Getting To Know Our New Home -- With Good Friends

After careful deliberation and consultation, South Dakota shall become the lucky state upon which Wayne and I shall bestow our permanent residency!  Lots of considerations but let's just say, we chose the state and we're happy with the decision.

Everybody has to make their own choices so please don't send comments about what we should or should not have done in this regard. 


We're spending a few weeks at Broken Arrow Campground in the Black Hills near Custer, South Dakota to finalize some of residency matters.  The second week of our stay here, we were joined by our good friends, Marcella, Landon and BJ their wonder beagle.

Marcella and me -- "horsin' around"
The wagon was under siege by the two violent Indians behind us.
BJ (the wonder beagle) is showing signs of fear. 
 

Wildlife in this area is abundant and deer virtually take the place at night.  Broken Arrow Campground is a horse camp and I suppose that's an open invitation to the deer as I'm sure they enjoy morsels of horse feed that drop outside the stalls.  Fresh evidence of the deer snooping around the coach every night is easily found every morning.

I know my blog readers appreciate all the photos of animal droppings.

The second night after Marcella and Landon arrived, we enjoyed a steak dinner at our place.  It would be the first time we've eaten inside the new coach with guests and the extra seats were not too uncomfortable.   Good food and friends.

Nothing better than a grilled steak, baked potato and friends.

Until now, we've had warm (almost hot) days and cool nights.  Seems a cool spell has moved in as the daytime temperatures are cooler now.   Could an early fall be in the making? 

Marcella, Landon and BJ
That's Lexie in the corner. Ozzie is just out of the frame.

Our rendezvous with Marcella and Landon will be the third one we've managed since we met them during the winter of 2011.   We'll visit the natural attractions in this area before we continue our move to the southeast and our friends move to the southwest for winter.

Tag along with us for a few days and enjoy the sights.....

The New Camera Reaction

After several weeks of research and advise from friends, I broke down and bought a new camera. It's another Nikon Coolpix -- a model L610, new to the market with 14x optical zoom and a pet action setting so I can get the shots I've been missing or getting poorly in the past.

Knowing we were coming to Custer, South Dakota, I ordered the new Coolpix to be delivered for pickup at Best Buy in Rapid City.  The day we stopped in Rapid City to get the dreaded K9 Advantix II (see previous post for detail), I went into the Best Buy to pick up my "ship to store" camera.  I opened the box and tested the camera right after I treated Ozzie with the K9 Advantix II.  He must have had an immediate reaction to the Advantix and associated it with the sounds and/or smells of the new camera.

 

 

 

The entire next week, suffering from the reaction to the K9 Advantix II, Ozzie went into violent trembles every time I turned the camera on.  Finally, on the fifth day, I took the camera outside and turned the sounds off.  I was still very careful not to get the camera close to Ozzie, but left it in places where he could see it.

I'm so happy to report that Ozzie's reaction to the flea medication and the fear of the camera is over after eight days.

I still haven't turned the camera's sounds back on -- that will come in time.

Bayer K9 Advantix II: Killer Flea Prevention

A healthy Ozzie on the beach two months ago.

 

I treated Ozzie, our healthy Maltese male (6 yrs, 9 pounds) for fleas/ticks two days ago with Bayer K-9 Advantix II.  Several days earlier, I had used the last vial of our old flea treatment (Bayer Advantage) on Lexie. Today Ozzie is suffering severe violent trembling reaction to the Bayer K-9 Advantix II.

The active ingredient in K9 Advantix II is Permethrin 44.00%.  Internet research has convinced me that  Permethrin is very dangerous, especially to small light skinned dogs. Bayer acknowledged this to the vet who is treating our Ozzie. Permethrin is also used on bovine and severe reactions have been recorded in white cattle.

There is no antidote to Permethrin poisoning. The only thing to be done seems to be bathing the treated pet in oil dissolving dishwashing liquid (like Dawn) and massive water rinsing. This is what we did for Ozzie.  And we continue to hold him during his violent trembling episodes.  Today Ozzie continues to tremble, but is drinking, eating, urinating and defecating.

