Future plans?

Hidden Valley Ranch, Deming, NM  

Mon. 11/25/13  Fri. 11/22/13 - Wed. 1/1/14 (5 weeks)

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Contents:

RV Life

Pets

Audio Book Review

Crafts

RV Mod

Product review (update)

RV LIFE:

Our time is running out here in the Valley. Even though it's been cold and very little time spent outside, I've so enjoyed my time here. I'm very content. Nothing to sight see, not a lot of places to shop, not many restaurants. So just staying cozy in the RV. Having this "down" time has enabled our foster reservation dog, Dina to acclimate to our routines. She is truly a great dog.

The laundry is close by, which is a cozy area with garden murals painted on the walls.

The pot lucks have been fun, as well as bingo. The crafting meet up is kind of a bust. It's supposed to be 2 hours, but after one hour, people are leaving. No one really does a show and tell. We all just sit and do our own thing. Eh. I'd rather sit in my easy chair with a cup of good coffee and do my crafts.

It is so easy to settle down in one spot. I'm still so torn whether to settle in a house or not. 

There is still so much to see, but I can be content in my own home with my own wooded, private backyard. 

I fear accumulating "stuff" again, but I also regret giving some things away.

I'd like to be able to be settled and know the neighborhood, have the same vet and Dr.'s. But, it is fun checking out new grocery stores and restaurants while traveling.

Do I want the responsibility of cleaning and maintaining a house? I can easily fill up my day and not be bored living in an RV with little responsibility and chores.

Are we able to take on the finance burden of being "house poor" again? I do not like that feeling. Living in the RV, we can easily control our expenses. If we need to be careful, then we stay in one spot for a longer time. We get a reduced rate for longer stays, and we don't gobble up gas. 

I'm afraid of the commitment to owning a house with all the separate bills...taxes, water, sewer, electric, heat, etc. Now everything is paid via credit card with one payment in full per month.

Decisions, decisions. I hope to get a better feel for what I/we want when we look at houses and property in Tennessee in the Spring.

Here are some photos of a home and property we've had our eye on for about a month. It has just been reduced by $10,000. But, we will not think too much about it unless it is still available in the Spring when we are in Tennessee. 10 acres $205,000.

A lake with a mini island. What a great "getaway" spot!

I love wood interior!

 

Some grass to keep Scott busy.

Even fenced around the house for the dogs!!!!

Large covered porch...ahhhh!

I'm trying to develop a more detailed itinerary. What a PIA! It is so much nicer to just wing it week to week. I enjoy no timeline. We stay someplace for a week or two and while there, decide where to head next. But since we "have" to visit family and "have" to attend a Cedar Creek RV Owner's Rally, we are on a time schedule, even though the rally is not until June 2014. We have a lot of ground to cover. My parents are in Florida, Scott's parents are in NJ as well as my brother. Along the way, we'll visit friends, in Louisiana, Georgia, North Carolina, NJ, and Massachusetts. Plus, we want look at real estate in Tennessee. And finally, the rally is in Missouri. Phew! That's a lot of mileage, so deciding how much distance to cover and how long to stay at places is very time consuming. I'm especially concerned because I'm not sure if we plan to return to this part of the country again, so I'd like to visit the Gulf shores of Texas.

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PETS:

An Irish Setter breeder we know from Jackson, NJ was awarded Breeder of the Year by the AKC. We don't know them personally, but have watched their son grow from a chubby junior handler to a now 29 year old handler and breeder following in his parents footsteps. This family was quite easy to keep track of since Dad and Son would dress very loudly at dog shows. They would wear bright pants and large plaid sports jackets, was their signature.

How to tell if your dog is involved in a sex scandal...

