Crocidiles, Snakes and Lizards….oh my!

Posted on August 29, 2014 by liv2rv

If you love snakes, spiders, alligators, crocodiles and birds (and who doesn’t?!!), then Reptile Gardens, located just South of Rapid City, is a perfect place to spend an afternoon.

Hello!

Good to know

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Reptile Gardens has more species and sub-species of reptiles than any other zoo or park in the world. They offer several informative programs every day, on snakes, birds and a popular alligator/crocodile show. One of the more popular residents of Reptile Gardens is the giant tortoise. There are two species, Galapagos (which is endangered) and Aldabra (which is a threatened species). They average 500 pounds in weight, and 4 to 5 1/2 feet depending on the species. They are very gentle creatures, and it was fun getting to pet them.

making new friends!

These little ones seemed to be having some fun!

just playing around

The Sky Dome contains a tropical jungle with birds, lizards, and small turtles roaming around. It also has a beautiful display of tropical plants and flowers.

Reptile Gardens

They have several different species of Amazon and Macaw birds on display, that seemed quite happy with their surroundings, and were oblivious to us humans.

Macaw’s

The Alligator/Crocodile show is very popular, and educational as well. The handler discusses the difference between the two species, and will show you how to wrangle them, if you so desire!

don’t try this at home!

During the show, the handler comes out with a bucket of raw chicken legs, which they seem to enjoy and swallow whole.

yummy chicken!

At the end of the show, the handler goes around with Fluffy, their baby crocodile. Who can resist petting her?

petting a baby crocodile

They do have an exhibit of a Komodo Dragon, which is the largest lizard in the world. Males can reach up to 10 feet long. The Dragons will eat snakes, pigs and pesky tourists, according to the sign at the display.

Komodo Dragon

But the highlight of Reptile Gardens is their impressive display of snakes. What is the worlds most deadliest snake? According to Reptile Gardens, it is the Inland Taipan, as it has the most toxic venom of any snake known on the planet. However, because of its limited range of living in remote Australia, there are no known deaths from this snake. This snake was hiding out in the back of the display, so I was unable to get a good picture of it.

Inland Taipan

The Rough-Scaled Python, is considered to be the rarest snake in the world. It is non-venomous. The species were first found in 1976, but a second one was not located until 1983. They were found in Northern Australia, and Reptile Gardens was the first place to have, and to breed them, outside of Australia. They live in sandstone crevices and usually come out after dark to warm up on heat stored in the rocks.

Rough-scaled Python

The Boomslang, found in Tropical Africa south of the Sahara, is the most venomous rear-fanged snake in the world. The snake is able to open its mouth a full 180 degrees, to display its potent fangs.

Boomslang

The Black Mamba, found in Central and South Africa, is the second longest venomous snake in the world, growing up to 14 feet in length. If left untreated, 100% of Black Mamba snake bites are fatal. Just 2 drops of their venom is lethal, and a bite will usually deposit 15 drops. This snake just shed it’s skin, which was left in the cage on the left. The snake is sprawled out on the right side.

Black Mamba

The Australian Scrub Python, a non-venomous snake, is the largest species native to Australia. They can get up to 28 feet, although 16 feet is the norm. There are two snakes in the photo below, all wrapped up together. They are the only 2 in the United States.

Australian Scrub Python

The Anaconda, a non-venomous snake, is the largest, heaviest and second longest snake in existence. (the longest snake is the Reticulated Python) They can weigh up to 300 pounds, and grow 22 feet in length. The females have been known to eat smaller males!

Anaconda

The very large, non-venomous Burmese Python can lay up to 100 six-inch eggs. They are unusual in the reptile world in that they will incubate their eggs by coiling up around them, and raising their body temperature about 7 degrees.

Burmese Python

This is the skeleton of a Burmese Python, which contains 328 pairs of ribs and 400 vertebrae. It is estimated this snake weighed 150 pounds and was 19 feet in length.

Burmese Python Skeleton

The cost for Reptile Gardens is $16.50, which includes a pass allowing you to return all season.

Quote of the day: “Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river.” – Chinese Proverb

Yabba Dabba Doo!

