Minuteman Missile Site, South Dakota

We have seen a lot on the old west, Oregon Trail, Lewis and Clark, but very little on more current events. So, I was very excited when I found a Minuteman National Historic Site.

During the Cold War with Russia, the U.S. began to stockpile nuclear weapons. The U.S. built missile launch sites all over the country. This particular one, in South Dakota, housed the Minuteman One and Two Missile. Minuteman Two Missile had the equivalent of 100 million tons of dynamite. Because it had solid fuel, it could be deployed by crews miles away. It could travel over the North Pole to a target on the other side of the world and destroy it in a total of 30 minutes or less.

We went to the visitors center where we got to talk to two extremely knowledgeable Rangers. One Ranger had actually worked at the missile site. He was great! We didn't make it to the actual launch site. You had to go at specific times or by appt. It just didn't work out for us. The kids did a Junior Ranger program there. I printed it up from the internet before we went and they had them done by the time we got there.

There are still 500 nuclear missiles ready to be deployed from locations across the northwest.

We found this an extremely interesting stop and encourage everyone to check it out. If you love history, this will be a great place! It is located on Hwy 240 in Phillip, SD. 70 miles east of Rapid City. We went there right before the Badlands.

South Dakota - Random Thoughts on our Time There

South Dakota is wonderful. The Black Hills are beautiful. There are so many Ponderosa Pines...everywhere. The air is so clean and fresh. People are friendly there. The roads shimmer. It reminded me of South Carolina. In SC, there was shiny pieces of rock all of the ground. Brent said it was formica. Now, I know I probably spelled that wrong, but I just don't have the time to look it up in the dictionary right now. In SD, there is Mica everywhere. Many people come here to find rocks and fossils. We came to SD right before the Sturgis Bike Rally, so there were more motorcycles than usual. Since my sister and brother in law are bikers, I think bikers are pretty great. We met some really nice ones.

Two weeks was just not enough time to stay in Custer. We went to the courthouse museum on the main street. The Four Mile Museum - four miles west of town was interesting. There isn't much of an entrance fee. It needs some fixing up, but would recommend it anyways. There is also a free petting zoo and horse stables just 3 miles past that. We enjoyed feeding the animals. Really nice people own this place. Sylvan Lake is stunning, just don't go up Needles Hwy with a trailer to get there! We hiked to Bismark Lake on Custer State Park. The dam there is small, but pretty. Shae, Cody, and Hanna tried to walk around the small lake, but couldn't make it. There were too many boulders. We kayaked on Stockton Lake on the west end of Custer State Park. It was full of algae. Everyone still enjoyed it, just tried not to get wet. The Mammoth Site in Hot Springs was great. It is wonderful to let the kids experience different things. Seeing an active fossil dig was unique. Josephine loved the tour. There were telephones we had to listen through to hear the guide. There is also a house made out of replica mammoth bones. Josephine loved playing in it. Cottonwood Resevoir was great to kayak in. We took 2 days at the Badlands. I have a previous post about it. If you have any questions about any of these places,just let me know! South Dakota was great. Our campground was nice and the sites were wonderful!

Prairie Dogs with the Plague!

I could hardly believe it!

I've never heard of any animal having the plague!

As we drove through the Badlands National Park we saw signs all over that warned people to not get out of their cars because the prairie dogs have the actual bubonic plague!

We asked the ranger about it and she said that the prairie dogs just south of the park got the plague. They sprayed that whole area with some kind of pesticide that would kill the fleas that the prairie dogs carry. It is by the fleas that the plague is passed. They were hoping to keep the plague out of the prairie dog towns on the park. I had never seen a prairie dog town before so let me describe it for you. There are holes all over the ground with dirt mounded up around them. There are prairie dogs poking out of the holes here and there. They like to holler to each other. They are a danger to ranchers because their horses and cows can step in the holes made by the prairie dogs and break their legs or get stuck.

I did some research online.  I don't believe everything I read, but this is what I found out. The plague kills between 20 and 30 people a year in the U.S. It is spread by prairie dogs, squirrels, bunnies, mice, and other small animals. It is more prevalent in dirty conditions.