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AUDIO BOOK REVIEW:

A Dog Named Christmas by Greg Kincaid
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I love reading books about dogs as long as it's a happy ending.
This is a sweet book. But as a seasoned dog rescue volunteer, there were parts in this book that drove me bonkers.
The attitude of a dog owner that dogs are free to come and go and choose whom to live with. They called this type of dog "A walk in". These dogs walk into your life and just as easily walk out of your life. Well, duh, if you don't ensure the fence is high enough and secure enough, yes a dog will wander. Not all dogs are velcro dogs. It is our responsibility to keep them safe.
The story is about taking a shelter dog home for the Christmas holiday and then returning afterward, if you haven't fell in love. Good ole' Dad was following the rules and insisting on bringing the dog back after Christmas, because that was the deal. Well, duh! Shelter dogs need homes. He didn't realize he could adopt the dog? Grrrr! Little things like that was the reason for only 3 stars.
But overall, the book kept my interest. The love of family and community was like "Mayberry". I wanted to give the special needs boy, Todd a hug. This is a feel good book, with an educational story about all the dogs in need of homes and what we all can do to help.
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CRAFTS:

Still working on my felted Ravelry tote bag. Instead of knitting intarsia (changing colors while knitting), I opted to do he design in duplicate stitch (cover stitches with embroidery). I'm not happy with the coverage, but hope after felting it will all blend in.

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RV MOD:

When we lived in a house, I would stock up on items that were on sale. One of the items being, toilet paper. Toilet paper rolls can take up a lot of precious storage space. Our RV has a closet for the toilet area. Our shower and sink are open into the bedroom, so just the "throne" is enclosed for privacy. Cosmetically, it is not a nice set up, but it opens up our bedroom rather than having the 3 piece ensuite a completely separate area. We used to buy just 3-6 rolls at a time. Now we can EASILY store 12 rolls of toilet paper. And yes, we use Scott 1000. We have never had a problem with clogging toilet paper in our black tank. But where to store this bulky package???

Ta dah! Think up! This inexpensive and easy mod holds 11-12 rolls of toilet paper. I also use it to keep our jumbo roll of handi wipes...handy.  It takes up very little floor space and is convenient. If you can see right above the wallpaper border to the left of the dowel, I've attached a command hook and a bungee cord. I wrap the bungee around the dowel during travel, so it doesn't tip over. But even if it does, nothing bad really happens.



Supplies:
3-4 foot 1" round dowel
an approx. 4" square medallion corner molding piece
Drill
Screw

 

Just drill a hole in the bottom of the medallion and screw the screw into the dowel. Done!

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PRODUCT REVIEW update:

In our never ending effort to downsize and keep things small and light, we got rid of our Keurig One cup coffee maker in July 2013. We won it at as a raffle prize. It had a good go and did a fine job of brewing coffee. It was fun being able to have a variety of coffees to choose from, especially since Scott and my taste in coffee are different, just like wine. We switched to a cone drip method. This freed up a lot of counter space. So after 6 months of using the drip method, I'm very happy with it. It may not be for someone who has to rush to work, or who makes a pot of coffee for multiple members of the family, but for us it fits. 

We've been using the Cuissential  SlickDrip Collapsible Silicone Coffee Dripper. It collapses flat so will fit in a drawer. We stopped buying whole bean coffee, so was able to clear the bean grinder off the counter also. I am somewhat particular about my coffee. I like a dark, strong coffee, but NOT BITTER. But, my pickiness does not seem to be affected by whole or pre-ground beans.

Since Scott and I like different types of coffee, and Scott gets up much later than I do, there is no need to make a pot of coffee. I can make one or two cups at a time for myself and reheat if needed. I'm very happy with this compact coffee brew system.

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WHERE WE'RE GOING:
Thursday, 1/2/13 - 1/8/13 (1 week) Oliver Lee State Park, Alamogordo, NM (White Sands)

Congrats on the new addition

Hidden Valley Ranch, Deming, NM  

Mon. 11/25/13  Fri. 11/22/13 - Wed. 1/1/14 (5 weeks)

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My life has a superb cast, but I cannot figure out the plot.  

Ashleigh Brilliant - This humorist's output is almost entirely epigrams,
which he tries to limit to seventeen words apiece.

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This post's contents:

RV Life

RV Mod

Crafts

Pets

Book Review

Food

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RV LIFE:

Ahhh, what a life. We've again been going through a cold spell here in the desert, so we've been spending a lot of time inside. Still reading and crafting. Scott has been enjoying a new computer game, World of Tanks.

