Sunday, February 5, 2012

D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery

So our Saturday started off by visiting the Cosmos Mystery Area followed by touring the National Presidential Wax Museum.  We headed to Deadwood stopping at Pactola Lake then off to have lunch at the Sugar Shack.  We then took advantage of a photo op at the World's Largest Easy Glider and a stop at the Boondocks.  We finally made it to Deadwood where we saw where Wild Bill Hickok was buried and looked around town.  Whew~~but wait! We weren't finished yet!

We arrived at the D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery ready for a little more fun.

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We were ready to have some fun!

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They apparently want to keep the place clean.

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And they even provide the bags!

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We took a little bit of time to feed all the fish and ducks in the pond.

I would not consider myself a history buff by any means but I do really enjoy seeing old things.  Whether you call them retro or vintage I just like looking at things and thinking about the stories they could tell if they could talk.  Here are some of my favorite pics.

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There was this boat that you could look in and it was really neat.  I am not sure if I could live on a boat like that but it was fun looking at it.

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I saw this in the gift shop where I was buying my patch.  I collect patches from all the places I've been to.  Anyways there was a sign asking folks to vote for your favorite park.  Since they are the only ones that asked me to vote, I did!

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After all that fun we headed back to Rapid city.  Boy were we tired.  I didn't get any pics of this but on the way we kept seeing all these Ford Mustangs.  Like a ton of them.  So I googled it and guess what?  There was apparently a Sturgis Mustang Rally!  Well that explains it then!

We tried to eat at the Alpine Inn but it was too crowded and we were way too hungry so instead we ate at a restaurant across the street.  I can't remember the name of it but it was supposed to be authentic Tex-Mex.  We're from Texas and trust me...for the area that you are in this is as probably as close to good Tex-Mex as you'll get but it wasn't great.

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So you know my favorite website to find odd and unusual places to visit is RoadsideAmerica.com.  On there you'll find a tip for something called Lawnmower Pile-Up in Rapid City and here's my pic of it!

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Our day was done and it was time to get some rest.  What a great day and many thanks to Nick for taking us to see all those wonderful sites!

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Deadwood SD at last!

We enjoyed our little adventure at the Sugar Shack and the Boondocks but it was time to get back on the road to Deadwood.  Now if you don't know about Deadwood it's where Wild Bill Hickok's grave is. 

From the Deadwood website:

Welcome to Deadwood!

With ongoing restoration, Deadwood is being transformed back into the frontier town that once drew legends and legions in search of their fortune. The entire town is a Registered National Historic Landmark, but don’t let that fool you. Behind all the historic facades is plenty of modern-day fun. The famous and infamous have left their marks here. Men, like Wild Bill Hickok and Seth Bullock, and women, like Calamity Jane and Poker Alice, made this town legendary.  Come and discover the lure of Deadwood. 
Follow in the footsteps of legends as you explore the beauty and history of this one-of-a-kind Wild West town.

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The cemetery is located on the top of what seems to me like a small mountain but Nick says it's considered a hill.  As our car headed higher and higher I kept thinking, seriously how do these people get around in the snow and ice!  People from Texas would be completely immobilized for sure.  It seemed treacherous enough in dry weather but Nick got us safely there.

To get to the cemetery we still had to walk up an incline.  I am not in shape.  Well I am a bit round and that's a shape but I am by no means able to skip my way up what felt like a very steep incline. 

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Interesting to note that both Wild Bill and I were born on the same date.  Just 130 years apart.

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If you look closely at the back right corner you will notice that there's something there.  Here's a close-up of what it is.

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Assorted coins, a cigarette and several cards that I presume represent Hickok's dead-man's hand.  From Wikipedia:

Hickok's dead-man's hand

Main article: Dead man's hand

"Dead man's hand"

When shot, Hickock was holding a pair of aces and a pair of eights, all black. The fifth card's identity is debated, or had been discarded and its replacement had not yet been dealt.[49] In 1979, Hickok was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame.

Death

Wild Bill had a premonition Deadwood would be his last camp, and expressed this belief to his friend Charlie Utter (also known as Colorado Charlie), and the others who were traveling with them at the time.[47] On August 2, 1876, Hickok was playing poker at Nuttal & Mann's Saloon No. 10 in Deadwood, in the Black Hills, Dakota Territory. Hickok, as a precaution, usually sat with his back to the wall. The only seat available when he joined the poker game was a chair that put his back to a door. Twice he asked another player, Charles Rich, to change seats with him, and on both occasions Rich refused.[48]

A former buffalo hunter named John McCall (better known as "Jack" or "Broken Nose Jack" McCall) walked in unnoticed. Jack McCall walked to within a few feet of Wild Bill and then suddenly drew a pistol and shouted, "Take that!" before firing.[citation needed]

The assassin's bullet hit Hickok in the back of the head, killing him instantly. The bullet emerged through Wild Bill's right cheek, striking Captain Massie in the left wrist. Legend has it that Hickok had lost his stake and had just borrowed $50 from the house to continue playing.[citation needed]

Calamity Jane was also buried nearby.

