9:00 / BMa THE DRIVER >3 I w j •*i ' Jfj BM I I I KB \ NB MT Jmi| \ jMI \ ffIAGK IWIU HAWifOW) CADKnsm / X PETHKUUirKi - irz , r „ jBO AU«M LINDA •S: HKOBSSKUKH Op«iAt7 s 4s Wkh specol mots 811111 r SffißMXHw ““*”•* l sx Bls Last 2 Nights) | DEEP .1 ®x | Hiuiiiß DA IT HWMffl’ 111 UH ™ BAIT me» ■ .' VMISSAGGIE 7 RATEDX V .77

I* I \ 1978 CORN PALACE — MITCHELL

turned brown and the land flat. The most interesting part of this stretch of our trip was the baling of hay. I saw more different ways of baling; the shapes of the bales varied from stacks to squares to rolls. I have never seen such a variation in Indiana. We decided Mitchell would be the first stop for us in South Dakota. The famous Corn Palace is in this town. The entire exterior and portions of the interior are covered with corn — red, blue, yellow and white — arranged in geometric patterns and outlined with grasses and grains. A theme is decided on and panelled pictures depict the theme. It is redecorated each year during Indian Summer at an approximate cost of $15,000. This requires two to three hundred

bushels of corn. Mitchell was having its eighth annual Corn Palace Stampede./ This is a professional rodeo, held for three days each year. Each cowboy wants to be the World AllAround Champion. This rodeo is a step in this direction. When a cowboy decides he is going to enter a rodeo he sends his entry to the Colorado headquarters. Each cowboy gets paired, by computer, to a bronc or a bull. I don’t think some got the “luck of the draw”. Some events of the program were long, such as team roping and the girls’ ban-el race; bronc riding and calf roping wasn’t too bad on the entertaining side. But the crowning touch to the evening was the last event, the bull riding.

The crowd went wild during this event. A “lucky” clown bull fighter distracts the attention of the bull if a rider gets flipped in front of it. This clown was Miles Hare of Nebraska. It was unbelievable how nimble and quick he was to stay just a step ahead of the charging bull. One cowboy just missed being gored. He almost got a horn in the back when he was flipped in' the air as he ran to get away from his bull. Miles somehow saved him by getting the beast to chase him. Monday it was out on Interstate 90 again, our goal being the Badlands National Monument. The landscape was as dull as yesterday until we topped a hill and saw the Missouri River. The sight was breathtaking! The river was a blue that contrasted to the beautiful rolling hills of green and brown and a clear sky. We visited an Old West Museum outside the town of Chamberlin, then it was on to the Badlands. We stopped at a prairie dog village on the edge of the Badlands. Some of the little creatures were being fed by the ever-gullible tourist. (Anything for a picture!) Our first night of camping out was oh the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in the Badlands. We managed to get a secluded campsite by the White River, a river so muddy it looked white..

■Bk ‘ * •' ’ ' W S BADLANDS NATIONAL MONUMENT

Eerie Beauty The Badlands almost defy description. The only words I can think of is eerie beauty. Different layers of many colors of earth make up the formations of this “Mako Sica” (Land Bad) as the Dakota Indians called them. The buttes, domes, and spires of varied colors make the different formations, many of which have been named by the ranchers of the area. I had to be careful not to take too many pictures here. After breaking camp in the morning, we started a 28 mile drive through the National Monument of the Badlands. The more adventurous of the family decided to hike some of them. It was already 80 degrees and the climb up and descent took about 45 minutes. Mom and Dad waited nervously for us to return, warily eyeing the cracks that could be seen in the rocks above. Some of us kids reached the top of the peak before we returned. My muscles were so sore I could hardly move the next day! The earth is quite slippery for hiking on as we found out. It is a soft powder-like clay. I talked to a woman who lived in the Badlands and she said the natives call the dirt “gumbo”. When it is wet it. is squishy and slippery. The day after it rains the top appears dry and cracked, but if it is walked on it is like chocolate pudding underneath. In some of the tunnels we walked through there was some of this “gumbo” but we managed to skirt it. Free Ice Water Ever since we had reached South Dakota we had seen signs proclaiming the wonder of Wall Drug in Wall. It is the store with the free ice water. We decided to visit this small town of 800 people where 10,000 tourists visit a day. Wall Drug was founded in 1931 by the Husteads of Wall. Business was bad in this “geographical center of nowhere”, until Dorothy conceived the idea that many hot travelers would welcome a drink of ice water — free. It was a hit. Suddenly hundreds of tourists were stopping and even filling their thermos. It is estimated that 5,000 glasses of ice water are given away every day during the summer. The Wall Drug signs are so well-known, friends of the Husteads or any one who wishes, put signs up all over the world,

