Oglala Powwow

Hi,

Anyone got any dates for the August 09 Powwow at Pine Ridge?

Cheers

Roger

Oglala Powwow

Hi Roger,

Here%26#39;s another link for you:

www.travelsd.com/ourhistory/sioux/powwows.asp

It looks like for the past couple of years, it has run the first full weekend in August. The link I provided has a phone number to call to verify dates. The site says that mostly they occur the same time each year, but you can call to doublecheck.

Based on this and the August 2009 calendar, it looks like it should run around August 7-9.

Oglala Powwow

Hi,

Many thanks

Roger

rimmel

Panning for Gold

Hi,

Coming over from the UK next August and would like to do some real Gold panning. I%26#39;m waiting for Wade Mill to get back to me, but can anyone suggest somewhere we could do some %26#39;real%26#39; panning, possibly with a local!

Cheers

Roger

Panning for Gold

Hello,

Here%26#39;s a listing of gold mines in the Black Hills that offer panning:

scenicdakotas.com/sd-goldpanningtours.shtml

From what I have read on this site, Wade%26#39;s seems to get high recommendations, but it may not offer the ';local'; experience you are looking for. We visited Big Thunder Gold Mine in Keystone, but we did not pan for gold. The tour was quite interesting, and the guides do a nice job in explaining the story behind the mine.

Accomodator, the local destination expert, may have some tips on finding a local who might pan with you. Good luck.

Panning for Gold

You might try to contact somebody with the local prospecting club.

www.blackhillsprospectingclub.com/home.html

I don%26#39;t know a lot about it, but you%26#39;ll find the ';real'; gold panning near places like Mystic, Silver City, Rochford, Dumont, Savoy and so on. You probably won%26#39;t find much further south near Mount Rushmore or Custer State Park.

Since this post was in the Badlands forum, keep in mind that any gold panning is a good 50-100 miles away from the Badlands.

Also...

www.blackhillsprospectingclub.com/buddy.html

Many Thanks

Roger

Hi, Thanks for that, yeh sorry I didnt think of the Badlands when I entered the query. We are heading up towards the Black Hills for about 6 days later in the holiday and will be based around Spearfish %26amp; Custer.

Thanks for your help

Best Wishes

Roger

reptiles

Custer State Park in June

We are looking to go to Custer State Park in mid-June 2009 and I was wondering what the weather would be like. We are going to be tent camping. My oldest son will just be back from six months in the Middle East and I wanted to be sure we did not freeze him out. Thanks,

Custer State Park in June

Mid-June is a usually pretty good time. It could be cold at night but at least it won%26#39;t be too hot. You%26#39;ll certainly want to bring jackets and throw in some fall/spring type gear.

Enter Custer, SD and your dates into this website to get an idea of the averages. You%26#39;ll see that lows in the 40s are average and it could dip into the 30s.

www.wunderground.com/tripplanner/index.asp

Which campground are you planning to stay at? Sylvan Lake is the highest/coldest at over 6,000 feet. The others are generally around 4,500-5,000 feet and a little warmer.

Custer State Park in June

We were thinking about the State Game Lodge area.

Not to mention the possibility for some good sized thunderstorms. May and June are when I usually camp and you%26#39;ll definitely need some warm gear for the night times.

Good breakfast place in Sioux Falls

We%26#39;re staying in Sioux Falls this July en route to Mr. Rushmore. Can anyone recommend a good breakfast place there? Before we make the long trip to Keystone we%26#39;d like to relax with a good starter. More interested in quality than price. Thank you!

Good breakfast place in Sioux Falls

When we lived in Mitchell, SD and drove frequently to the Twin Cities or Willmar, MN to see our parents we would stop at the Perkins on Cliff Rd. just off of I-90. Good food, especially breakfast items, and since then have added lots more bakery items. Nothing special or local ';one of a kind'; but consistantly good. It got to be that we could hardly go through there without stopping at the particualar Perkins.

There%26#39;s an ';Original Pancake House'; on 41st St. on the south side of Sioux Falls. Never ate there but the chain as a good reputation and it is close to I-29 to go up and connect to I-90 and head west.

Good breakfast place in Sioux Falls

Thank you both for the sugggestions! I used to eat at a Perkins when I lived in Madison, and they did have a good breakfast menu.

Try Marlins up on North Cliff Ave. Food and price can%26#39;t be beat!! Atmosphere is like an old garage. They do allow smoking there, though. (A bad thing IMO)

Thanks for the suggestion Nanjo!

Deadwood Gaming Package... What's in it???

Has anyone bought this ';gaming'; package? If so, what kinds of coupons are in the Wild Bills Killer Coupon Book???