Well, we found out all of this and stayed far away from the prairie dog towns. We went riding ATVs Saturday and then again on Sunday at the Buffalo Gap Grasslands just south of the Badlands National Park. Shae and Cody rode some by themselves while the kids and I went to the visitor center. Of course, the guys had to get close to the prairie dog ghost towns, where most of the prairie dogs have already died. They saw a few live ones, and were a little close to them. I was pretty upset when I heard they got so close to them. We found out that you usually start seeing symptoms within 3-6 days. We were watching them for those six days! Yikes! What an adventure. We had a great time, just watch out for those prairie dogs!

How weird.....the plague.....in prairie dogs! What an adventure!

Hanna didn't want to get out of the van to take pictures of the prairie dogs.

Prairie Dog on alert

Riding isn't allowed on the national park lands, but just south there was a great riding area.

Here are a few links for more info:
ABCNews

NPR

Animal Planet

For more info on the Buffalo Gap Grasslands, click here.

The Badlands of South Dakota and Buffalo Gap Grasslands

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

I wasn't sure what to expect. We have been in the Badlands of New Mexico, but thought South Dakota's Badlands would be different, and they sure are! We all thought they were a cross between the Grand Canyon and the Painted Desert, both in Arizona. It was beautiful, yet so seemingly dead. The colors were gray, brown, and a layer of red here and there. The peaks rose sharply in the sky and deep ravines dug into the earth.

This is a fossil mine; yet I was disappointed to find out the fossils you see on the Fossil Trail are fake. We were hoping to see the real ones.

We went on a Saturday and brought our ATVs. We found numerous sites online that told us we could go off roading in the Badlands. We were excited as we drove east out of Custer, where we stayed, through Custer State Park then north towards Rapid City and onto Badlands National Park. We would have gone what seemed a shorter way through the Sioux Indian Reservation, but two people told us not to. They said the crime is horrible. That if we broke down, we would come back to our vehicle stripped down to nothing. I used to live on an Indian Reservation in northern Wisconsin. Yes, there is crime, but there is everywhere. I hope these people were not just prejudice against these Indians. I know many nice Indians, or maybe it is more politically correct to say Native Americans, I'm not sure. Where I grew up, they were called Indians and proud of it. It is a subject that I could avoid in my posts. Prejudice is a serious word. Some would say that different prejudices are earned while others are passed down.  Either way, we try to teach our children to be open minded and judge fairly - lest we be judged.  (off my soap box now)

First, we entered the Buffalo Gap Grasslands. It was pretty with the Badland Buttes in the background. We saw lots of prairie dogs, deer, and a few people. There are a few motels, but all were booked up for the night.

We went to the Visitor's Center on the Park. One ranger said we could ride our ATVs on the Badlands National Park and the other Ranger said we couldn't. They didn't seem to get along either! So, to play it safe, we stayed off the National Park and road in the Buffalo Gap Grasslands just to the south. It was amazing. Riding on our 4 wheelers is a great way to enjoy the scenery. There aren't all the people and cars. Just us and the land. We road for a long time while the guys enjoyed the hills and buttes.

The rocks there are so smooth. We figure from the constant wind blowing the sand over them. 

There was a prairie dog ghost town. We found out the prairie dogs have the plague! Yes, the actual plague! Signs are everywhere that tell people not to get out of there cars at the prairie dog towns. We stayed well clear of those, or at least most of us did, but that is another story.

We bought a map at the Visitor's Center that showed the grasslands boundaries. There is a lot of room to ride. Shae and Cody enjoyed the berms and hills. We rode for hours and had a wonderful time. We decided we wanted to come back the next day but like I said before, we couldn't find a motel, so we headed home. The next morning we drove back and the guys rode some more. Shae was pretty sore so didn't want to ride all day. I guess he is getting old...he he he. The kids and I went to the Visitor's Center and did Junior Ranger.

Then onto the beautiful scenic drive. The buttes go up so high and down so low. We took a couple pictures of the butte cracks in a few rocks for the guys...ha ha. They thought we were funny. The kids and I didn't get to ride, just Shae and Cody.

When we got back to the riding area a wind storm hit and we had to get in the van. Sand was flying everywhere.
We had such a wonderful time. It was an amazing experience. I definitely recommend you go to this place and bring your ATVs, dirt bikes, and UTVs!
Sheri