He spends hours playing on the computer, I spend hours knitting and listening to audio books. Like I said, ahhh, what a life!
Here at Hidden Valley Ranch, there is just enough social activity. Not too much that I am burn out from the pressure of having to be "on" for being around people.
Pot Lucks every Friday, crafting together every Wednesday, ATV rides, country music, clear starry nights. Ahh, what a life!
I finally ventured a "quick" trip into town to purchase supplies for the cookie exchange. Yum! Scott wants me to make a tried and true oatmeal cookie, but I like to try new recipes. My results in a future post.
Yesterday, the temps reached 60° and sunny. I, of course took the opportunity to head outside. Read a little, knitted a lot and finished listening to an audio book.

Congratulations are in order for Jerry & Carla of Cozy Be Gone. They started full timing earlier this year in an itty bitty Casita. I was very worried for them. I know I could not full time with a spouse in that small an area. I would mention periodically that they may find it difficult and ruin their full time experience. But after a few months and some mods, they seemed happy. Good for them!!! I'm impressed.
Well, not that I would ever say "I told you so", BUT, they have now upgraded to a much more reasonable 26RLS Keystone Sprinter travel trailer! I am sooooo happy for them. The Casita is fine for weekends and temporary stays, but their new rig will feel more like home. There is a huge difference in what you want in a rig for full time,compared to vacation time. We chose a 5th wheel for the ceiling height. It feels more like a house than a trailer. But if a Casita is all you can afford, tow, or want, then that is fine. I have friends that lived full time in a Casita for 2.5 years and only stopped because family needed them.

You meet the nicest people while RV'ing...
As I mentioned in the previous post, Mike and Maryanne from Kansas City, KS are parked near us. We met them earlier this year in Port Townsend, WA. Mike is a BBQ judge and is really into smoking meats. Since they are now full time RV'rs, they gave away their large smoker. They finally cannot take life anymore without a smoker. So they ordered a smaller smoker that they can deal with while traveling in an RV.
Yippeee! That means good stuff will come our way also!

Because we have shown an interest in smoking and BBQ, they lent us a "few" books about BBQing.

I guess we have some studying and scanning to do! Thank you Maryann!

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RV MOD:

Outdoor motion lights

With the anticipation of boondocking, Scott thought it a good idea to get some outside lighting that would work on solar and/or battery. The question is...do we want the light so an intruder will think twice? or do we not want light, so we won't be so visible boondocking alone? Anyway, Scott purchased 4 lights, one for each side of the RV. Two are battery run and two are solar run. We've had them for about a month now and I really like them. They are great when walking the dogs at night.

2 of TSSS ® Wireless LED Solar Powerd Security Motion Sensor Light, Wall/Garden Lamp $16.00

Our rating 5 out of 5

These are always lit dimly at night. When it senses movement, they get brighter.

2 of Fulcrum 20032-301 6 LED Motion Sensor Weatherproof Light $21.00

Our rating 4.5 out of 5

These only come on when motion is detected. Run on 4 AA batteries.

Both lights are sufficient to light the way and safety, but not so bright that they would disturb our neighbors. 

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CRAFTS:

I've been doing some quick crafts to use up more acrylic yarn. I must admit, I DO like Caron's Simply Soft. It is a drapey, soft, washable, inexpensive, easily available yarn. This is much nicer that Red Heart Super Saver acrylic which is VERY scratchy, so much so that my fingers actually get a rub burn from it's use. Caron One Pounder is similar to the Red Heart, but maybe a tad less scratchy.
I'm sending a knit and a crochet cocoon with matching hats to Bella's Babies. They try to send a going home outfit to all babies born at Southside Hospital in Long Island, NY. What is a cocoon? It is basically a sack that you place the baby in. It's supposed to feel like it is being swaddled, and gives the baby comfort & warmth.

Only Clue #1. It gets more interesting

I'm still working on a MKAL (Mystery Knit-a-long) sponsored by Boo-Knits on Ravelry. This MKAL was appealing because it was "only" a scarf and only about 3 weeks long in time. There are 5 clues and we are on clue #4. Since this is a mystery knit, we do not know what it will look like, only that it is a scarf. Each "clue" is a portion of the pattern. A group all doing the same project, finish the clues/pattern sections and then post to see what they all look like. This scarf is lace with beads. It's a fun project to do, but I've enjoyed other lace knits more, such as this Lace KAL that I did in 2010 and won first place at the Monmouth County Fair.

