First, thank at all "fodorites" abouth their
opinions-travel beginning organised last autumn...

Day 1(saturday, july the 23rd.) :
theorically, Paris-Chicago-Salt Lake City-Rapid City...
In fact, Paris-Chicago...
Flight Delta, operated by Air France, landed in advance at Chicago, allowing us 2h30 for the connection, but....at the gate, impossible to open the "passerelle"...and after 2 hours , we have to change the gate and connection was gone...
Fortunetaly and during this "delay", Delta's personnal have reserved hotel/dinner and rerouted us next day and all was organised when arriving at the reenregistrement, so a deception but noway to be nervous...

Day 2 : arrival finally in Rapid City but at 3 p.m....Car taken at Avis and drive to Country Inn on Lacrosse...
Nothing particular, but my wife was a little disappointed by the swimming pool which is really too...small...
After a small shower, a little "tour" in
downtown(presidents's statues) and direction the Reptile Garden, because the Journey Museum was closed at 5 p.m.==>too short time allowed.
RG is classic, collection is nice and the bird show is good...
Diner at Outback near the hotel because we were too tired to look for another adress.
Before that , stop at the Wallmart(drinks, ice containers, fruits,...for the 1st week...).

Day 3 : first hike : Deerfield lake tour loop, a 10 mile hike, (very) moderately difficult...Very nice site, the hike is half in the woods, half in prairie, sometimes
"far" from lake, sometimes just near...
Weather was so-so, with some period of rains and some period of real sunshine with 10 mn of thunderstorm but without lightnings...
This have allowed for some real good pictures because "light" was very good for that...
Then, a visit to Hill City for some shopping in the "galleries"...
Noone have been able to explain us : why the
jewelry with the Black Hills gold is only 10, 12 or 14 karats and none in 18 Kts?...
After that, drive to the Badlands, via road 44, Scenic and Interior, with nights reserved at the Circle View Ranch...really
an adress to recommand : incredible views,
owner not to be surpassed in warmness and "family-type" breakfast just like you want it...
Dinner at the Cedar Pass Lodge, because our try at the bar or restaurant in Interior was
"too smoky"....

Day 4 : normally, we had a reservation with an indian in Pine Ridge for a horse ride to
a buffalo(bison) herd...Unfortunately,
rain, rain and rain in the morning==>drive to Kyle to cancel, and then we visit Red Cloud school and its small museum, the cimetery-lunch at the gas station in Pine Ridge with the impression being "transparent" for the indians-no animosity but no "friendness" also...
Then, Wounded Knee, very impressive in this bad weather and perhaps the beginning of
comprehension of this sadness : 2 people no more opponents but "stanger" to each other...Is the reserve part of South Dakota??? Seems to us that problem is in the attitude of both...
As we see the weather apparently better in the north, we drive to Wall, via Scenic and a gravel road...
Blue sky over Wall, and a stop to the Wounded Knee Museum(more than a museum this is a "comprehensive" center on the "conflicts" between Indians and White from the begenning to now...
Then a small tour in the shops : it's what you imagine it can be...Good for the childrens, but nothing really authentic...
Drive to Badlands via the scenic road with small hikes at some overviews...very impressive and another diner at the Cedar Pass Lodge.Night at the Circle View ranch.

Day 5 : after breakfast, drive to the Castle hike trailhead and we'll hike till fossil exhibit via Castle and Medecine roots back via Castle : a 12 miles hike easy and beutiful, and we were quite alone...except
the cross with saddlepass...
Coming back, nice encounter with a pronghorn who have accompanied us for 1/2 a mile...
Then, notch hike more strenous but short...
After ,drive to Hot Springs for a visit to
Mammoth site which was a good complement to the Badlands and the fossils...
Mammoth site is interesting and well organised.
Finally, road to the state game lodge at Custer park.During the drive, bisons, deer, elk, wild turkeys, prairie dogs,...No mile without wildlife...
Arriving at the Game Lodge, with easy check-in, but small room in the lodge...Noway, part of history and so even size of the room is small, it's great to be in an "summer
White House"...
Diner at the Pheasant room in the original
room : menu is nice and the food is great.Wine by the glass has a good choice...
Ceasar salad for both to beginn, buffaloribs for Anny, Bison steak for Erik, ice cream for
Anny, lemun custard for Erik.
Sleeping after such a day was not difficult...

Day 6 :
Hike to Harney Peak via Sylvan lake to go up and Cathedral Spires to go down.
Moderately strenous and as we drive early to the trailhead, not too much people...Going down, we can imagine how it will be after 11 a.m...
View from the summit is really impressive.
Then, Sylvan lake loop, very easy and unfortunately for Anny, beaches were closed==> no swim...Pic Nic at the Sylavn lake..As this was the middle of the afternoon, drive to Crazy Horse Memorial.
At our opinion, the drive to the "foot" by
bus is unnecessary because it's always too far from the memorial itself.
Museum and artifacts's exposition are very
rich giving a real nice overview/bead works, pipes, flute,...
Stop at Custer, visinting the museum(nice room about the Custer expedition in the Badlands and a court room like in the TV series...).
Diner at the pheasant room and a strange impression : why in this historic place, in
what is a "raffined" room is it allowed to dine in Tshirt, "barefeet" or with hat or caps keeped on heads... We think there is a "minimum" to respect in such place and that
money have not to allow this...
Food was excellent( chief salad for Anny pheasant ravioli for Erik, Trout for Anny
and Wapiti for Erik, Lemon Custard for dessert and glasses of wine...).

