Black Hills of South Dakota

7/26/24 - We took the whole day to explore the scenery and towns around the Spearfish Scenic Byway (from Spearfish, through Lead, Deadwood, and Sturgis), located in/near the Black Hills National Forest.

We went on a fairly short hike to Roughlock Falls

In the town of Lead, we stopped at an old goldmine and learned how its abandoned tunnels are being used for physics experiments

This model shows how the tunnels stretch 9000 feet below the surface of the mine

They are preparing to detect neutrinos sent underground from Chicago!

Our next stop was the town of Deadwood: historic area, lots of casinos and shops, & a daily shoot-out re-enactment

...and a boutique with a Schlitz bar inside! Both sexes were happy in this place!

Sturgis had a lot of motorcycles but a FRACTION of what will be there in a week during Bike Week. Town population is normally 7000. For the rally's 75th anniversary (2015), over 700,000 people showed up!!

7/27/24 - On our "day off", in addition to chores, I went for a 10-mile bike ride around the lake and creek near our RV park. Pat continued with his online programming course.

I saw a baby deer

...and a tiny chapel that is a replica of one in Norway