Courtesy of Panopticon

How many of you crafters make things for Christmas gifts?

How many wait until the last minute?

Here's a flow chart for you to use to see who is handmade gift worthy.

So, who do you make the gift for and who do you just buy for?

Scott & I have made it easy on ourselves. We do not exchange gifts with ANYONE. When we first got married we exchanged gifts with each other, family, friends, co-workers, etc. I eventually cut out friends and co-workers. Then as our relatives' families grew, we cut them out also. We are not "kid people", so just buying for the kids was not an option for us. I do not enjoy buying for kids. If I do, I try to make them educational and fun gifts.  Pardon me while I generalize...most kids do not appreciate gifts. It's all "what did I get?", "is it good enough?", "will my friends be impressed?" No inkling of the time and money and thought that went into the gift. Kids are selfish beings. And I can be a selfish being also. That's why I never had kids. We just wouldn't get along.

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PETS:
Nothing much to report about our reservation foster dog, Dina. She continues to be a wonderful dog. Very loving, obedient and easy going. She handles life in the RV beautifully. Dina is still looking for a home. She would probably do great off leash and maybe even make a good agility dog. She listens well, is quick and spry.
Devin makes each RV site home as long as he has his blue mushroom chair to chillax in.

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BOOK REVIEW:
10th Anniversary by James Patterson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have not read all the books in this series, but a few and enjoyed the characters. 4 women, in 4 different careers that intertwine and sometimes should be opposing, but they respect each other and it works.
A pretty good "who done it", with details of the personal and professional lives of the ladie's murder club.
As far as the author, James Patterson, I have become disappointed in his later writings. It drove me bonkers in this book that a chapter lasts no more than 3 or 4 pages. He starts a new chapter in the middle of a court scene! Huh? It really only needs to be a new paragraph. Another author that has seen his time of fame come and go.

The Longest Road: Overland in Search of America, from Key West to the Arctic Ocean by Philip Caputo
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was given a complimentary copy of this book. I'm assuming because #1, I have a blog of our US travels in an RV. www.greatescapefromnj.blogspot.com and and #2 we have Setters as the author does.
I was excited to read this book with common interests. The author was out to discover the different lifestyles and attitudes of the American people in different areas of the country. Interesting concept.
Unfortunately, I was very bored with the book. Maybe because I'm living it or maybe because I've read many RV travel blogs and this seemed more of the same. Yes, there were interesting parts and yes, he speaks of cowboys in Florida, when I thought they were only in the SouthWest. Yes, he speaks of entitled youth. Yes, he gets you thinking outside the box, meaning instead of looking at typical touristy things, to look at the community, the people, the history. But still, this book just did not hold my interest. I'll stick with the bloggers and read their travels and their take on the varied areas of our USA.
Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

2nd book in series:
Another version of vampires, witches, and demons. Some are not as bad as we formerly thought.
Some unusual romance and family dynamics.
This 2nd book is Matthew & Diana's trip back to the 1500's. Interesting, but definitely sugar coated life back then.
This book SLIGHTLY reminded me of a tame "Outlander", by Diana Gabaldon, which is an EXCELLENT series.
I liked the first book, A Discovery of Witches better. BUT, I'm not invested in the lives of these characters and will HAVE to read the third book.
The narrator, Jennifer Ikeda, does an excellent job of male and female voices, as well as accents. She makes it very easy to distinguish characters, just by her tones.
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FOOD:
7-Up Biscuits

The photos looked like these would be absolutely wonderful biscuits. They were easy enough to make. Only four ingredients, bisquick, sour cream, 7-up, and butter.

Mine didn't look so pretty, but they were pretty good tasting. Normally, Bisquick biscuits turn out very dry and heavy. These biscuits were still heavy, but not so dry. They would make a great base for biscuits and sausage gravy. I will probably make them again.

