Bicycling the Black Hills

This month has been busy! One last thing I need to get rid of before we can officially be full time RVers is my car. Please let me know if you need one – it’s a 2007 Ford Focus SES with only 31,800 miles on it. It even still smells new! We bought it last summer and left for AZ in October, so we hardly drove it. I have had it on the market since March but to no avail, and now I have dropped my asking price $2000 below book. At only $9,500 it’s a great deal, since we paid $13,500 for it!

My friend Dusty is planning a bicycle trip in September from Hot Springs to Spearfish and then back via the Mickelson Trail. After the house sale, I decided I needed a goal to work for so I’m now training for Team Turtle’s ride. I bought a recumbent bicycle (a dream I’ve had for many years) to help with back, neck, shoulder and seat pain! So I’ve been taking it and Ron’s comfort bike on some of the roads we’ll be doing. One of the bike trips I just did last week was from Keystone to the top of Iron Mountain through the pig tail bridges and tunnels. Everything is so green, and the birds are singing, water is gurgling in the little brooks, and the wind sighs in the tall ponderosa pines. There is no smell like the Black Hills anywhere else I’ve ever traveled – so spicy and sweet. It was a wonderful ride although a lot of work to go up these mountains. Two things I found I have to be mindful of – one is to make sure I have good brakes and the other is the poison ivy which covers the roadside all the way to the edge of the road (I feel sorry for the ditch mowers). Today I biked the Needles Highway. Pictured is one of the tunnels on the way up, the Needle’s Eye and the Gordon Stockade in Custer, where one of Ron’s ancestors got into trouble with the Army for squatting in the Black Hills illegally in the 1870s. I sure have fun talking to tourists and seeing the sights! As I continue to train, I’ll keep you posted!

Visit to Sioux Falls area

After we closed on the house we traveled with the 5th wheel to camp out at Ron's daughter's place by Sioux Falls. We went to the zoo in Sioux Falls and just enjoyed being with the girls and watching them watch the critters! Scott took us fishing one evening at a hot spot by Menno. I have never seen so many kinds of fish in one spot, and Myra was quite the angler! She not only brought in a large mouth bass, but also bluegill and bullheads! Scott was able to snag some crappie, too! Fun. The animals were fun to watch - I know this kitty is pretty challenged beauty-wise, but I thought he was in an interesting spot there soaking up the sun on his skinny perch. What a great time we had with everyone! Now we're in the Rapid City area for a while - stay tuned!

What a beautiful wedding!

David and Joanna were married Friday, May 22, 2009. Ron and I brought the 5th wheel up to a campground nearby, and my brothers Roger and Ron drove from Minneapolis to attend. John and Elizabeth drove from Idaho too. Pictures were taken at Canyon Lake Park and the wedding was by Black Hawk, SD. What a beautiful couple, both inside and out! I am so happy for them and proud of them. I think they have had a great start. It was fun to meet Joanna's family and her little niece and nephew were great - they were the ringbearer and flower girl. I think more flower petals spilled out of the basket than were tossed out (so cute!) What a wonderful day and a great wedding!

I didn't try too hard to take pictures but these are the best of the ones I took (plus a few from someone else). If you want a picture that you can reprint in bigger format, just email me at suecleland@hotmail.com and I'd be glad to send it to you.

Spring flowers and shed delivery

Spring flowers are popping everywhere! The purple one is South Dakota's state flower, the prairie pasque flower, the first one to appear. Yellow violets, white starflowers and white flox are carpeting the sides of the warm south slopes. The bunny is feasting on the fresh green grass - I saw one trying to choke down a grass stem at least a foot long! Today the storage shed arrived from the lumberyard. We watched the truck sway down the road as we followed. Then the scary part ensued - the truck was parked on a slight hill so I was really nervous that the shed would tip out sideways. But our man was an expert and all was well. Ron put fence posts under it so he can roller and shove it into position next week. Then I get to primer and paint it. And we'll start moving in our stuff! Looks like our house will be selling at the end of the month.
We're so excited to hit the road!