Random Thoughts 15: Crystal Clear 2021 Edition

[Cyclones_R_GR8]

Watched a movie called Triangle last night

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1187064/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

It starts out as fairly typical horror fare but once you get to the 2nd act it just goes wild. I found it quite interesting.

 

[BoxsterCy]

Days like this with lines of storms I enjoy looking at airline routing.

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You could overlay that big mostly empty area with the radar.

No storms here but it looks like it will actually rain soon. Was skeptical, cause 2021, so watered my wilting and browning ferns yesterday.

 

[jcyclonee]

Thanks for all the replies. We plan at going to a different area each day. We are staying just outside of custer and will branch out from there.

What we have planned to see/do for sure

• Custer state park
• Wind cave and hot springs area
• Rapid city (air and space museum and maybe museum of geology, my daughter loves rocks) and hit Rushmore late afternoon into evening
• Horseback riding near crazy horse
• Renting a utv near spearfish
• Jewel cave and sylvan lake at some point
• Badlands on the way out

We are planning on doing all of the scenic byways depending on how motion sick my wife gets, she gets headaches not the upchuck kind. Bear country, reptile gardens, 1880s train and mystery area are possibilities as is devils tower if we have time.

There are some cool hikes that I would like to do but don't know if my kids will do(they are 10 and 8), Harney peak being one. Something like the devils bathtub would be fun too.

There are 3 certainties for this trip, my wife will hate being in the van, my kids will complain about too much hiking, especially if I drag them to Harney peak, and we may have to rent a uhaul to bring all of the rocks home that my daughter is going to pick up.

You have a good itinerary there.

With kids those ages, I would try Bear Country and Cosmos. After one cave, you'll find out if the kids like it enough to do the other cave. Be sure to get out and pet the donkeys in the wilderness loop at Custer State Park.

You'll have a blast whatever you do. It's a great family trip.

 

[VeloClone]

You have a good itinerary there.

With kids those ages, I would try Bear Country and Cosmos. After one cave, you'll find out if the kids like it enough to do the other cave. Be sure to get out and pet the donkeys in the wilderness loop at Custer State Park.

You'll have a blast whatever you do. It's a great family trip.

I'm sure that is a euphemism for something...

 

[VeloClone]

About Harney (Black Elk) Peak...

Make sure you are dressed for the weather - when you leave and when you will be getting back. Mrs. Velo and I hiked it about 25 years ago when we were camping in the Black Hills early in the season. We were appropriately dressed for just about anything - jeans, t-shirt, flannel shirt, windbreaker - so we were ready. We met another couple going up as we were going down that weren't. She was dressed in a short sleeved white t-shirt and her Daisy Dukes. Not long after we met them the weather turned and pretty soon it was raining. In five more minutes it started hailing - nothing big, but it was uncomfortable enough that we found a bit of cover against a rock with some trees about. While we hunkered down we saw the couple running back down the trail. She was soaked and had to be terribly cold. There was enough hail that it looked like it had snowed. The weather report said nothing about this kind of weather. Down at Sylvan Lake they didn't get any hail and I don't think they even got any appreciable rain.

 

[ImJustKCClone]

Thanks for all the replies. We plan at going to a different area each day. We are staying just outside of custer and will branch out from there.

What we have planned to see/do for sure

• Custer state park
• Wind cave and hot springs area
• Rapid city (air and space museum and maybe museum of geology, my daughter loves rocks) and hit Rushmore late afternoon into evening
• Horseback riding near crazy horse
• Renting a utv near spearfish
• Jewel cave and sylvan lake at some point
• Badlands on the way out

We are planning on doing all of the scenic byways depending on how motion sick my wife gets, she gets headaches not the upchuck kind. Bear country, reptile gardens, 1880s train and mystery area are possibilities as is devils tower if we have time.

There are some cool hikes that I would like to do but don't know if my kids will do(they are 10 and 8), Harney peak being one. Something like the devils bathtub would be fun too.

There are 3 certainties for this trip, my wife will hate being in the van, my kids will complain about too much hiking, especially if I drag them to Harney peak, and we may have to rent a uhaul to bring all of the rocks home that my daughter is going to pick up.

I made Lew put a basketball-sized chunk of pink granite in the trunk of our car on one trip!

 

[BCClone]

About Harney (Black Elk) Peak...