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WHERE WE'RE GOING:
Thursday, 1/2/13 - 1/8/13 (1 week) Oliver Lee State Park, Alamogordo, NM (White Sands)

3 R's: RV, Retirement, Relaxing

Hidden Valley Ranch, Deming, NM

Mon. 11/25/13  Fri. 11/22/13 - Wed. 1/1/14 (5 weeks)
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"Eating and reading are two pleasures that combine admirably."   C.S. Lewis
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BROWSING THE WWW:
I subscribe to RoadTreking RV newsletter. Mike is an Emmy winning journalist, now retired. He and his wife travel (not full time) in their Road Trek, which is a Class B motorhome, sort of like an RV van. Even though we have totally different rigs, Mike still has a newsletter full of ideas that I have found interesting and useful. He writes about places they've been, safety tips, recipes, other RV'rs, etc. This past newsletter was talking about having a safety kit (not just a first aid kit) in your vehicle. It was suggested to have handy, a reflective vest, auto glass breaker, fire extinguisher, first aid kit, and flares.
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RV LIFE:
We keep a fire extinguisher in our truck and in the 2.5 years of full time travel, we've been thankful to have it handy. We've only had to use it twice but only once is enough reason to keep an extinguisher handy. Our first use was to help a stranger who's engine area was aflame. We got the situation under control for him. The second time was when our ball bearings overheated and caught on fire. A passing car honked and pointed to our rig. We pulled over, hubby saw the flames and grabbed the extinguisher. Finally got the fire out. If we had not had the extinguisher, we most likely would have lost our RV to fire.

Life has definitely slowed down. I'm really loving it. I have not left the campground in the 2 weeks we've been here. Scott has gone into town to food shop twice. I've been reading and crafting. I also got hooked on Words of Wonder puzzle game on facebook. At least it's working my brain and I do see improvement from 3 letter words to now many 5 letter words.

We have reunited with friends we made last time we were here in February 2013. This is such a nice little community.

Although the weather has turned cold again, it is bright and sunny out. A few days back when the weather was nicer, I was sitting outside knitting with the 3 dogs lazing around near me..ahhhhh. From the corner of my eye I see a woman coming over to me from 2 sites down. She asks if I remember her from Port Townsend. Hmmmm, not really. First, I've got to remember Port Townsend and where we stayed, and picture it in my mind. Then she said she was right next to us (sites were close). Ding, ding, ding! I DO remember! Her husband kept feeding us!!! We had spoken about books and RV'ing etc. We somehow mentioned how wonderful Hidden Valley Ranch was for the Winter. Well, they took our advice and are Wintering here until March! Maryann already said her husband, Mike will share some of his BBQ expertise with us! Cool!
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RV MOD:
Spray attachment for toilet (Approx. $20.)

This took Scott about 20 minutes tops to do this. When he first installed it, I thought it was a waste of time & money. Luckily, it was little time and not too much money. I was thinking as a sticks & bricks person with a regular toilet. Now, I've come to find this sprayer very useful. Sometimes in an RV toilet, the bowl is not filled very high with water and the toilet paper can get stuck on the sides of the bowl above the water line, or an unpleasant gastronomical experience may make a mess. The pressure and amount of water that slides down the sides of the bowl is just not the same as in a house toilet. I have found that this sprayer has been very helpful in cleaning up the bowl and pushing down the toilet paper.
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PETS:

Frieda in NJ needs a home

Frieda's owner, Cathy, is suffering from unexpected medical issues and needs to place her beloved Frieda as she is no longer able to care for her. Cathy is heartbroken and hopes to find a local forever home for Frieda. Frieda was born in 2006 but is still an active, friendly and happy girl. She's very playful and loves to hike, and needs to have room to run around. She weighs between 75 and 80 lbs. We're guessing at her breed. If you are interested in Frieda, please contact Cathy on her cell 908-415-2236 or at home 908-832-7503.

And of course, our Dina is still available for adoption.

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BOOK REVIEWS:

Mommy Had a Little Flask by A.K. Turner

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Couldn't finish. I didn't have children for a reason and reading this book just emphasized that reason. I didn't really want to read about the every day goings on of a Mom.