My advice, and I hope you will share this information: Do not use any flea treatment containing PERMETHRIN on ANY small light colored dog.

Our Ozzie should be okay, but we might easily have lost him.  My new mission is to spread the word about this horrible product.  Shame on you Bayer for marketing this deadly product to pet owners.

• Fourth Morning Update:  Ozzie seems to be getting better with each day but still is having espisodes of trembling.  I'm so angry at Bayer.
• Fifth Morning Update: This day is beginning like the previous four even though Ozzie showed great signs of improvement last evening.  At the moment he's still trembling and afraid. He is resting in my lap. He's not eating or drinking very much.  The mornings seem worse than the other times of day.

Monday morning, the eighth day after the application of Advantix, Ozzie appears to have returned to his normal, bouncy, happy, bone-chewing, toy-fetching self.  This is the first morning we've not had terrible trembling.   It's good to have our boy back!

Devils Tower and My Close Encounter

Devils Tower is the very first of America's National Monuments. President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed it so in 1906 when he called it a "lofty and isolated rock". This executive action made the state of Wyoming home to both the first National Monument and the first National Park (Yellowstone) and protected them from commercial exploitation.

The nearly vertical monolith stands a mere 1,267 feet but sitting at an elevation of 4,250, the top reaches to some 5,000  feet above sea level. It's impressive chunk of rock.



 

Part of the Black Hills, the 1,347 acre Devils Tower park is covered with pine forests and prairie grasslands.









This thing isn't so big....
not much larger than the palm of my hand. 

While we're at Sundance, Wyoming, we'll take in a visit to Devils Tower.


Our first glimpses of it were breathtaking and we stopped at every pullout to snap pictures.

On behalf of Lt. Col. G.A. Custer, Col. Richard Dodge named Devils Tower when he led a military expedition to confirm reports of gold being discovered in the area.

Just inside Devils Tower National Monument Park we came upon Prairie Dog Town.

Prairie Dog Town is a large "field" (to a southerner) brimming with these little critters,  easily numbering in the thousands....

The prairie dogs are so accustomed to seeing people that they know no fear. Some of them came right up to us looking for a handout.

Feeding the prairie dogs is discouraged over and over again on the signs. We complied, of course.




Wayne really loves to see (and hear) Ozzie's reaction to other animals.  Recently, he learned that Ozzie (and Lexie) do not like horses when we were in a campground with a few horses in a nearby corral. 

Ozzie watched the prairie dogs but didn't bark at them. Lexie paid no attention whatsoever.

Once Wayne and Ozzie were sufficiently satisfied looking at the prairie dogs, we drove on to Devils Tower.

 

You can see the moon over Devils Tower in this one.

 

Stephen Spielberg's 1977 movie, Close Encounters, referenced Devils Tower as the shape inspiration for Richard Dryfuses' character's encounter with aliens.  While visiting here, I had my own "close encounter" that nearly ended in disaster ... or so it seemed. 

 

My Close Encounter - It started innocently enough, but quickly went wrong. Wanting to walk a few hundred yards on the path that circumnavigates Devils Tower, I set out on a short hike right after lunch, promising Wayne that I'd be back in less than 30 minutes.

I intended to walk just a portion of the 1.3 mile Tower Trail that goes around the base of Devils Tower.  Unknowingly, I was on the much longer Red Beds Trail. I didn't know it... not for awhile.  The trail began as a wide path among the trees.  The walk was serene and pleasant so I went a bit farther than originally planned, checking my watch every few minutes to be sure I wouldn't be gone too long. I stopped to take pictures.

Great views of the Belle Fourche River from here. 

Certainly a different view...

A really ominous look at Devils Tower.
Notice I'm a quite a bit downhill and farther away from the tower here. 

Nearly impossible to see, there is a climber (white dot) scaling the tower.
There were a few others I could see from here too though they don't show in the photo.