Posted on August 22, 2014 by liv2rv

Custer, SD

We both grew up watching The Flintstones, which originally aired from 1960 – 1966, and then many years after in reruns on Saturday mornings. Custer, South Dakota has the Flintstones Camping and Theme Park and we were always curious about it, driving past it many times in town. Since we could receive free admission with our VIP passes (normally $10.00 per adult), we decided to check it out. This went into our “glad it was free” list, although we managed to have a ‘Yabba dabba doo, gay ole time’! It took us about 30 minutes to see everything in the park, so it is pretty overpriced for what you get (in our opinion).

We started out taking the train ride around the property.

all aboard!

And then entered Bedrock City, which is a re-creation of the buildings from the television series, along with a few new “attractions” found only in the Black Hills, such as “Barney Peak” (a play on Harney Peak)

Barney Peak

And Mount Rockmore (we still haven’t figured out who the person is on the far right, next to Dino)

Mount Rockmore

The park has Fred and Wilma’s house.

The Flinstones house

Dan was trying to take Fred’s car for a spin.

no keys, just foot pedals

Next door was The Rubble household of Barney and Betty.

The Rubbles

Barney has quite the aerodynamic sportster.

Dan decided to hang out with the girls.

Betty and Wilma

They have a downtown area, complete with movie theater, fire department, beauty parlor…

Downtown Bedrock

and the jail

Bedrock PD

After the buildings, there is a children’s playground area with swings, slides and stuff. I was talking with a few mothers that wished they would put this cartoon back on the air, and take off Sponge Bob. Their children had no idea who any of the characters are on The Flintstones. We agreed that their kids are missing out on a classic cartoon series.

a great tv show!

We did not see any of the camping section of the park, as it is well secluded from the road and the park.

Quote for the day: “Make it good Fred, I gotta tell Betty the same story.” – Barney Rubble

South Dakota Air and Space Museum

Posted on August 19, 2014 by liv2rv

Next door to Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder, SD is the excellent South Dakota Air and Space Museum (free to everyone, donations happily accepted), which contains dozens of airplanes, helicopters and missiles both indoors and outdoors.

B-1B Lancer from the front

The exhibit includes planes that were flown out of the AFB, such as the B-52 Stratofortress, EC-135 Looking Glass, B-29 Superfortress, and the B-1B Lancer, which is currently in use at the base. There is an optional tour available of the base ($8, free with VIP pass). It was the first time we had been on an active military base, and we were happy to venture out with our friends Forrest and Mary for the tour. Our tour guide stated they normally do not put a “current model” out on display, but this plane had been heavily damaged, so they scraped it for parts, and placed it prominently on display in front of the museum.

B-1B Lancer

We were impressed by the massive size of the B-52 plane.

B-52 Stratofortress

It’s predecessor, the B-29 Superfortress, was also a great looking plane.

B-29 Superfortress

The EC-135 Looking Glass was another plane used at the base.

EC-135 Looking Glass

The photo below has the Nike-Ajax Missile in the center, the F-101 Voodoo on the far left, the C-47 Gooney Bird and the C-131 Samaritan on the far right.

Nike-Ajax Missile

More planes on display

various planes

The photo below has the T-38 Talon on the left, and the A-7 Corsair – II on the right.

The tour of the base was approximately one hour, with a stop at the Minuteman Missile Silo right on the base. Currently, there are over 3,000 people living on the base. At its peak, during the Cold War era, over 7,000 members were assigned to the base.

The AFB used to contain the 44th Missile Wing, which was in charge of the Minuteman Missile Sites. The base contains a silo that was used for training on all facets of the program. The first silo was installed in 1963 near Wall, SD. By the end of 1963, over 150 missile silos were dispersed across South Dakota. All training for the personnel was done at the AFB. The end of the cold war was reached in 1991, and the missiles were deactivated. The 44th Missile Wing was disbanded in 1994. You can read more on the history of the 44th and the Minuteman missiles here.

The missiles were brought to the sites using the maintenance vehicle below. The back-end of the vehicle would raise up and over the missile site in the ground, and they could lower the missile down into the silo.

maintenance vehicle

The next vehicle to arrive would contain the actual nuclear warhead and would also sit over the site. They would put covers down over the hole, and would complete work on the installation.

2nd maintenance vehicle

The entrance into the silo required a secure, double entry system.

double entry

Since this was a training facility, the officers grew tired of having to go down the hatches every day, so stairs were built at this silo.