Silent Echo by J.R. Rain

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you're looking for a typical murder mystery, don't expect that from this book. Yes, there is a murder or two trying to be solved, but the book is really about the struggle of a dying man coming to terms with his life, failures, friendships etc.
This book was not at all what I expected, but held my interest throughout.

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A cute take on vampires, witches, and demons. Some are not as bad as we formerly thought.
Some unusual romance and family dynamics. (Can't we all just get along?)
The narrator, Jennifer Ikeda, does an excellent job of male and female voices, as well as accents. She makes it very easy to distinguish characters, just by her tones.
Be forewarned, this is a series and the end does leave you hanging and needing to listen to the next book to continue the story.
The Honeymoon Cottage by Barbara Cool Lee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Easy reading romance with a bit of mystery involved. This takes place in a small town where everyone knows everyone and their business, but mostly in a caring way. This place seems too good to be true, and I'd love to live there.
The description of characters are right on and you understand them quickly. I felt like I was a part of this community.
The sheriff is 28 yrs old. His "damsel in distress" is 24. But they are both very mature and responsible. I think 30 somethings would be a more appropriate age for the way these two characters think. They seem to have too much life experience for their ages.
I got weary of hearing Camilla & Ryan play the martyr over and over again ruining their chances for a better life. I felt like slapping some sense into them. I suppose it was obvious to me, but to the characters, they had to work through their issues to see the light.
This story could be a help to someone with feelings of guilt for something they have no control over.
I didn't want to put the book down and plan to read more from this author.
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CRAFTS:
Yep, lots of crafting and relaxing.
Ladies, remember when we were young and our arms were toned? I remember working the front window at the Post Office and rolling up my short sleeves of my uniform to make my arms look more flattering. Jump ahead 20 years to present day and I'm now lengthening short sleeves to cover my arms to make them look more flattering.

I have these cute summer tops that I love so much, I bought 3 of them. What was I thinking? I haven't been wearing them because they have capped sleeves and too much old lady arms show for my taste. If only those sleeves were a little longer. Hmmm. Let me think of something. I enjoy knitting and crocheting. Maybe I could just add some length by knitting a wide border on the sleeves? Hmmmm. Maybe knit a lacy extension with a little border. Hmmmm. What kind of yarn would I use? Not heavy worsted acrylic. Maybe a light cotton yarn? Oooh, ooh, I know. That one skein of expensive novelty yarn I bought in Jasper! Perfect!

SILK, with oooh, shiny stuff!! $44.00 for one skein

Perfect match!

1 shirt done, 2 more to go. Hmmmm, what kind of yarn to use.....
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WHERE WE'RE GOING:

Thursday, 1/2/13 - 1/8/13 (1 week) Oliver Lee State Park, Alamogordo, NM (White Sands)

Buffalo Roundup

Sept. 16-30, 2013 Wheels West RV Park, Custer, SD

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RESTAURANT REVIEW:
7th Cavalry Cafe - Custer, SD
Our rating 4 out of 5
This casual restaurant is right on sight of the Wheels West RV Park.  Under 10 tables.

The wait time for the meal can be a little longer than expected. I believe that is because there is only one cook and he is the the owner of the park.
My waitress made me feel quite uncomfortable. Basically took my order (because she had to) and didn't see her again until time for the check. When Scott went another time, he had the owner's wife as a waitress and she was much, MUCH nicer.
Chicken Fried Steak: I have only had this two times, so cannot not really judge. The meat was tender and the coating was crispy if lacking a little pizazz with some spices.

Dakota Browns

Dakota Browns: This is a breakfast menu item. A casserole consisting of hash browns, sausage (or ham), onions, scrambled eggs all mixed together and smothered in cheese. Yum! Fills a whole dinner plate.
Coffee: The coffee was pretty good. I was able to drink it black as I prefer.
Pancakes: Huge dinner plate sized and pretty good.
Great place for breakfast.




Purple Pie Place -Custer, SD
Our rating 4 out of 5

Stopped here for the lunch special, Chicken Pot Pie for $6.00.

