Dickinson, Rapid city and The Slim Buttes

Aug 13, Saturday

A one night stop in Dickinson, North Dakota, at North Park Campground (it's really an RV park with a few tent sites on the side). Groceries, laundry, and of course, a quilt shop! The only shop in town, Dakota Sew and So, didn't have their license plates yet, so I ordered one. It will probably be waiting for me when I get home. Here's what it looks like.  Fabric collecting addicts will understand!

Aug 14 Sunday
Yeah! After traveling through miles rolling grassland and huge fields of sunflowers we passed over the South Dakota state line about 10 AM.

We're heading for Rapid City, to pick up a new Select Comfort bed, at the UPS Store, but can't pick it up until Monday.

So, where to stay for the night? Steve found us a fantastic, out of the way, really picturesque site. The Castles, in the Slim Buttes  up in the NW corner, near Reva Gap, and the camping is free!



We saw the "castles" first from the highway. No wonder they call these formations "castles"! They look mideval to be sure.

We took the road into the campground off the highway slowly, as it's gravel and a bit steep, and there were several horseback riders getting organized to set out for the day.

The road heads south and then loops around through the camping area. Some sites are carved back into dense trees, we choose an open space, and it worked out well. It was easy to navigate and we had great views in all directions.

We walked to the ridge just behind our site and discovered an amazing view. Quite a contrast to the grass and forest we stood in.

The castles themselves are sandstone, layered over multiple and varied color mud accumulations. Erosion has created the fantastic shapes - it's a photography wonderland!

We had the place to ourselves, so the dogs could go off leash, and we had great places to hike. I took the dogs down into the canyon and examined the formations a little more closely.

The seemingly smooth, rolling shapes at the bottom of the canyon are dissolved mud layers and while they look like piles of powder the texture is actually rather crispy, like the surface of a rice crispy cookie. Shiner didn't like it on her feet and would take alternate routes whenever she could.

There were plenty of clouds passing over to cool things off occasionally, but as evening approached the really dark ones moved in, along with the thunder and lightening. A bit of a sprinkle to settle the dust and then everything quieted down.

As we left The Castles the next morning we passed this monument. A sign described the event it marked, The Battle of Slim Buttes.

The short version of the history is this: The Battle of Slim Buttes was the first U.S. Army victory of the Great Sioux War of 1876 after George Armstrong Custer's defeat at the Battle of Little Bighorn on June 25 and 26, 1876. There's more here.

Next stop: Rapid City to pick up the Select Comfort mattress we ordered in Great Falls, but couldn't do that until late afternoon. We got set up at the local Elk's Club, then ran errands and checked out a bit of the city.

Downtown Rapic City has a very urban feel to it. There are outdoor cafes, sculptures on the street corners, refurbished historic buildings, and a huge variety of eateries. Working on a theme established at nearby Mt. Rushmore, the statues are all of presidents. There are some really interesting poses, and as they are life-size it makes for a very impressive display.

Steve tried out Paddy O'Neills Pub for a local brew while I went around the corner to check out The Quilt Connection, where I picked up a license plate for South Dakota,

their Row-by-row pattern and some fabric. Perfect to commemorate our trip to this state don't you think?

We picked up the mattress at the UPS Customer Service office (which is only open from 4-6 PM) Rushed back to the trailer, opened up all the boxes inside the shipping container only to discover the salesman had ordered the wrong item. SO, Steve spent the afternoon on the phone making arrangements for replacement.

We felt it was time for a bit of relaxation after all the hassle, so went into the Elk's for a drink and a light dinner. Nice folks. Spent the evening chatting with members, another traveling couple (who were having such trouble with their coach repairs it made our mattress issue seem really minor) and the bartender. This particular club has a golf course, which pretty much surrounds the facility, and it makes for some very nice scenery, for a city RV situation.

When the email receipt for the replacements arrived, the parts ordered were the wrong size. Do you ever get the feeling something is just not supposed to happen?  The next day we made arrangements to ship the whole thing back, cancel the order, and start over when we get home. Done with that!

The Castles photo album is here for more great angles of the formations.