We were able to look down into the silo at the missile.

maintenance opening

deactivated warhead

There are electrical components surrounding the silo.

electrical components

The museum also contained a display of the launch control center, which were capsules buried underground throughout South Dakota. Each center was in charge of 10 missile silos.

launch control center

The museum and tour of the base was an excellent and informative lesson in our military history. It is definitely a “must see” item if you come out to this area. There is also a Minuteman Missile Site and Launch Control Facility operated by the National Park Service about 60 miles East of the base. We have not yet visited that facility, but hope to do so before we leave this area in a few weeks. You are not able to go down into the missile silo at the park service facility, as they do not have stairs like the AFB had put in their training silo. But they do offer tours of the launch control facility on a first come-first served basis. And they are only able to take 6 people down at a time in the control center. So if you are interested in the missile site, it would be a good idea to tour the museum and Ellsworth Air Force Base as an alternative.

Quote for the day: “If you can walk away from a landing, it’s a good landing. If you use the airplane the next day, it’s an outstanding landing.” – Chuck Yeager

Harney Peak – Hiked it. Liked it.

Posted on August 15, 2014 by liv2rv

Harney Peak, in Custer State Park, is probably the most popular hiking trail in the area. At an elevation of 7,242 feet, it is the highest point east of the Rocky Mountains and west of the Alps. Harney Peak was named after General William S Harney, who served with the U.S. Army from 1818 to 1863. With our friends Forrest and Mary, we decided to tackle the 7 mile round trip hike, which has about a 1200 foot elevation increase.

Everyone was all smiles at the beginning of our trek, which started out as a relatively easy path to navigate.

just getting started

After a moderate climb, we encountered many spectacular views of the Black Hills, with its granite rocks.

spectacular views

After about an hour, we got our first glimpse at the shell that remains of the fire tower on top of Harney Peak. We all thought “we have to get all the way over there?!” (you can see our destination is at the center of the picture below)

first glimpse of fire tower

We continued on, going up in elevation, and then down again, through the woods, over a small stream, and around many small boulders. The hike started to get a bit more challenging. One boy coming back down from the top said he scared away a rattlesnake for us…thanks! We continued on our climb.

rattlesnake free!

As we continued our climb, we could hear thunder in the distance, which we are finding to be typical weather here this summer in the Black Hills. Cell service was intermittent, but Dan did keep an eye on the weather radar on his phone, so we wouldn’t get caught up in anything too serious.

threatening skies

The only annoying part of the trip was listening to everyone coming down proclaiming “you only have 15 more minutes”. This went on for at least an hour!! Finally one girl told us “you still have a long way to go!” But the majority of people coming back down all had smiles on their faces, and said it was worth it.

For Dan and I, this was the first major hike that we have done. Forrest is an experienced hiker, and he agreed we picked a good hike for our first time.

a happy hiker

We started to get a better glimpse of the old fire tower as we continued our climb. Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps from 1935 – 1938, it remained in use until 1967, and was stripped out of its furnishings and plumbing.

getting closer!

The views, even with the storms in the distance, were getting even more spectacular, as we continued getting above the tree line of the Black Hills Forest.

Black Hills

We continued climbing, the temperatures were dropping due to the elevation, and the wind was picking up. There are many twists and turns during the final ascent of the hike, and then more stairs?!

more stairs…uggh!

Onward we climbed, only a “few more” minutes! Then one final climb inside the old fire tower, to a walkway with even better views.

still more to climb

We made it!

Mary & Forrest at the top!

made it!!

view from the top

We spent awhile at the top enjoying the views, had a snack, and then began the journey back down. We promised not to tell anyone coming up how much time they had to go. On our way down, we heard a loud roar off into the distance, and realized there were two giant B52 planes flying overhead. It was fun to watch these beasts fly over the hills.

Coming back down was the quickest part of the trip, of course, and we did get a bit ahead of Forrest and Mary. While we were waiting for them at the end of the trail, we heard some laughter, and turned around to watch them run the last hundred yards or so of the trail! Apparently they wanted us to know that even the “old folks” still had some “pep in their step” after 5 1/2 hours of hiking!

showing off!

All four of us would recommend the Harney Peak hike to anyone in the area!

Quote for the day: there is a bench at the beginning of the trail that has a perfect quote:

Life is a journey, take time to enjoy every step

Sturgis Motorcycle Museum

Posted on August 11, 2014 by liv2rv

During our Sturgis visit, we spent about 45 minutes touring the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum. During the rally, admission to the museum is $10.00, free with our VIP pass. There are 2 levels of exhibits to the museum, and covers a brief history of motorcycles and the history of the Sturgis Rally.

