Fossil Freeeway, Black Hills, and Covid

[Tom&Shelly]

We were minding our own business, exploring the "Fossil Freeway" in western Nebraska and the Black Hills in South Dakota, when, after a horseback ride yesterday morning, I began to feel run down and seemed to have a headache. Bought a thermometer and Covid test kit from the Chadron Walmart, and boy-howdy, no ambiguity at all in the test, and I had a 101.8 F fever! Probably got the bug at Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse monument, or Devil's Tower.

So, what do we do? We had reservations for another two weeks at campsites going to Colorado, but we would have kept ourselves quarantined, and not seen much, and would have had to deal with making ourselves meals with the limited camping supply we had. Shelly was feeling okay, so she drove us home, 11 hours, arriving early in the morning. This morning my fever is down, and she has no fever but the symptoms of a bad cold, which is undoubtedly covid.

Up to that point it was a great trip and in the spirit of "other than that, Mrs Lincoln, how was the play?" I'll post some pictures soon....

Tom

[tony.latham]

Crap. (Are we allowed to type that here?)

Tony

[twisted lines]

It’s better then the c word Tom typed.

[TimC]

Bummer. Take care of yourself and get out when you can.

[Tom&Shelly]

Thanks guys! I'm reminded of Louis L'Amore's definition of "adventure": Just a romantic name for trouble. This one turned into an adventure, but we made it home safe, and should be good to go camping again in a few weeks when we kick this thing. <fingers crossed>

Tom

[tony.latham]

Just a romantic name for trouble.

I call it the suck factor. The more the suck, the deeper it'll sit in your memory. After a year or so, it'll just be a good story.

Tony

[bdosborn]

The same thing happened to us when we went to Quartzite in February, my wife started feeling sick and then I did too. We ended up going straight home after spending a night there. We never did the test but I'm pretty sure it was the C word. It's an awful way to end to a camping trip so I feel for the two of you...
Bruce

[Tom&Shelly]

So the plan was to get up to the Black Hills from Albuquerque, by way of Western Nebraska. There are a string of places along that route dubbed "the fossil freeway" due to the large number of mammoth, bison, and other fossils found at dig sites along the way. Our goal, partially met, was to see them all, along with the famous tourist attractions in the Black Hills, and a famous tree stump in Wyoming. In fact, while covid cut us short, we did pretty well seeing the things on our list, although several museums and Wind Cave were closed, and we couldn't see the Minuteman Missle tour in the Badlands because we were too late buying tickets. Enough left over for another trip someday, so at least we have that to look forward to!

To get to Western Nebraska, we went through Eastern Colorado, and stopped near the middle at John Martin Reservoir State Park.



Not a bad spot, under the dam, on a smaller lake there, with electricity and a water spigot dispensing green water. (We decided to use what we brought for those two days.) Very warm while we were there, pushing 100 in the afternoons. The campsite has quarter operated showers and also a small laundry facility, though, of course, we didn't need it that early in the trip.

We spent two nights at John Martin, and spent the morning of the full day visiting Bent's Old Fort NHS, a trading post (not Army fort) on the Santa Fe trail at what used to be the US/Mexican border.



Had we been around in those days, pulling our teardrop with a mule, or oxen (probably oxen; our tear is heavy) and we needed repairs, we could have made them there with the full wood and black smith shops.

Today's residents include a family of swallows



In the afternoon, we went into La Junta Colorado and visited the Koshare Museum. It was the Koshare Indian Museum, but a new federal law made them take the Indian artifacts off display and the "Indian" out of the name, something that upset the docent, who is from the Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico. Ah well, they still have an interesting art collection, worth an hour or so. On the way back to the campsite, we stopped at the John W Rawlings Heritage Center and Museum, in Las Animas. It's a nice county museum, and has air conditioning, so it seemed more attractive than sitting around the campsite in the heat.

There are actually at least three other county musuems in the area we didn't go to. Can't see everything, but they were on our list as back-ups in case we needed to beat the weather.

Tom

[Tom&Shelly]

When I was in Boy Scouts in Upstate New York, there was one, and only one, song that I could remember all the words to. It involved Nebraska, and more specifically hog calling time in that esteemed state. I didn't mention that fact to anyone on this trip.

We stayed at Chadron State Park, which was both a good base camp to see things in that part of the region, and also a really nice place to camp



The blooming cottonwood did give Shelly a few problems with allergies, and, when we came back a week later, fooled me at first into thinking I had allergies rather than covid. But I get ahead of myself. The campsite has quarter operated showers. I'd heard there was a laundry facility there, but that isn't true. Not sure where I heard that it did; it might be from the Nebraska state parks web site.

I finally remembered to get a picture of our homemade grill (inside the fire ring). Works great. Maybe someday I'll remember to take a picture with food on it. This time, we made a last minute switch and decided to bake our pork in the Dutch oven.