A few minutes into my "walk," I met a couple, about my age, who said the red rocks overlooking the Belle Fourche River and a beautiful green pasture was ahead of me.  Knowing I was already approaching my time limit, I dared to walk on, taking more pictures.



The terrain along the path got rugged and narrow.

As you can tell from this picture I was a good distance below Devils Tower here.

A bit farther I came upon another couple who said the hike ahead of me was easy and said it wasn't far to the red rocks. I kept going....  already having walked well into a half hour. I feared Wayne would be worried about me but I still had plenty of energy.

I kept going, walking faster and taking pictures -- even propping the camera up to take a picture of myself under a giant, curving rock.

My photo was not complete as it didn't capture the top of the rock.

This is the rock I was standing under in the previous picture.
Notice the slope of the land here. 

Along about here I realize my walk has mostly been downhill and I'm a long, long way from Devils Tower.

I convinced myself to keep up the fast pace and keep going -- all the time hating myself for causing Wayne to worry.  By now I figured I was about half way and wouldn't be any better off to turn back than to go forward. The walk continued.

Red rock area, the Belle Fourche River and the meadow ... at last!

When I looked up to see this view of Devils Tower, I knew I was in big trouble.

The red rocks were at  the lowest elevation of this hike and I was tired. Real concern began to set in as, by now, I have walked almost an hour and I don't know how far I've come or how much farther it is to finish the walk. 

A gentle uphill slope here -- thankfully not rocky as the last stretch had been.

Along about now, I'm not liking Devils Tower too much.  The path is narrow and uphill. I had to keep walking and my fast pace caused me to pant for breath.  The half bottle of water I brought is but about two ounces now and my mouth was dry from heavy breathing. 



Still going uphill.  What was I thinking?

This would be the last photo today except the one I took of my wristwatch so "they" would know I was still alive at that time it was taken. I finally gave in and stopped to rest. Somewhere beyond here I also stopped the relentless uphill pace that had my heart pounding so hard I could hear it ringing in my ears.

The terrain leveled off during last 20 minutes of my "walk from hell" and I finally made it back to the car where Wayne was waiting.  I apologized with all the breath I could muster and collapsed into the car seat. 

My wonderful husband had not become overly concerned at my long absence. He had been watching climbers on Devils Tower and playing with the dogs. He knows me better than I know myself.  What a great guy.

I don't know how long I walked or the exact distance. I don't think it was really very far or for a very long time but I cast aside my better judgement and was reckless with Wayne's feelings. He forgives me. I promised never to do that again.

Sundance. Where The Festival Isn't

Sundance, Wyoming is a small, sleepy, western town tucked in the shadow of Sundance Mountain --not too far from the Black Hills. The town is steeped in western lore and it's been said that Native American tribes first sun-danced on the mountain here and that's why it has this name.  

The legendary Sundance Kit took his name from the town after spending 18 months in jail for stealing a horse, a gun and a saddle from a nearby ranch (that's still here).

Note.  Sundance, Wyoming is not where the Sundance Film Festival is held.  

Wayne holding Lexie,
Harry Longabaugh, seated in the corner, and
Me holding Ozzie.

About the photo above and the reason I'm squatted while Wayne is seated:  The camera is attached to the tripod that's precariously perched on the steps below the statue.  Because Wayne can't see the little buttons on the camera, I'm the photographer.  I frame the picture, set the timer and run to get into the picture.  All that with Ozzie under one arm.  Gee, I'm multi-tasking again.

We've stopped here in Sundance for a few days to see Devils Tower, an attraction of great interest to me and of little interest to Wayne -- but he's happy to take me to see it.  Hope you'll join us there.

Wyoming Wildfire

Driving east on I-90 today, about 8 miles north of Buffalo, Wyoming, we saw a wildfire. It was in the Bighorn National Forest.  

The first sign of the fire

A bit closer

This was as close as we came to the fire.
For a good perspective of the size of the fire and the distance we are from it,
look at the small houses and barns in the plains below the fire. 