Historic Deadwood Gaming Package

Starting at $89.00 per person

Pricing based per person and lowest priced lodging

Take a step back in time and try your luck in famous Historic Deadwood! The entire town is a registered National Historic Landmark%26#39;s full of year round fun. You%26#39;ll find over 80 gaming halls offering the hottest slot machines and live Blackjack, Texas Hold%26#39;em and Poker tables. Make the most of your winnings with Wild Bill%26#39;s Killer Coupon Book: $350 worth of gaming and entertainment coupons. Package includes 2 nights lodging and $350 Wild Bill gaming and entertainment coupons.

VALID DATES: 10/31/2008 - 12/31/2009

Deadwood Gaming Package... What's in it???

My hubby and I did do this for our anniversary two years ago and I loved it. I am a coupon user; my huisband was a little embarrased by it, but hey, we were saving money, right? Most f the coupons that we used were for buy one get one free drinks and meals. That came in handy cause we were out to enjoy the town for a couple nights and days. I also got a cute pin from Saloon No. 10 that was free by handing in the coupon and a couple other souvenirs. Of course the coupon book is aimed at you spending more money, but since that%26#39;s why we were going there, I thought it was worth it.

The hotel that was ';assigned'; to us was nice and on the trolley route, so we could drink and not drive. It had an indoor pool and hot tub. I would buy into this ';gaming package'; again.

Deadwood Gaming Package... What's in it???

Thanks for the reply! I think we are going to try it out.

Without any kind of package, most hotels will give you five or ten coupons for whichever casino may be associated with their hotel. I usually use a couple and the rest aren%26#39;t worth it.

What you%26#39;d get with this package...I%26#39;m not sure. The biggest thing to look out for is which hotel you get and how much cheaper would that hotel be if you didn%26#39;t buy the package. If the hotel is acceptable and it%26#39;s a good price for lodging, go for it. If they don%26#39;t tell you which hotel you%26#39;re going to get and just assign you one, my preference would be to avoid the package.

Driving through area and need advise

We will be driving through on our way to Missoula from Omaha for a bicycle tour. We plan on spending the night both ways in this area. We won%26#39;t have much time to see the sites, but do want to spend Thursday morning and early afternoon site seeing. I would love suggestions on a place (or places) to stay in the region as well as what we shouldn%26#39;t miss in such a short time frame.

Driving through area and need advise

You could stay in Keystone and get Crazy Horse,Mt. Rushmore and possibly Iron Mt. Road in Custer state park done in that amount of time.

Driving through area and need advise

The Black Hills has a wide variety of attractions to keep one busy for well over a week, so with your limited time frame, you will need to pick and choose.

The region offers national monuments, museums, caves, national parks,hiking, Custer State Park, wildlife viewing, scenery, and so much more. Can you tell us some of your interests, and we will be able to help you much better?

I%26#39;m sure Mt. Rushmore will be obviously on your list of must sees, as this is what most come to see. CeCe mentioned Iron Mountain Rd, which is part of Custer State Park. This road is known for its pigtail bridges and tunnels that frame Mt Rushmore. Custer State Park also has the Wildlife Loop where you can see bison, prairie dogs, big horn sheep, pronghorn,etc,and the Needles Hwy. offers some classic Black Hills Scenery. Any of these drives is fantastic and will give you a good feel for the Hills.

Most visiting the area stay in Keystone, Hill City, or Custer, as these towns are most central to the attractions.

Be sure to visit travelsd.com to get a feel for the area and its numerous attractions.

Please come back with any more specific questions you have.

Need advise/Badlands National Park & area

We are planning a vacation to the area for late May or early June. We have never been to the area and will only have a few days to spend there so we would like opions on; things to see, things to do,restaurants, best town to stay in, motels,etc., etc. Does it cost to get into this national park? If so, how much? Any advise will be apperciated. Thank you!

Need advise/Badlands National Park %26amp; area

We were there in June 2008. We stayed at K Bar S Lodge in Keystone. We did Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Custer State Park and Badlands. We did not spend much time in Badlands or in Custer because we knew we would see wildlife in Yellowstone. I know that you are going on the YNP because I saw your post under YNP. The State Game Lodge buffet lunch in Custer State Park is great. They have the best bison stew and delicious homemade desserts. After the Black Hills we went on to Deadwood and Devil%26#39;s Tower and Cody before going on the YNP again. We did part of YNP in 2007.

Need advise/Badlands National Park %26amp; area

Hi Tennessee,

How many days will you be spending in the area? What are some of your interests? Hiking? Museums? wildlife? If you can be a little more specific, we can help you so much better. In the meantime, I will help as much as I can.