Sturgis Motorcycle Museum

They have several dozen motorcycles on display, including many brands that we never heard of. In 1938, Indian Motorcycle Dealer J.C. “Pappy” Hoel and the Jackpine Gypsies Motorcycle Club held the first races in Sturgis. This became the basis for starting the Sturgis Rally in August. This is a 1938 Indian Chief.

1938 Indian Chief

Just 10 years later, the Indian Chief model:

1948 Indian Chief

Here are some earlier models of the Indian motorcycles:

1923 Big Chief

Indian motorcycles were very popular racing bikes, before Harley Davidson started producing racing models.

1911 Indian

In 1914 Harley Davidson started sponsoring motorcycle racing, and hired engineers with racing experience to come up with this “speedster”

1915 HD Board Track Racer

The Flying Merkel was known as one of the fastest racing bikes in its time.

1912 Flying Merkel

This chopper was built by OCC Choppers Paul Tuetel, and is supposed to mimic BIC’s Flex 4 razor (or so the sign says!)

BIC Flex 4 Chopper

Many motorcycles from other countries are on display as well.

lots of other brands

In 1949, the Indian motorcycle company tried to go with a more European style, to compete with the many imported motorcycles that were gaining popularity in the US.

1949 Indian Arrow

This motorcycle was designed specifically for London’s fog and rain. It can hold up to 4 people, and keep the riders relatively dry, due to the larger windshield and lower leg fairings.

1966 Matchless w/sidecar

Perhaps this is why people enjoy riding motorcycles so much?

Quote for the day: “Only a biker knows why a dog sticks his head out of a car window.” – author unknown

Having a “blast” and Sturgis too!

Posted on August 8, 2014 by liv2rv

We have spent the past week listening to the roar of motorcycles, all over the Black Hills. The 74th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is in full swing this week, and we have enjoyed meeting riders from around the world who are visiting Crazy Horse during their stay. We also decided to take a few hours on our day off and visit the city of Sturgis. They say attendance is down this year, estimating 200,000 – 450,000 riders are attending this years rally. Since 2015 will be the 75th anniversary of the rally, they believe many riders are waiting until next year to attend. And if you are planning on bringing your family to the Black Hills next summer, you may want to avoid the first two weeks in August, as they are expecting one million riders next year!

During the week of the Sturgis Rally, Crazy Horse had several additional blasts on the mountain for our guests. You can view the blast from Monday, August 4th, by clicking HERE. The video clip will show just how small 750 tons of granite is, compared to the overall size of the mountain. We had thousands of visitors attending the blast on Monday. I work in the Indian Room gift shop, which sells items such as jewelry, pottery, paintings, and craft items hand-made by Native Americans. This week our visitors have been mostly male, and I have really come to appreciate how quick and efficient men are as shoppers!

I had one male guest try on one ring, and he said “I’ll take it”. I was explaining to him that women usually need to look through all the ring trays, then ask their family/friends what they think. It can take 15-30 minutes for women to shop for a ring. He laughed, turned to his friend and asked “Does this ring make me look fat?!!!”

We also had a visit last week from our good friends Mike and Sue, whom we have known since college. Their daughter Jordan had a cheerleading camp on the Eastern side of the state, so they ventured west for a few days. It was a lot of fun catching up with them. Hopefully we can see them more often on our travels! Go Jackrabbits!

Sue, Dan and Mike

I did have another unusual visitor this week. It is not everyday that a couple comes in with their pet parrot, “Miss Bubba”!

Many of the “hard-core” bikers, are busy shopping for gifts for their grandchildren! It has really been a fun week of work. A lot of our visitors have commented that they never heard about our place, and were so thankful they stopped by. They were also thankful that Crazy Horse didn’t raise their prices like many of the other attractions have done during the rally. It is only $5.00 per rider, and many have been so overwhelmed during their visit, that they have made additional donations to the foundation.

I have told many of the riders the best thing they can do is tell others about Crazy Horse Memorial, because about 25-30% of the people who come to the ticket booth, refuse to pay and turn around. They don’t want to pay for something they can see from the road, or something that is “not finished”. They don’t understand all that there is to see and do, and think they are getting ripped off by having to pay. Trust me, you will get your money’s worth. So many people are so thankful for the memorial.

