August 7, 2010

August 7, 2010

This morning we went into nearby Hill City early so we could park downtown before the Sturgis motorcyclists took over the town. Unfortunately when we got there we found the main street closed to cars. Only motorcycles were allowed. So we parked a few streets away and walked in. Aimee took off in one direction to do some shopping while I went to the Black Hills Institute. This local organization is big into finding fossils for commercial sale. They were the ones who found “Sue”, the famous T-Rex, some years ago. Unfortunately they lost her in a court battle and she was eventually sold to the Field Museum in Chicago. They have a small display of some very fine fossil specimens.

Afterwards we head over to Jewel Cave National Monument. Fortunately it seems the bikers like to camp, ride the roads and hit the bars but not visit the local attractions. So we are able to get a scenic tour shortly after lunch no problem. Our visit turns out to be very enjoyable. Our ranger guide was superb and very funny. In addition Jewel Cave is highly decorated. At some point in its history the cave got flooded and the dissolved limestone reformed into crystals of calcite. Almost the entire cave is covered with it.

We ended our day early back at our campground. The Black Hills are beautiful with pine forests covering hills of exposed granite. Plus because of the high elevation the weather is cooler and since we are back in the West, the humidity has disappeared. It is simply delightful!

As we usually do in the evening, we took a stroll around the campground. I think we are the only non-bikers staying here. But oh how times have changed. These bikers are middle age, driving expensive motorhomes and checking email on their laptop computers. What happened to the Hells Angels biker of my youth?