Badlands National Park has a $15 entrance fee that is good for one week. This park is more of a ';drive-thru'; park that doesn%26#39;t require a lot of hiking to see. There are numerous overlooks and some great photo ops.

Here%26#39;s my short list of my personal ';must sees'; in the area:

Mt Rushmore

Custer State Park

Crazy Horse

Badlands

Devil%26#39;s Tower

Wind Cave

Jewel Cave

There are many other things of interest that you might be able to work in, depending on your time frame.

Ok..lodging..As I tell everyone, visitors typically stay in Keystone, Hill City or Custer, as they are most centrally located. I have personal experience with the Roosevelt Inn in Keystone and really liked it. K Bar S Lodge gets very good feedback on this site and really looks nice from the website. Hill City has a nice looking Holiday Inn Express that usually gets pretty good reviews on here.

Restaurants....We absolutely loved the Alpine Inn in Hill City. They only serve filet for dinner, so if that%26#39;s not for you, try the lunch menu. The desserts are to die for anytime! We also really enjoyed Big Time Pizza, which is located right at the Roosevelt Inn in Keystone. Very good gourmet pizza!

I see CeCe mentioned you are headed to Yellowstone after the Hills. Be sure to stop at Devil%26#39;s Tower on the way there. You could also include a drive on the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Highway to see a couple nice waterfalls.

travelsd is a great website to visit to get a feel for the area.

Hope this helps to get you started. From what I read here, you might get some cooler weather that early in the season.

Please stop back with any more questions.

We are hoping to stay 2 or 3 days at each place. (Badlands %26amp; Yellowstone) We would like to see some waterfalls if they are not a long hike (we will have the 3 year old granddaughter with us) Mt. Rushmore we will be seeing for sure. Crossing into Wyoming we would like to see Devils Tower if its not that far off interstate. I have read a lot of great reviews about it too. Right now we are just trying to get some ideas of where others have been and found interesting and like very much and then go from there. Theres not much we don%26#39;t like but I don%26#39;t think we will have the time for long, long hikes. (plus I don%26#39;t want to have to be the one to carry a 3 yr. old) We are going to try to get this trip ';mapped-out'; before going on it so it don%26#39;t end up like the trip we took several years ago to the Grand Canyon. (we had nothing reserved, spent half a day finding a motel then went to the park and didn%26#39;t know what to do or where to go...LOL) Thanks for everyones help!

Tennessee,

Your description of yourselves helps greatly. First of all, I would probably nix the caves with a 3 year old. You have no idea how she will react underground, and there%26#39;s no point in upsetting her unnecessarily. If she were a bit older, I%26#39;d say go for it, but there are other things you could do she would enjoy.

Mt. Rushmore is great for all ages. Definitely include a trip to Devil%26#39;s Tower if you can. You and she will love seeing the prairie dog town there. I would also include a drive on the wildlife loop in Custer SP. She will love seeing the animals, especially the wild burros. Watch out..they will put their entire head in your car looking for food. I remember my husband hollering a few unmentionables, followed by ';it%26#39;s a rental!'; They are VERY tame, but neat to see.

The Badlands would also be a good choice for you, as it doesn%26#39;t require long hikes.

Given the age of your granddaughter, I%26#39;d also recommend a visit to Bear Country and/or Reptile Gardens in Rt. 16 in Rapid City. Bear Country is a drive through animal park with a small zoo at the end. There%26#39;s a nice gift shop on site. Reptile Gardens has some fun shows on birds, alligators, and snakes,along with many reptile exhibits. We loved seeing the giant toroise. There%26#39;s one area that children can put their head into a glass dome and feel up close and personal with the prairie dogs. Our daughter was 7 when we visited, and she loved this.

One of the waterfalls on the Spearfish Canyon Scenic drive is right along side of the road. The other requires a hike of a little less than a mile. When you go to Yellowstone, you will see the waterfalls at the canyon, which are much more impressive than any of the ones you will see in the Black Hills.

Speaking of Yellowstone, I am defintely going to go off topic here and say one thing about a 3 year old there. I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;ve already considered this, but be very watchful of her around the thermal areas. The colors can be brilliant...very enticing for youngsters. There are boardwalks, but it%26#39;s very easy for someone to walk right off the side into a hot spot.

You will see some wonderful wildlife in Yellowstone that will amaze your entire family! It%26#39;s such an amazing park to experience!

Back to SD, definitely visit the website I mentioned...travelsd.com. It will really help you. There%26#39;s a good map in the center of the booklet if you have them mail one to you.

You are wise to have a plan and everything mapped out. It%26#39;s no fun trying to get a plan once you get there. With only 2-3 days in each place, you just won%26#39;t have time.

If you have any additional questions, just ask. Have fun planning.

rimmel

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