telling the world the mileage to Wall, S.D. Wall Drug is a great little tourist trap! Then it was on to the Black Hills, the highest mountains east of the rockies, reaching an elevation of 7,242 feet. Called the “Paha Sapa” by the Indians, the Black Hills is a land of contradictions. Mountains are called hills, the land is green but it is called black. The Sioux Indians fought for and worshipped it although they only entered them to cut their teepee poles and to hunt. We had many maps and guides where to camp and fish in the Black Hills. We chose the Deerfield Lake area, north of Hill City. Hill City was about the last sign of civilization for two days. Deerfield Lake is about 14 miles from Hill City and all but maybe four miles was a winding, bumpy, gravel road. After a dusty and cool trip we finally arrived at the government owned camp — the White Tail Camp, where only primitive necessities are provided. It also got cold. The temperature dropped to below 40 degrees the first night there. Oh, this was what we dreamed it would be like — almost. Dinner Guest Dad and some of my brothers left at dark to fish, some of us

retired to bed. Dave, Mom and I decided to keep warm by the campfire — it didn’t last long. I glanced tp my right, by our picnic tables, and saw a black animal with a white stripe down its back, nonchalantly snooping for scraps of food left on the ground. Luckily, no distinct odor entered our nostrils. Does one run or does one sit perfectly still? We had never been told! Mom wanted to attempt a little stone throwing — we put a stop to that fast. Our visitor finally got too close for comfort and our bodies said move fast. After several nervous moments, a friend of our dinner guest made an appearance. When they decided they had enough of our hospitality, they ambled off. No harm was done. Our relief lasted until the second night when one decided the food was good enough to return again. We decided to move to a new place soon! 1880 Train Hill City is also famous for its 1880 train, a locomotive which makes four trips daily between Hill City and Keystone Junction. This train is owned by stockholders all over the country who want to keep a part of the Old West in S.D. It began running 22 years ago and is operated by college students. It is a scenic route which goes by Oblivion, a place where part of the TV show “Gunsmoke” was filmed. I enjoyed the 40 minute trip to Keystone Junction, but the 45 minute trip back was just too repetitious and I felt a nap coming on. Everyone must, of course, visit Mount Rushmore, the “Shrine of Democracy”. The likenesses of our four presidents are carved in proportion to men 465 feet tall. It is an impressive sight, which we were told, was better at dark with lights on it. I decided I preferred the natural beauty of the hills far more than anything man made. Custer State Park is a natural place of beauty and this area was the next place we visited. In the southern portion of Custer State Park is Wildlife Loop where different wildlife abound. We only saw a few antelope, a herd of bison and some friendly burros. The bison frequently stop cars by walking on the road where they choose. The burros were a

A BEGGING BURRO — ASSEEN THROUGH A WIDE-ANGLE CAMERA LENS favorite — they ate anything we fed them, which were carrots, bread and candy. They even like paper and cigarettes, unlit. They were wonderful beggars! Needles Highway In the northern area of Custer State Park is the Needles Highway, which consists of 20 miles of hairpin curves and narrow tunnels threading through granite spires. These spires have quite interesting shapes, one being the Cathedral Spires. Trees grow sparsely on the rocks. We had set up camp in the city of Custer, a town with the widest main street I’ve ever seen. Custer was just beginning its Gold Discovery Days. This is partly a historical pageant of the early Indians and whites and how they lived. We were enjoying ourselves, when the rains came. This was Friday evening and they were to plague us for the rest of our stay in S.D. The females and the youngest of our family headed for the nearest empty and dry motel room that night. (We believe we got the last one in town by the looks of the room.) The menfolk stayed to guard our leaky tents. The next morning it was off to the Jewel Cave, the first of two caves we went through. (Don’t bother with Rushmore Cave.) Jewel Cave has 61 miles of discovered area, the second largest in the nation and fifth in the world. The lowest part discovered is at 450 feet. Each week two explorers spent 10 hours a day, two days a week, charting new ground. The temperature in the cave hovers around a damp, chilly 47 degrees. Our tour lasted I*4 hours and covered one-half mile. The deepest point we reached was 360 feet. A lot of the rocks in the cave look just as the name of the cave suggests. Some of the formations defy description by someone who knows nothing about caves — but it is beautiful. Most Beautiful The most beautiful part of our trip, in my opinion, was when we “ took Interstate 85 north from Custer to Deadwood. We left South Dakota and entered Wyoming for a portion of the - drive. Wyoming has a totally different look in this section. The hills are of red earth and no where is there a sign of wealth when looking at the houses. Back in South Dakota we entered the Black Hills again. The mountains were breathtaking on either side of us. Our next campsite was south of historic Deadwood. We selected our spot in a far corner by a babbling brook. (That’s what the brochure said!) Deadwood was just a gulch where two creeks met until J. B. Pearson invaded the Indians’ land in 1875 and discovered gold. He eventually persuaded enough people there was gold for all, they bought claims ranging from SSOO to $4,000 and a town had begun. That was before the battle of Little Big Horn. Deadwood is perhaps better known for the No. 10 Saloon where Wild Bill Hickock was shot Jt>y Jack McCall. Most tourists drive up to Mount Moriah to see his grave and also Calamity Jane’s, side by side as Calamity Jane requested. I preferred the visit to the stores more than seeing two tombstones. Still the rains came to chill us and dampen our camping spirit the first night at Deadwood. Sunday morning it was off for a scenic drive through Spearfish Canyon, north of Deadwood. In the heart of the canyon, near Savoy is the Roughlock Falls. Three separate falls rush over rocks to the stream below. The water then rushes down several tiers making up more smaller falls. A small cave is behind the main falls. Some of us waded over slippery rocks back to the cave. Our feet became so numb we had no feeling in them. Homestake Mine In every gold bearing rock is a