BTW, Shelly recently switched to a low sodium diet, which made menu choices for this trip a challenge. Worked out well, especially for me, as Shelly had to do most of the cooking. The other thing about Boy Scouts is their cook book (in my day) largly involved salt in various forms, sometimes with a meat, vegetable, or potato thrown in for color or texture.

Our first full day in Nebraska, we went to see the Hudson-Meng Bison Bonebed, which is run by the US Forest Service



The ranger had a good talk, and we got to see the bonebed, which was excavated over a period of years. (I think they continue whenever they have funding.) In this case, the reason the bison gathered is a bit of a mystery. Some proposed it was a kill site, where ancient indians drove herds off of a cliff, but the geologists say there never was a cliff in the area. There is, however, clear evidence that men were involved in working the bones.

We then went to Toadstool Geologic Park (also run by the Forest Service) for lunch, and a short hike through the toadstool shaped rocks in the heat of the day.



There is a campsite there, with no facilities beyond man made shade over the picnic tables and the outhouse. News to me that prickly pear grow that far north, but there you go. Oh, there is also an old "soddy" you can look at. The mud really does keep them cool. This one had it's own bug control system!



We rounded the day off with a visit to the (air-conditioned) Museum of The Fur Trade in Chadron. (Exactly how far North does a culture have to be before it's politically correct to wear fur?) A very interesting museum.

We wanted to see the Eleanor Barbour Cook Museum of Geology in Chadron, which is often listed as one of the places to see on the Fossil Freeway, but it appears to be closed permenantly. Not sure why. We'll make a point of looking for it reopening the next time we plan a trip though the area.

BTW, while the days were warm in Chadron, the nights were cool, to the point we got out our wool blanket. (We didn't run the heater, though we could have as we had shore power.) Even had a thunderstorm at least one night, and the rain calmed down the cottonwood pollen.

Tom

[Tom&Shelly]

Our second full day at Chadron we spent down at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, which isn't all that big, but has a couple of nice hikes and some nice picnic facilities



We ate lunch, then hiked the shorter trail on the West side of the park. Lot's of neat nature




and some really weird fossils



For quite a while the scientists thought these were some ancient plant root, until they found the remains of a palaeocaster in one, and realized they are the fossilized sand that got into their spiral burrows.

The visitor center at Agate Fossil Beds includes a small museum, that has replicas of fossils, including dinosaurs, found in the area, and also the Cook Collection of American Indian Artifacts.

Tom

[Tom&Shelly]

For some reason, we had no trouble getting reservations in Chadron State Park for both weekends that we planned to be in the area. During the week in between, in the Black Hills, was another matter. Reservations at Custer State Park and Rocky Point Recreation Area were not to be had. I asked Shelly about Wind Cave NP and she said it was closed for the year. Well, it turns out, the cave itself is closed, but the campsite was relatively easy to get into. Only problem--no showers.

So we took extra long showers Monday morning in Chadron and headed on out! Drizzly rain that day, but only an hour and a half drive. We could have seen the Black Hills from Chadron, but driving up each day would have cut into sight-seeing.

We stopped at Hot Springs to see the Mammoth Site (also on the "Fossil Freeway). It was an ancient pond that mammoths would get into, but couldn't get out of, hence another bone bed. (I didn't get pictures of this one.) We got to Wind Cave, and spent the rest of the afternoon at the museum at their visitor center, and managed to catch a ranger tour of the formation and discovery of the cave. We also discussed making reservations for Jewel Cave, about 30 miles to the west, but found they were sold out for the week. So, if we want to see a cave in the Black Hills, we'll have to come back.

The campsite was on a bit of a hill



We thought it was going to be rainy and foggy the next morning, which would have made seeing Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, or the Devil's Tower sub-optimal, but when I woke up at 5:30, it was like this



and we immediately decided to head for Mount Rushmore, beat the crowds, and eat breakfast (and drink coffee, especially drink coffee) in their cafateria. And the plan worked! the only traffic we encountered was, umm



At least the song running in my mind changed from Hog Calling Time in Nebraska to You Can't Rollerskate in a Buffalo Herd! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI-8hst0bho

None of the rules I've seen on interacting with buffalo seem to mention this problem, and the idiot driving the tour Jeep was no help, but eventually a local (I think) came along the other way and simply drove slowly through them, and the buffalo slowly gave way, so that's what I did too. BTW, there was a white calf in amongst the herd. Is that rare?

Anyway, we made it, taking the scenic route through Custer State Park



This was the third time I've been there, but only the first the building with the model was open, so we also saw that (probably caught covid) and listened to a ranger talk about the history.



The reason for the sculpture at Mount Rushmore was to get us to come to South Dakota and spend money. I'm okay with that, but after seeing that and Crazy Horse, it seems to me we also have a lot of mountains in New Mexico. Would any of you come here to see the "Crazy Tom memorial"? Just asken'.