Little Bighorn

In the valley of the Little Bighorn River, over two days in June 1876, Lt. Colonel George Custer, his officers, some 260 U.S. Army soldiers fought and died along with about 80 Lakota and Cheyenne warriors.  The land here is now a National Monument and is part of the US Department of the Interior's National Park Service.  We spent a day visiting the surrounding area, the town of Garryowen and the Battlefield.

The Battle of The Little Bighorn was fought near Garryowen, Montana

Busts of Sitting Bull, Lt. Col. Custer and the Tomb of the Unknown
Near Sitting Bull's Camp

Sitting Bull

Touring the battlefield at Little Bighorn was as moving as the visit to Gettysburg had been for me two years ago.

Little Bighorn Battlefield is a very solemn place.  Nice wide paths allow visitors to walk onto the wide open fields and a five mile drive gives everyone a chance to explore the full length of the battlefield.  Smoking is not allowed anywhere on any of the grounds. Animals, even on leash, are not allowed and walking outside the paths is also prohibited. Violators are prosecuted.

It was warm and the sun was bright the day we visited. The dry grass on the battlefield was gold colored.

The valley below is where the Indians were camped.

Research and battleground exploration have yielded enough evidence to place markers
where soldiers and Indian warriors are likely to have fallen. 

Rose colored granite markers are placed where the Indian warriors probably died.











Memorials to Those Who Died

Seventh Cavalry Memorial 

 Native American Memorial

The Story of Three Bears

As usually happens, the Labor Day weekend came around and we didn't have a campground reservation.  Heck, we didn't even have a destination!  We're just making our way east -- eventually into South Dakota with no real timetable or appointment.

Travel through northern Spokane, Coeur d'Alene, across the Bitterroot Range and the Lolo Mountains was scenic and enjoyable. We did wake up Friday morning to find a wet spot on the curb side of the coach under the half bath. Facing the long weekend we feared the worst.  Seeing a large RV dealership along I-90 we stopped to have the leak checked and were relieved to learn it was just the fresh water overflow leaking because we had a full tank and were parked on a bit of a slope.

The Columbia River  

This military plane flew very close overhead as we were driving down the highway.
That's bugs on the windshield. 

If there's one thing we've learned about finding a campground vacancy during a popular three-day weekend, it's to find a place without family friendly amenities.  By that I mean a place without a swimming pool, playground or planned activities.  More times than not we end up in a campground we like.   It happened again this year when we pulled into River Edge Resort, just off I-90 in Alberton, Montana.

Late afternoon at our campsite.

Our campsite at River Edge looked out over the Clark Fork River, the railroad and a mountain. It was terrific.  At first sight, I though Wayne would surely not stop. The campground was small with narrow dirt roads between the tall pine trees. He would have kept going too, I think, if he'd thought he could turn around somewhere. But he couldn't turn around and he did stop. I went in to register us for the next three nights.

Looking up the Clark Fork River 

Signs directed "RV Registration" through a door into a lovely rustic restaurant where I registered with the bartender.  The first thing I saw was a sign posted clearly that a bear had been in the campground two weeks earlier.  In fact, three bears had been here, looking for food. The bears were so persistent that they had to be removed by wildlife service personnel.  All three bears were relocated to a remote area. Clear instructions were given for what we should not leave outdoors at our campsite.  I learned that an elderly woman who lived nearby and fed bears regularly had died recently. The bears were, apparently, looking for a new source for meals. This was a bit worrisome when walking two small dogs late at night and early in the morning.


We never saw any bears while we were at River Edge and we loved being here with one exception: no campsite internet service.  The restaurant had really good wi-fi  though so I spent some time there with the computer.  The restaurant also had wonderfully delicious food.

Our campsite
The weather was great.  Sunny warm days, cool nights. No rain.  

Early morning train

We pulled out of River Edge and Alberton on Monday morning without ever seeing a single bear.

Next stop, Little Bighorn battleground.  Hope to see you there.