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We headed back to the car to continue our adventure.

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So we head back to the city and park in a parking garage on the top floor.  M and Nick wanted to wait on the elevator and I said it would be faster to use the stairs.  Plus think about all the amazing health benefits!  So we made a bet to see who would make it down first.  We knew the elevator was about to open up so I had to work fast.

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I take off down the stairs but what they've both forgotten is I'm clever.  Very clever.  I'm so clever that I went down one flight of stairs and ran to the elevator and pushed the button.  ::haha::  That's right folks now the elevator was going to stop on the way down on that floor.  I proceeded to do that each flight of stairs that I went down.  Guess who won?  I have to admit I'm pretty awesome blossom.  Extra awesome.

A pretty cool little town that had a lot of personality. 

We arrive at the No.10 Saloon.

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We were expecting and hoping to see the actual table that Wild Bill was sitting at when he was shot. We were told that it was temporarily off display.  Ummm...okay.  That's weird.  Nick later found out that we weren't even at the right place and the actual table was at the real No.10 Saloon.  Oh well we'll catch it on our next trip and it was still kind of cool inside there anyway.

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They did have a chandelier that I of course took a picture of.

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The trip was not a total bust as they did have this!

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Not only do I love phones but I also love water towers.

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We had already packed so much fun in one day but we weren't finished yet.  Off we go to visit the D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery and Archives!

 

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Heading To Deadwood

On the road again heading to Deadwood, South Dakota which was our next destination we passed this sign which is something I've definitely never seen where I live.

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I didn't see any bighorn sheep which was a disappointment but I kept an eye out for them.  I mean have seriously any of my friends EVER seen a bighorn sheep out in the wild? 

Nick had told us about this lake called Pactola Lake and we asked him to stop so we could take a look.  It was breathtakingly beautiful and I literally could not speak for a moment as I was mesmerized by the beauty.  I wish my pictures could do it justice.  If you click on the pics it makes them bigger but I just suggest you head up there and see for yourself.

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M headed down to get a closer look

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I joined him and Nick took our picture. 

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And then M took one of Nick and I

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It was absolutely gorgeous and we would have loved to spend more time exploring the area but we were getting hungry and I also wanted to see one of my "attractions" from RoadsideAmerica.com

So off we were again heading to eat lunch at the Sugar Shack which is right of 385.

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If you want to see a few more pics of the inside click below.  It's a small place but big on atmosphere. 

The onion rings were definitely yummy.

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M ordered the Bubba Burger and Nick ordered the Kraut Burger.   

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Although I liked the name of M's burger, I opted for the chili dog complete with homemade chili.  They had the chili in a crockpot right up there on the counter. 

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Nick attacked his burger.

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As M contemplated his...

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Minus the jalapenos that M chose not to eat i would say that M prevailed against the burger.

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Now as I was taking pics of my food, as I always do, I noticed this couple near me watching and whispering. Yes, I know it's a bit weird but how else can my multitudes of fans see what I'm eating if I don't take a few ::cough:: ::cough:: a lot of pics?  I explained to them I have this little blog where I share this and that.  I am sure they still think I'm weird, possibly even weirder now that I've spoken to them in this tiny restaurant about why I'm taking pics of my food but at least I've explained myself.

Right by the Sugar Shack there is the home of the World's Largest Easy Glider.  I had found out about this from my favorite website RoadsideAmerica.com.  I of course had to stop.  I'm so lucky that my kids and my bff M are always so indulgent in my wanting to see things like that.

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Back on the road again we passed a little group of stores called Boondocks.  Have you heard of that song called Down in the Boondocks?  Well once I saw the sign I absolutely HAD to stop.  I had that 45 when I was a kid and it was one of my favorite songs.  Down in the boondocks...down in the boondocks...people put me down 'cuz that's the side of town I was born in....I love her, she loved me....

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Anyways they had tons and tons of 50's fun stuff and here's a glimpse of some of it.

Cool cars

Musical stuff

Coca-cola stuff

They had this vintage cash register that was the same kind I had when I was younger.  If it was for sale I would have totally bought it!  I may have to ebay it and see if I can find one. 

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This part of the shop that I'm about to share with you, besides finding the cash register above of course, was my favorite part.  I'm not necessarily a huge Elvis fan however, this room totally cracked me up.  The signage and all that was in there...awww just keep reading.

This lamp came from the Presley home in Graceland.

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There was a chair in the room that you'll see in the video and here's the signage that went with it.

This video gives you a tour of the Elvis room where Suspicious Minds played in the background.  Simply classic.

Please enjoy...