But enough about work, on to the fun and craziness at Sturgis! We drove up scenic Highway 385, which goes into Deadwood, and then on to Sturgis. It is about an hour drive taking this route, and we passed thousands of motorcyclists on the way. It was a blast seeing so many riders on the road.

Hwy 385

on the way to Sturgis

This wayside was a popular stop-off for the riders.

gotta go!

Downtown Sturgis had bikes lined up for blocks and blocks.

downtown Sturgis

blocks full of bikes

These were some of our favorites.

very patriotic

This one can sure hold a lot of stuff!

Motorcycle RV?

Always travel with your pets!

Shilo

There were many food vendors, selling all kinds of food (this is for you Mary Y!!!)

yummy!

We also took some time to visit the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum, but since this blog is already long and full of photos, I will do a separate post on that. Sturgis has a reputation for “anything goes”, and even though we were only there a few hours, during the afternoon, we did manage to see a few “unique” fashion accessories, as well as interesting apparel choices (note: these are a little more “R” rated photos, so proceed at your own risk!)

not the food pasties

supporting Breast Cancer!

Full body tattoos is very popular:

Many bikers wear chaps when they are riding, and there are certainly many looks with the chaps:

We had a great time visiting Sturgis during the rally. We pray that all the riders have safe travels home.

Quote for the day: “You do not need a therapist if you own a motorcycle, any kind of motorcycle!” – Dan Aykryod

Mount Rushmore National Memorial

Posted on August 1, 2014 by liv2rv

After our first foggy visit to Mount Rushmore, we returned with our friends Forrest and Mary while they were in town. As you approach the memorial from Highway 244 out of Hill City, you enter past a turnout that displays a profile of George Washington. When we pulled in to the turnout, not a single person was looking up at George, and we quickly discovered what all the excitement was about. There were Rocky Mountain Goats on both sides of the roadway, We had these two right in the parking lot.

Mom and baby

And a more adventurous pair across the roadway into the hillside. These goats were introduced to the Black Hills in the 1920’s, and have adapted quite well to the area.

When Gutzon Borglum started carving Mount Rushmore, he originally planned to put Thomas Jefferson on the right side of Washington. After the workers started blocking out his face, it was discovered there was not enough good quality rock for carving, so they blew up what they hard started. As a result, it left a good profile of Washington.

profile of Washington

As you enter the memorial, you go through the Avenue of Flags, which has 56 flags representing all of the states and territories of the US. It also makes for a popular photo opportunity.

Dan, Forrest & Mary

The memorial has a Grand View Terrace, for excellent views of Mount Rushmore. Beneath the terrace if the Lincoln Borglum (named after the sculptors son), which contains a museum, theatre and bookstore. The museum has a photograph of what Mount Rushmore looked like prior to the construction.

prior to October 1927

After Gutzon Borglum died in 1941, his son Lincoln spent seven months working on the monument, but then Congress declared the monument complete on October 31, 1941 This is how the memorial looks today. The heads are 40 feet tall. (since we are working at Crazy Horse Memorial, I do have to note that all four heads of Mount Rushmore will fit on the side of Crazy Horse’s head!)

Mount Rushmore 7/2014

There is a walking path that takes you a little closer to the memorial, and down to the sculptors studio. In the studio, there is a 1/12th scale model of what Borglum had planned for Mount Rushmore. His plans were never completed. All of the Presidents were to be carved down to the waist.

1/12th scale model

The small museum near the visitors center has many photographs and articles that go into great detail on the history of the memorial. It also talks about the pointer device that was used to project the dimensions from the 1/12th scale model on to the mountain for carving. This photograph demonstrates an example of the pointer (Math is important!)

pointer device

We took the walking path around the memorial, and were able to get a nice photograph of the grand view terrace, and the amphitheater. They have a nightly lighting ceremony, which we plan on attending one of these nights. (admission to the memorial is free, but there is an $11.00 annual parking pass).

Grand View terrace & amphitheater

Mount Rushmore is a “must see” item if you are in the area.

Quote of the day: “Well, those figures were there for forty million years. All I had to do was dynamite 400,000 tons of granite to bring them into view.” – Gutzon Borglum

Liv2RV

Living and working around the country in a RV

Monthly Archives: August 2014

Crocidiles, Snakes and Lizards….oh my!

Yabba Dabba Doo!

South Dakota Air and Space Museum

Harney Peak – Hiked it. Liked it.

Sturgis Motorcycle Museum

Having a “blast” and Sturgis too!

Mount Rushmore National Memorial