Make sure you are dressed for the weather - when you leave and when you will be getting back. Mrs. Velo and I hiked it about 25 years ago when we were camping in the Black Hills early in the season. We were appropriately dressed for just about anything - jeans, t-shirt, flannel shirt, windbreaker - so we were ready. We met another couple going up as we were going down that weren't. She was dressed in a short sleeved white t-shirt and her Daisy Dukes. Not long after we met them the weather turned and pretty soon it was raining. In five more minutes it started hailing - nothing big, but it was uncomfortable enough that we found a bit of cover against a rock with some trees about. While we hunkered down we saw the couple running back down the trail. She was soaked and had to be terribly cold. There was enough hail that it looked like it had snowed. The weather report said nothing about this kind of weather. Down at Sylvan Lake they didn't get any hail and I don't think they even got any appreciable rain.

So, what I get from your explanation is that there are wet T-shirt contests at Harvey’s peak. Now I am wondering about my oldest bringing back a marker from when he climbed it.

 

[SaraV]

Agree on all of this and especially Devil's Tower.

 

[ImJustKCClone]

But there's no flat spot on the back side!!!

 

[Cyclones_R_GR8]

Funny story about Devil's Tower.
January of 2020 I attended my niece's wedding in Blacksburg Va. On the way back I decided to stop at Luray caverns and being that I was pretty close tp DC I needed to get a DC Harley shirt. I was wearing my Badlands Harley shirt and the woman commented on it. I said I had to stop by Wall Drug on the way to Devil's Tower. She didn't know what that was so I asked he if she ever saw Close Encounters. She said yea and I said you remember the big flat topped mountain at the end?
Her response was "You mean that's real??"
I pulled out my phone and showed her a couple of pictures.

 

[Cyclones_R_GR8]

About Harney (Black Elk) Peak...

Make sure you are dressed for the weather - when you leave and when you will be getting back. Mrs. Velo and I hiked it about 25 years ago when we were camping in the Black Hills early in the season. We were appropriately dressed for just about anything - jeans, t-shirt, flannel shirt, windbreaker - so we were ready. We met another couple going up as we were going down that weren't. She was dressed in a short sleeved white t-shirt and her Daisy Dukes. Not long after we met them the weather turned and pretty soon it was raining. In five more minutes it started hailing - nothing big, but it was uncomfortable enough that we found a bit of cover against a rock with some trees about. While we hunkered down we saw the couple running back down the trail. She was soaked and had to be terribly cold. There was enough hail that it looked like it had snowed. The weather report said nothing about this kind of weather. Down at Sylvan Lake they didn't get any hail and I don't think they even got any appreciable rain.

You can get all kinds of crazy weather in the Black Hills in the summer. The first time I was there it was about 35 degrees on the morning of July 13th

 

[BoxsterCy]

Been raining for a couple of hours. Like moderate non-thunderstorming stuff. Might actually soak in. Guessing this ends up being a normal summer 1-incher which isn't normal at all for this this spring/summer. Garden boy is somewhat pleased.

 

[SCyclone]

Been raining for a couple of hours. Like moderate non-thunderstorming stuff. Might actually soak in. Guessing this ends up being a normal summer 1-incher which isn't normal at all for this this spring/summer. Garden boy is somewhat pleased.

Soaker rains have kinda become like calliopes and singles in baseball.....they're fun to reminisce about, but you just don't see them anymore.

 

[SCyclone]

Long-time co-worker and good friend climbed Devil's Tower some years ago. He told me that at the top, he wandered over by the edge to look down.....and suddenly he felt an almost overpowering urge to jump. He quickly moved away. He talked with a couple other people who had had a similar experience up there.

 

[jcyclonee]

Long-time co-worker and good friend climbed Devil's Tower some years ago. He told me that at the top, he wandered over by the edge to look down.....and suddenly he felt an almost overpowering urge to jump. He quickly moved away. He talked with a couple other people who had had a similar experience up there.

I've found that the best way to prevent that is by not climbing it.

When is your official retirement day?

 

[SCyclone]

I've found that the best way to prevent that is by not climbing it.

When is your official retirement day?

Friday.

 

[stormchaser2014]

That was a loud one.

 

[Cyclones_R_GR8]

Friday.

 

[jcyclonee]

Friday.

Wow. That's not too far off!

 

[Ms3r4ISU]

Friday.

I shall celebrate your occasion during the PowerHour that follows the nephew’s wedding that evening. Apparently there is a “brew canoe” involved.