FISH CATCHING TRAVEL
Knockin Tail Lures by My Coast Outdoors
As we continue to deal with my eye disease the real issue in my case is driving. So we chose a place not a real long way from here, about 10 hours, to see how long I could actually drive and since I had never seen Rushmore we headed that way. There were a few things we wanted to accomplish besides the driving, see Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse, and find and photograph some Mountain Goats. Except for the driving it was a success. More on that later.
Deadwood South Dakota was a good location for both the goats and the monuments. This is their off season, and the motel prices were crazy good. We stayed at the Landmark which is an old classic remodeled and not only great for walking around but a free 4 pack of brew and a small bottle of complimentary wine. Plenty of downtown stuff along with some adult entertainment. One thing I will say about Deadwood is do not bring the kids if you plan on staying downtown, with casinos lining the streets many places do not allow children. Not saying there is nothing for them in the area just be advised downtown is oriented to “big kids”. The best thing about our visit it was truly off season and there were very few folks around.
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Mt. Rushmore
The Boss visited the area when she was a kid and told me I needed to see Mt Rushmore just once so one day we went both there and the Crazy Horse parks. Mt Rushmore was impressive. I will say it is a one and done, takes longer to get there than the few minutes to view, but it is something.
Mt. Rushmore.
After that we headed to Crazy Horse which is just 20 miles or so away. Not only is it massive as they continue work, the tour inside the visitor center is top notch. The history of how it came to be is amazing and the native American history and artifacts were very cool. It was so worth the drive and the one thing that was so interesting is when they started the feds came in twice and offered up to $10 million to participate. Rightly so they declined and kept control and fund raising because of the naked truth even today, they did not trust the government. Work continues today and when finished will be a must see for all.
Crazy Horse. His nose is 47′ feet high.
Hard to describe how big it is. On the right is the work on the finger that will be on top of the horse.
What the final will look like, decades from now.
There has been some talk about putting Trump on Rushmore, which is stupid and not only would it dishonor what has been done but cost a ton. And to illustrate some of the folks who support it please click on the link below. And man, what a comment on the uneducated.
God Help Us
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It was an easy short-day trip from Deadwood but I had alternative motives to visit by way of Rapid City – Bass Pro and Dakota Anglers. Bass Pro was simply for a pair of fit over sunglasses and Dakota Anglers just to visit. They are a fly shop which had everything you could possibly need. They even had a replacement net for my long handle boat net. Good folks, it was worth the stop so if you fly fish and ever visit be sure to stop in and see them.
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Mountain Goats
In our ongoing animal chase one that has been on my list for a while was the Mountain Goat. Though we saw a couple in Yellowstone a mile away with a high dollar spotting scope I wanted to get close enough to really see and photo them. The area has some, part of an original 6 that managed to escape years ago. So our research said Spearfish Canyon right outside of Deadwood and we got lucky.
Good luck, we found a couple.
We put in the time and effort on our searches and this was an example of good planning making or good performance. As we eased along the Boss said look up there, and way up on some rocks there was what looked like a big ass rabbit. Look closely at the picture below it is his foot sticking out and it just looks like a rabbit.
The Boss made this great spot, they were way up on the mountain. Looks a little uncomfortable but obviously not.
He lifted his head up and from that point he let us watch for a long time. Through the binocs it was so clear and again the long lens at least let us reach out and get some pictures. After a bit he got up and did a little grazing before disappaearing. What a cool animal and he still had his winter coat.
He got up and stopped for a snack.
Always wanted to see one up close. And while this was not close in the Binos it was amazing. One big bodied animal.
The Boss then spotted as set of horns peeking out from the same rock pile and there was another one. While he watched us he never did get up. But this encounter made my whole trip. And as I will get to, it was a animal watching kind of trip.
Its buddy never did come out from behind the rock. Watching us watching him.
When we headed back to town as we dropped down the hill right on the edge of town there was a few sheep on the highway. It was a fitting end to the day, and the amount of wildlife in the area, and on the trip, was great.
We did see several sheep on the trip.
From the time we hit the road in Colorado until we got home we saw the following – Mule deer, whitetail deer, elk, bighorns, mountain goats, coyote, antelope, and the Boss even saw a black bear outside of Salida. It would be hard to estimate the total but it was in the hundreds. Stuff was on the move and our timing was immaculate. We love our animals.
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And a final word on my ocular Myasthenia Gravis. It has turned out to be a tough thing to deal with. The best I have been able to drive in 3 hours, but when it is bad I cannot drive. The medicine has some nasty side effects and learning to deal with that has been a hassle. so this trip was a test trip. We will continue to travel no matter what but have to learn to space out the distances. But when you do not have to be anywhere no problem. Unfortunately, the days of knocking off 12+ hours without a sweat is over. But hey, at my age it could be worse and we will deal.
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The weather was stunning, and we enjoyed the drive and saw some new territory. But the forecast for this area was and is big snow the next couple of days so we pushed it all the way home. It is pretty certain we may get a foot or more but by Monday it will be back in the 50’s plus so time to finally get the boat. And we will be heading to Oklahoma to see the grandkids in a couple of weeks. From that point on we are looking at other places out west we have not visited. Retirement is great. So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.
Good Luck and Tight Lines