I remember this rock and Ponderosa from the last time I was there. How did that happen?



Tom

[Tom&Shelly]

We spent the afternoon at Crazy Horse Memorial



This was the first time either of us have been there. It costs $30/vehicle, which is what disuaded me last time. But I guess that isn't really too much considering they turned down taxpayer money for the project, and they have free coffee.

The bus ride out to the monument does cost extra, but if we didn't catch covid at Mount Rushmore, that bus is likely where we caught it. I used to take a bus to school every day just like that one, which means the windows didn't work, and I brought my lunch, or something like that. Anyway, it was a bit stuffy, and we were a bit stuffed in.

The memorial does have a large museum as well, and is worth an afternoon.

Tom

[Tom&Shelly]

The next day, we drove out to Wyoming to see that giant fossilized tree stump...



Just kidding, the tree stump meme was an attempted Interweb myth some years ago. Sounds like something I might do, but it wasn't me this time, honest!

That middle picture is hanging over the fireplace in the visitor center. Back before the Interwebs were available in the rural mid-west, the local Indians came up with their own myths about Devil's Tower.

To get there, we did encounter a real traffic jam in the park with cars--not buffalo--this time. Had to wait about 45 minutes to get to the parking area, which had enough spaces for us to pick and choose, once we got there. While in the traffic jam, we did have cell phone coverage, so I was able to catch up on important New York times pangrams, TNTTT posts, Youtube videos and such.

Once at the tower, the obvious thing is to walk around it, so that's what we did.



That "window" is a famous feature of Devil's Tower. Devel's Tower is actually magma that pushed up into a mountain forming polyhedratic shapes. Later the mountain eroded away leaving the polyhedratic shaped magma towers that occasionally fall down. The window is a portion that fell. You've got to watch for that, those polyhedratic towers can fall without warning. This last one fell 12,000 years ago, but it went with no warning whatsoever!

There was also wildlife around the tower



After the walk around, and a visit to the visitor center (Candidate C for catching covid), we went down to the camping/picnic area for lunch. Nice area with a good view of the tower.



I believe those campsites don't have electricity or showers. However, the campsite comes before the traffic jam, so if you're willing to see the tower from a distance, that may be an option. Also,we took the shorter trail (~1 mile) around the tower from the visitor center. There's also a longer loop trail around the tower that can be accessed (I think) from the camping area. So you can walk in, and up to the visitor center from there.

Tom

[Tom&Shelly]

We had one more day in the Black Hills, and many things we hadn't seen. I've never spent any time in Deadwood, Lead, or Sturgis, and would have liked to see them, so we started out that direction, but found the 1880's Train and South Dakota Railroad museum along the way, in Hill. Two hours less driving so why not? Turns out, we took the train ride to Keystone, ate lunch there and looked around, and never did have time to see the museum.



There was a gold mine tour in Keystone, but we didn't have time for that either.

So we need a trip back to the Black Hills to see Deadwood/Lead/Sturgis, and the railroad museum, and the two caves. We also want to see the South Dakota Air and Space Museum on Ellsworth AFB (near Rapid City), take the Minuteman Missile Silo tour near Badlands NP, and see Badlands NP. Someday we may combine that trip with something to Western North Dakota (Theodore Roosevelt NP?) and Eastern Montana (?)

Tom

[Tom&Shelly]

It was Friday when we drove back to Chadron SP in Nebraska. Soon as we set up camp we took showers (our first since Monday morning at the same campsite). I began to notice a slightly sore throat, but figured it was an allergy. I also noticed the park offers horse back rides to explore the park and we decided on that for the next morning.



Quite fun, and as far as I remember, I was feeling okay--still signs of an allergy.

That afternoon we went to see Fort Robinson. Unfortunately, the Trailside Museum was closed (unexpectedly) for a few days. Had we been able to stick with our plans, we could have seen it when it reopened. Evidently, it has some natural history exhibits and is another site on the Fossil Freeway.

But Fort Robinson State Park includes historic Fort Robinson



I could begin to feel the cough going to my chest, and after seeing the museum, Shelly mentioned the possibility of covid, which hadn't occured to me up to then. There is a Walmart on the way back to Chadron State Park so we stopped and bought the test kit. Did I ever mention I was really good at taking tests? This one didn't work out so well!

We hitched up and were on the road by mid-afternoon.

So we haven't yet seen Scott's Bluff NP, Chimney Rock NHS in Nebraska, the Quebec 01 Peacekeeper Missile site or Fort Laramie in Wyoming. We were also planning on heading into the Rockies in Colorado to see Florissant Fossil Beds NM, and taking the cog railway up Pike's Peak.

Plenty to do on future trips!

As of now, we're both feeling quite a bit better and planning our trip to New York State later this year.

Tom