South Dakota in September--WOW!

 

If you know Sparky, you know she's an Indiana girl..she LIKES fall, cooler weather, COLD weather and yes, even snow! So, when she saw these temperatures, it was a big "YIPPEE!".   Eldo, not so much. Sparky thought he was worried about the pipes freezing, but he says, "I'm not worried about the pipes freezing, I'm worried about ME freezing!"

We are at Elkhorn Ridge RV resort in Spearfish, SD for 7 nights. It's a little more expensive, but then again, many of the parks in this area average over 50 a night. Elkhorn Ridge is about 67.00 a night. Lots of amenities...a beautiful pool, nice walking paths, quite a few beautiful cabins, and a great location for visiting the Spearfish area.

one of many beautiful cabins at the park

It looks like a fisherman's paradise, judging from all the people we have seen fishing the local rivers. There's a championship golf course across the street. The resort has a gift shop, grocery store, beer and wine, an expresso coffee bar, lighted tennis, pickle ball and basketball courts, horseshoes and volleyball, too. There are three shower houses and three laundry facilities located on the premises and free wi-fi. Here is the pool area....

The sites are spacious and long, but there isn't much shade here in this park. The trees have not matured very fast since the last time we were here about 10 years ago.

It's 60+miles from the RV Park to Custer State Park, Mt. Rushmore, and Crazy Horse. There's the beautiful Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway drive, which is about 15-20 minutes from the RV park.  Four wheeling is huge in this area, and there are quite a few places to rent them. Sparky is VERY excited about the Mickelson Bike Trail, a 109 mile trail. She plans on riding that in the next day or so, just as soon as the weather breaks.

Today is a super rainy COLD day...so we are planning and researching our future travel plans. The wind is out of the north/northwest and it's raining hard, holding at 45 degrees for the moment, but heading downward. We will see you later, when it warms up. Sparky has a surprise in store for our readers, something you can do on a rainy cold day in September. See you later!

Forgot to mention....

I mention this just in case our voltage problem (we're still having one) might happen to someone else. We spent the entire day Friday in Rapid City, S.D. at Eddie's Freightliner Service Center for the second time due to a low voltage problem message that comes up when Eldy is driving. It says "low threshold" then gives a voltage between 12.0 and 13.0 that is below normal for what it should be. The gauge reads below the half mark line, not a lot below, but enough that an exclamation warning "DING" comes on. A LOT in a short period of time, then it quits sounding the warning. For the second time, we have taken the RV in, and by the time we get it to the Freightliner Service Center and hooked up, they run computer diagnostics, and everything is fine! I have to say the Eddie's Truck Center/ Freightliner people were wonderful. They are mystified at the moment what the problem might be...the alternator doesn't show any signs on their diagnostics as having a problem, so we were sent off yesterday with the caveat--"if it happens again, turn around, come right back in, and don't shut the motor off!" Sure thing, guys...but we've decided to "head out of Dodge" i.e., Rapid City.

We decided to stay Friday thru Sunday outside of Spearfish, a really cool town...it's like a little oasis in the middle of prairie grasslands, but now there are more hills and the Black Hills are in the background. We found a relatively new RV resort between Deadwood and Spearfish called the Elkhorn Ridge RV resort. After being smooshed between two RVs at the No Name Campground for the last couple of nights (about three feet in distance between our living room slide and the neighbors'), we were ready to have a little more space between us and our neighbors. We've got the space here, that's for sure! Elkhorn Ridge is open all year round which is terrific news for travelers with all the campgrounds closing right and left around us. Rates are reasonable, just under 30.00 a night with a Good Sam's discount.  Elkhorn Ridge is part of a community development occuring all around the RV campgrounds--9 hole golf course just opening this summer, new housing coming in, it's really going to be a fabulous area in just a few years. The area looks very economically healthy, especially in the town of Spearfish. It's a fisherman and hunter's paradise....Since it was such a dreary day and rain clouds hung over us all day, we visited a really cool fish hatchery in Spearfish. The rainbow trout were HUGE!  On Sunday, we plan on exploring the George Mickelson Bike Trail, a 109 mile trail that follows the Deadwood to Edgemont Burlington Northern rail line.  More than 100 converted railroad bridges and four hardrock tunnels are along the trail. Can't wait to ride it!

Our site

36 small and large cabins w/sculptures

Today's photos are of the Elkhorn Ridge Campground--cool statues, nice small and large cabins for those who don't have a camper or RV, concrete pads for RV sites, beautiful pool (now closed), 2 hot tubs, lighted tennis court and a very nice lighted basketball court, gazebos near the pool, horseshoes, big campstore/lodge with a liquor store inside with local wineries' offerings, showers each have their own bathroom inside the enclosed shower room, and nice laundry facilities. The Black Hills are in the distance, it's very beautiful here.

Campground sunset

P.S. We have a little hitchhiker on board....a little mouse or chipmunk. Eldy saw a fast shadow cross the floor early this morning---twice! Off to the store to buy mousetraps!