Day 7 : Check out easy but arriving at the pheasnt room to breakfast, we were "invited" to go the great room( tables were inoccuped in the historic room, we were in long pants,...) and so we refuse and finally drive to the Legion lake resort for a less
"raffined" breakfast but very more friendly...Service was made by students in summerjobs we suppose... It was very strange after our impression at dinner to be directed to this room...
Then, the prairie trail after encountering pronghorns, the mendiants burritos...Hike is easy and the flora is impressive.
Afterthat,French creek trail, by the east
trailhead for 2 hours : very quite, very wild
and so nice...
After the picnic, direction Rapid City to some shopping at Prairie Edge( an indian pipe and some other porcupine works...).
Then, interstate to Deadwood.
Check inn at the Franklin when we were attribued the Summer suites, very big,but...
with a refrigerator truck in the backyard...
As europeans, not using the A/C system, noise was too for us, I go to checkin and after discussion we were "rerouted" to the
Th.Roosevelt suite-another part of history...As Anny have used before the change the shower I let 20 $ to the room mades and what I was thinking one of the manager, seeing that(he was the responsable of our change..), finding him full of practical decision, I ask if he knows it will be possible to got some tickets for the rodeo...After reflection, saying "yes" he gives me 2 tickets, telling we'll be his guests...He was the owner...So Rodeo in the "loge" of the Franklin hotel's owner...
Nice to end this day, before diner at the 1903 dining room at the Franklin : normal to thank those sympathic staff and director : salad and a very good steak for Erik...and
Anny...

Day 8 : Drive to Devil's Tower...No disappointment for this well known Monument
since Spielberg's movie...but more than that a sacred place for the indians.
We have made the trails : Red Beds trail via
lower prairie and then, connecting trail to the Joyner trail, with a picnic : Doing that
it's allowed # 7 miles, not difficult, around the tower in a great variety of woods,
prairies,...
Then, the tower trail easy, allowing a good
view/tower, the climbers and with good
interpretive pannels.
Back to Deadwood for the historic walking tour and a dinner at the 1903 before a walk
on main street for an ice cream(salad and bison steak for Erik, salad and trout for Anny).

Day 8 : leaving the Franklin with regrets-Roosevelt suite is big and the only inconvenient is that it's just over the Veranda, the outdor bar of the hotel, but as it closes at 11 p.m. it's a small inconvenient....
Drive to Spearfish canyon and more precisely
to Little Spearfish for the little Spearfish Canyon trail : moderately streanous, but so charming : flora is incredible and the way back along the creek is so nice that it is
a deception when it is finished...
Then a little hike on one of the film's set of Dancing with the wolwes(the one of the winter scene...).
Brunch at the lodge in Spearfish : very good truit, very sympathic service but not
usefull if you want a quick service...Noway
we have time.
Then, drive to Keystone for our week at the
RRR ranch.
We met Jack, the owner on the parking lot
of the museum and we drive to our "cabins"..
Due to some difficulties, Jack and Cheryllee are between their old cabins and the newone
and have had to find accomodations for this year...They find an arrangement with people who have renewed and old minercamp 8 miles from Keystone, in the middle of nowhere and so quiet, peacefull with incredible sunrise and sunsets...Our cabin was incredibely great in size : kitchen, living and dining room, sleeping room, and 2 rooms for luggage, clothes,...
For one week, rides every morning and every afternoon, with those particularities :
-Cheryllee's breakfast were so good and vary
everyday...
-rides were without loping due to the nature of the trails : mountain and rockies...some
prairies allow just some short period of trotting...But the panoramas are so nice,
the trails so different each other that there is noway to "uniformity".
-there is a "breakfast" ride, with a very raffinated "brunch" : Cherryllee developps treasure of good meals...
-there is a all day ride passing trhu Spokane a ghost town...
-Jack organises a drive to the lighting ceremony at Mount Rushmore and at the lasershow at Crazy horse : 2 good experiences, but the evening at Mt Rushmore was marked by a thunderstorm...
-due to rain the wednesday afternoon, drive to rapid City to visit the Journey museum : that is really one of the most well organised museum we know and 2 h is the minimum to visit it.
-some morning on the prairie just in front of our window, a hard of deers...just like in a moovie...
-last dinner was even better that the others(if it can be : shrimp cocktail, salmon, steak,baked potatoe, salad,...and ice cream...with both californian and bordeaux...).
Difficult to quit after that...And arriving in France surprise : no gain in weight despite all those good meals...

Back flight to France : just problem in Atlanta : due to thunderstorm , we have landed with 50 mn of delay with a connection
of 55 mn...Forunately, another good job from
Delta's personnal : they arrange with Air France to allow the connections and due to an "overbooking" in the coach class by all those delays, as frequent flyers we have been overclassed : and so, good sleep in back flight and no important jet lag...
Only problem : luggage have been delayed(I think 30 mn was sufficient for us, but not for them at Atlanta ) : we have recupered them at home, 2 days after...
So 2 very busy weeks : a lot of history, a lot of nice people...and a lot to see for a
2nd stay next year : more hikes to do, the caverns to visit, the sage creek area in badlands for the bisons, the horsehike with indians in Pine Ridge, the deadwood cemetary,... Finally, one or 2 stays...???
We'll try to avoid the Sturgis's weeks...not
because bikers are imprudents : they drive carefully, but noise noise and noise==>we'll choose the last 2 weeks of july, allowing us to be there during Deadwood's day of'76...
Erik and Anny MONPETIT.