Wed., August 16,1978— THE MAIL-JOURNAL

vein which each miner wants to discover. It’s called the mother lode or in more simple terms, the jackpot. This is located north of Deadwood in a town called Lead where the Homestake Mine is. In the late 180 O’s the Homestake claims were eventually sold to George Hearst, father of William Randolph Hearst. It is now the largest and richest gold mine on the North American continent. This mammoth operation owns its own electricity plant, over 100,000 acres of wooded area and a lumber mill to make its own supports for the mine. We took a surface tour of the mine and found out a lot of interesting facts about this operation: 22,000 stockholders are involved in the business; there are 1,700 employees, 30 of which are women; and the starting pay is $5 an hour. As the workers go down the elevator shaft, if not for refrigeration and air vents which keep the temperature in the 70’s, the temperature would rise one degree per 100 feet they go down. They are working at 8,000 feet now which would make the temperature over 130 degrees. We were told the miners are working to open a shaft at 12,000 feet now. How much gold is refined in a day at Homestake Mine? Our guide was kept busy answering our many questions. The price of ' gold was at S2OO a troy ounce when we were there. It takes one ton of ore to get just one-fifth ounce of gold. We were told the mine refines approximately $170,000 of gold a day or 70 pounds. There are thirty-six huge vats where the refined ore is put with water and calcium cyanide to separate the gold. This process, takes one week, yielding one cup of gold per vat. It is taken to the final refinery from there. This process we weren’t allowed to see, due to strict security measures. In 1977 Homestake reported an income of $45,000,000. Getting The Big One Some fishermen in the family, I included, were all excited with being able to fish for the many fish found in the many lakes and streams in the state — there for the taking so we re told. Each fish story got better, but the fishing got worse. Then Dad hit on the idea of stopping at Trout Haven. This pond is stocked with 20,000 different kinds of trout. If we couldn’t catch any here that was it! They had their fish trained well; one baits a hook with corn, drops it in the water — almost instantly a hit! At 25 cents an inch, excluding real small fish, the fun adds up rapidly and expensively. But were they good to eat!

Turn Hwy £B Dairy Queen ■ If Then Second Road Right X 457-4200, Syracuse Featuring For Your Summer Fun... THUNDERBIRD • FORMULA BOATS • SIGNA • BLUE FIN EVINRUDE . OUTBOARD MOTORS Deck Boats ByKoyot Sea Sprite Del, ° KAYOT PONTOONS • SANDPIPER SAILBOATS

Os course any place where the tourists abound lurk high prices and tourist traps. Many of these "traps” were worth the money — others, forget it. We visited Bear Country U.S.A., the ghost town of Rockerville and Thunderhead Fall which weren’t worth the time, to name a few. One of the highlights for me was a helicopter ride in a $59,000 helicopter over the Mount Rushmore area. This was compliments of a great brother and the view was fantastic! (For those nervous people, insurance comes with each ticket.) Terry Peak is the second highest peak in the Black Hills at an elevation of 7,076 feet. We took a chair lift ride to the top which gives a view of spectacular mountain scenery. On a clear day five states can be seen, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota. It was hazy the day we were there but was worthit. Every visitor to the Black Hills should spend some time at the Reptile Gardens. It is a beautiful setting for some ugly creatures In the Sky-Dome lurk many lizards and snakes, uncaged, where the visitors walk among them. (They aren’t dangerous!) There are alligator wrestlers and snake handlers. Trained animals perform in Bewitched Village and in various cages, where one can put 25 cents in, a duck plays the piano or a chicken shoots baskets. It made quite an interesting afternoon. We even tried our luck at the * greyhound dog races at Rapid City — I highly recommend it if you don’t take it seriously! It is quite exciting — win or lose. Just be sure if you have a good bet, don’t wait too long to place your bet. You could miss out on a chance to win over S2OO. I'll say no more. There was so much more to do in South Dakota and so little time. Keith had planned enough of the highlights for us that it was fun for all. Too soon it was time for us to leave. For a variety, we came home through Minnesota and Wisconsin logging approximately 3,000 on our vehicles. How does a family of 12 decide which places to go? We had little problems. It was usually “you are the driver” or “I don’t care — you decide”. Sometimes Keith gave us no choice — he went and we followed! Our vacation was more exciting by being able to pitch a tent and make another “s-more or “pudge pie” around the campfire. But when we did stay in hotels a soft bed was welcome. The prices are high, the “tourist traps” are plenty, but southwestern South Dakota is a great place tospend a vacation