Today we were brought to our knees on the Spearfish Country Club golf course. It wasn’t pretty. However, we had a great time because we played with our friend, JoAnne Ice. She is a member of this club and she not only got us on, but she had gift coupons that she used so we only had to pay for the golf cart. And we needed a golf cart. This course was, how shall I describe it, a lot of tough rough, with a little bit of fairway thrown in for good measure. And it went up and down like a roller coaster. And did I mention the wind? The wind blew in from the north so it was cool and windy. Rayman lost many balls. It was a real test of golf and we failed. However, a great time was had by all three of us. So much fun to see JoAnne. She spends half the year here and half the year in Los Osos. Her husband, Chuck’s grandfather, settled here and this is where the family is well known. The local airport is named after his grandfather, Clyde Ice. And Chuck lent us a book about his grandfather which we both hope to read before we leave Spearfish.
Our hostess, JoAnne and the Rayman
The most exciting thing that happened on the golf course was the hawk that we saw swoop up a green racer snake and fly off with it in it’s talons. And a blackbird or crow was in hot pursuit. Figured the other bird wanted the hawk to drop the snake but that did not happen. Tried to get a picture but no luck there. Too hard to work the phone when one is all excited. And we were on about the 15th hole. I looked at JoAnne and asked her if they have a lot of snakes here. She told me that the pro shop tells people not to look for their balls in the high grass which is exactly what we spend the morning doing. Yikes. Lucky that flying snake was the only one we saw.
Yesterday we ran errands and drove down to Rapid City where we experienced a hail storm. It was coming down so hard and fast that I spotted a gas station with a high overhang so I squeezed in-between the cars that were lined up at the pumps. And I was not the only one that thought of that. We all sat in our quickly fogging up cars until the hale stopped. The thing about the weather here is that if you don’t like it, wait 5 minutes. It will probably change. Layers are an important fashion consideration. While we were shopping for mundane things in Rapid City, my chicken mole was cooking away in the slow cooker. Boy it smelled good when we got back. As I was making some caesar dressing, I checked my phone and JoAnne and texted me. The Ice’s invited us over the wine and pizza. Well, we weren’t going to turn that opportunity down. And so we stopped meal preparation and skedaddled over to their place (very close to where we are at Chris’s RV Campground) for a lovely evening. It was so much fun to talk to someone other than each other. We had a great time. Not that the Rayman is boring. There is never a dull moment with him. As all my readers must know by now!!
Tomorrow we are getting up really early and heading to Mount Rushmore. It’s about an hour away. Then we’ll take in Custer’s State Park.
Main drag in Deadwood.
Oh, I forgot to mention that after golf, we collected Beau and drove to Deadwood, SD and Lead (pronounced with a soft a). Deadwood has gambling and they have used much of the proceeds to refurbish all the old buildings. The Visitor’s Center is located in the old railroad station and it was, in fact, the railroad that made the area. They discovered golf here in the 1800 and the town was never the same. The town sits in a V shaped valley with big hills rising up from the bottom of the V, so to speak. Believe me when i tell you this is no place for senior citizens to live. All the houses are perched on the sides of the hills and are two story, at a minimum. Lots of stairs just to enter the front door of these places. The town is a tourist trap but cute. Lead is up the road from Deadwood (where Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane lived (not together). Wild Bill was shot in the head while playing cards in Deadwood.
Hole in the ground in Lead, SD
But I digress.
Lead has a huge hole in the ground and JoAnne reports that because of the mine, homes are starting to slip a bit. Just too much dirt removal. My idea is for all people in the state to send their trash to Lead and fill up the hole. It’s an eyesore to my way thinking and it is perfect for burying garbage. Heck, the hole is already dug!!
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