If you are a crust/carbo lover like I am, you'll really enjoy this double crusted chicken pot pie. It is served in a large mug type bowl. With the thick crust on the bottom and top, the meal is as much crust as chicken stew filling. A real comfort meal. Yum!
Bumbleberry? Pie: This is a mixture of berries, apples, peaches, etc. Great filling, but I feel the crust could be flakier and needs some salt added.
Coconut Cream Pie: Perfect!
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SIGHTS:
Scott went into town on his own the other day. He stopped at a couple of rock shops. Rose quartz and mica are in abundance. From the rock and mineral shops around, I suppose there are lots of other beautiful rocks available.
Scott knows that I am going to attempt wire wrapping the stones we've picked up along the way. I can then show them off as a beautiful and unique piece of jewelry. So Scott picked up a couple of cool looking polished rocks for me.

Aren't they cool looking? Thank you Scott. I love you too.

Mt. Rushmore Nat'l Monument - Keystone, SD $15. per car (not covered by Nat'l Parks Pass)
My rating 3 out of 5

There is so much build up for Mt. Rushmore that by the time we sort of saw it, eh. As we were riding up the road to parking, we did pull over and could see Pres. Washington amid plain rocks.  That was pretty cool. But when we actually got to the front of the monument, I thought, "Is that it? It's smaller than I thought." Of course, we probably should have gone to Mt. Rushmore BEFORE Crazy Horse. Crazy Horse is huge and it's just one head.
We brought the dogs and when we arrived to the pay parking lot run by a private company, we were told the dogs couldn't go up to the monument, but there are designated areas for the dogs. We pay our $15.00 parking fee. We head over to the information board and are stopped by security. The dogs can't go there. Huh? We're just walking to the info board 50' ahead. Nope. So basically, the dogs are allowed in the parking lot. I am totalled pissed!!!!!!! Even Scott was angry. He was so angry he didn't even bother walking to the monument. So much for Mt. Rushmore.

Crazy Horse Memorial - Crazy Horse, SD $10.00 per person
My rating 3 out of 5
Crazy Horse Volksmarch $3.00 per person
Scott's rating 5 out of 5
Fairly dog friendly. Dogs are allowed over most of the ground and inside some buildings. If there are hardwood floors the dogs need to be carried.
This is a privately run organization. No government funds are used for this. Although at one time the sculptor was offered a lot of money to turn it over to the National Park Service. The sculptor wanted to keep his work pure, meaning not forced to work to the governments idea for this memorial. This was a memorial for the American Indians.
He is a hero not only because of his skill in battle, but also because of his character and his loyalty to his people. He is remembered for how he cared for the elderly, the ill, the widowed and the children. His dedication to his personal vision caused him to devote his life to serving his people and to preserving their valued culture.
Crazy Horse died young, his life tragically cut short. His spirit, however, remains as a role model of selfless dedication and service to others. Today, his values and his story serve as an inspiration for people of all races.
“My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know that the red man has great heroes, also.” — Henry Standing Bear, 1939

The 20 minute movie is well worth seeing. The memorial itself is pretty impressive, but the only way to get closer is by a van ride for $6.00. So they really try to suck as much money out of you as possible. But again, this project is only possible through donations. There is another way to get up close and that is to participate on the Volksmarch.

Volksmarch means "people's walk" in German. It started as a non-competitive fitness walk. In the US, it can be for fitness or just to take a nice walk with a goal. The Crazy Horse Volksmarch is usually only held in June, but a 2nd date was organized and we happened to be here for that. Scott was really excited to get up close and personal with Crazy Horse. This is a 6.2 mile round trip hike. I again couldn't do this because of my ankle still not up to uneven hikes.
This volksmarch in September was the best time to do this. There are usually huge crowds participating, but since this is off season and not the usual time, there was a very manageable group of people participating. The weather was great, about 75° with a breeze and at times high gusts that cooled you off.

Nice walk

Scott meets Crazy Horse

So, if you are ever near Crazy Horse when the Volksmarch is taking place, definitely take part if you are able. And a bonus...no Memorial entrance fee, only a $3.00 participation fee.

Custer State Park - Custer, SD $15.00 per car, good for up to 1 week
Really nice park on the scale of a National Park. This park covers a huge area. You can go from passing by the Needles, which are huge pointy rock formations, to down in the valley of rolling hills and buffalo roaming, to the back up above the valley riding hairpin turns and cliffs. There are also 3 or 4 beautiful lakes to hike around.
Driving through this park was like driving through a Safari Park! You've got to be very aware of your surroundings while driving. You never know what you may meet up with.

We've officially seen wild, roaming free Buffalo, and right outside our car door!

Butt shot

Pronghorn

Very friendly Burros

And traffic was also help up by goats that I didn't get a chance to photograph.

Buffalo Roundup - Custer State Park
The last weekend of September.
Park fee waived for the Roundup.
My rating 5 out of 5
I can't help but rate this a perfect score simply because of the uniqueness of this event. When are you going to be able to see 1000 Buffalo being herded together.
The parking opened at 6:15am, but I was told by a local that there was no need to get there that early. The roundup starts at 9:00am. So I headed out at 6:30am. By the time I got to the area of the backup, it was 7:00am.

Slow moving

They didn't round up all the Buffalo

By the time I got to the parking area it was 9:03am. Yep, 2 hours of creeping along. But we saw beautiful land and animals near here and there.

Also, because it was so slow moving, I multi-tasked. I popped in an audio book to listen to and I pulled out my shamrocks I'm crocheting.

The Buffalo were quite a distance away, and the photos will not look impressive, but oh boy! The anticipation and then to see the horses and cowboys and vehicles directing all these Buffalo coming over the mounds. Wow, wow, wow!

Cowboys!

Here they come!

 

Closer together

I thought I was becoming disenchanted with some of the "must see/bucket list" sights. But Custer State Park and the Buffalo Roundup gave me faith again in the wonders of the USA.

*Update 10/1/13:

Sue from Beluga's Excellent Adventure was wondering the purpose of the Buffalo Roundup and was concerned it was just for slaughter. I can't believe I did not mention this in my post about my Roundup experience.
While at the wonderful Custer Visitor's Center, I asked Fred, the host what the Roundup was for? I asked if it was just a thing to do to bring tourists in. Oh no, not all all. Letting the tourists view was an afterthought. This year was the 48th year for the Roundup. The purpose is to help maintain healthy herds of Buffalo. Custer State Park grasslands can only handle so many Buffalo. If the herd grows too large, there is not enough grasses for the Buffalo to eat and survive the winter. About 1300 head are rounded up annually.
They are first all checked for health. Old and sickly ones are separated for auction for meat, hides, etc. This is actually more humane than letting them stay with the herd. These old and sickly would most likely not survive the winter and suffer a slow death. The Buffalo that can be used for meat are auctioned, then slaughtered and butchered by the State FREE of charge! Of course you need a huge commercial freezer to keep the meat. The State keeps the hide and head. Some of these parts are sold to the local American Indians and others are prepared for sale to the public to raise funds for the State Park.
The healthy ones are branded and blood is taken. The blood is checked for disease, and lineage. Yes, the State cares about not having too much inbreeding which can cause weakness in the herd. So the blood lines they want to separate are auctioned off to private breeders who are looking for specific blood lines (just like reputable dog breeders).
By the time the sorting is complete, the Park should have under 1000 head to release back into the Park. By Spring when Mama's have given birth, the herd is back up to approximately 1300 again and so the cycle begins again.

The day after the Roundup, we took a ride to the corrals, where the sorting has taken place. We pulled over to the side of the road and Devin popped up, "Hmmm, what's that odd odor?" The photo below is our truck parked (it was a windy day), and Devin's first whiff of Buffalo.

Devin gets a whiff of Buffalo

 Corralled Buffalo. See the fencing in the back right for segregation?

Look at that backbone! I thought the poor thing was starving, but I think that is just the way Buffalo are built.

You've got to check out the great video Jenni from Dare You 2 Move put together. I searched YouTube for video of the Roundup, but Jenni's is the best one by far. I suppose it's not as exciting if you weren't there, but this video captures the excitement of first seeing the Buffalo come into sight, the funny parts of a roque Buffalo breaking off on it's own...oh, no you don't, come back here. Hee Haw!

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RV MODS:
Kitchen garbage can makeover by Scott.
Disclaimer: This was not our idea. We saw it somewhere, be it on a blog, or forum or just surfing.

Before

During