Great laces.Great paces. S. Dakota/Labor Day wkend

“JUST POSTED.... Those going will determine what is done on trip. (But Badlands are a MUST, so there! lol)

Car pooling to South Dakota! Lets load up those SUVs and split the horrendous gas costs!

Meet in SE MN Thursday night, Sept. 1, to put things into one vehicle (4 people to vehicle, YES, we can have more than 1 vehicle!) Location is 1/2 to 1 hour from I-90.

Itinerary is open. Would like to backpack overnight on short trip in Badlands (perhaps to Deer Haven?) and of course to see buffalo!

Other possibilities:

- Bagging Harney Peak and/or backpacking overnight there in Black Elk Wilderness

- Backpacking at Wind Cave National Park, which is nice!

- Hikes in Custer State Park (other than Harney area)

- Potential stops at Mount Rushmore and/or Crazy Horse for the tourons in the group.

- And speaking of tourons, OF COURSE WE WILL STOP AT THE CORN PALACE!! :-)”

“Really... this promises to be great fun!

Great faces. Great places. Great laces. Great paces. GREAT FUN! :-)

lizs knows her way around South Dakota
:-)”

“Dang! There's no easy or cheap way to get to SD. At least three airline stops along the way. I would sure love to see Wind Cave.”

“Oh, I was just asked about this. Yeah, I do mean Minnesota. I'm figuring perhaps a contingency would be coming from east of my location in southeast Minnesota, meet at my place, and could carpool for the 8 or so hour drive, taking turns driving overnight.

If others want to come from other areas, you can meet us at the Badlands Friday and set up your own rendezvous points, if desired, for car pooling. (Badlands is not a place you get to easily on other forms of transportation.)

Least that's my plan. The overwhelming response so far, hack, cough... aaack!... may find me making other plans. :-)”

“Stovey, La Crosse?

Fly to Mpls again? I know Airtran was just having a sale... don't know if it's still on??

There are ways, Stovey!! Get to my place (or have me or someone else get you)... and we drive and drive and have fun and drive. LOL!
last edited: 8/10/05 4:41:09 PM”

“And why do you want to see Wind Cave so bad? I actually liked Jewel Cave's decorations better, unless you're talking backpacking, which you can do at Wind Cave.”

“Why would stovestomper be interested in backpacking, fer Pete's sake?”

“Oh, hush, bit! ;-)

I'll have you to know I was backpacking last weekend. :-)”

“I just signed up - sounds like a good trip. Last time I was out there was in 1976.

Are you bringing peeps ?”

“Cool!

**IF** I can FIND Peeps!! hmmm, Labor Day weekend Peeps! Now what might they look like???”

“Bagging Harney Peak and/or backpacking overnight there in Black Elk Wilderness


just dont spend the night in the firetower if its going to rain overnight. it leaks


and make sure you see.....






































well, you know”

“CB, you go out there with me YOU WILL SEE BUFFALO!!!

Are you signed up?!?!? LOL!”

“OMG!!! We may need to avoid the Corn Palace stop, as the annual Corn Palace Festival is going on. Some good bands, but probably not at the hour of day we'll be trucking through... Then again, perhaps the streets will be empty then!

August 31, 2005 to September 5, 2005
Corn Palace Festival
Mitchell

A celebration of the harvest and the re-decoration of the World`s Only Corn Palace. Events include top-name entertainers, carnival, crafts and food booths, and much more. Held at the Corn Palace and on Main Street.

Admission: Yes
Other: (admission for headline entertainment)
Average Attendance: 37,500
Handicap Access: Yes”

“Damn! damn! damn! I knew it! Somebody would have a great, must-do trip when I have to be camping in Michigan with the whole fandamily (sort of a family reunion)...I told my sister that Labor Day was a terrible time but she insisted and now, since I have the humungo tent, I am committed..life does suck..I'm so unhappy..I really wanted to get to the Dakota's this year..I'm tired of trees and green..I need and miss lots of SPACE and sky...I can't write anymore through these tears....sob sob sob.................................................................sniff”

“MH....UPS the tent to Michigan????? :-)

AND -- how are we supposed to get there in good time without you sharing time at the wheel???!?!?

LMAO!! ;-)
last edited: 8/10/05 9:09:21 PM”

“wish i could! i would need a full week off work to go all the way to sd”

“I wanna go. =( Alas, I cannot.

Lizs you always plan the best trips.”

“My wifey only gets off for Monday and is a teacher so there's no getting off for Friday..


WWWWWWWHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! I wanna go!”

“Adv -- When we get a better plan, you could catch up to us Saturday!!

yes??!! :-)

I threw out a potential plan... Saturday will probably find us leaving the Badlands and ending up either at Wind Cave Park, Custer State Park or -- *smile* -- the cool rock art area I now have intimate knowledge of north of Edgemont.

If you wanted, we could exchange phone numbers to let you know what's up. :-) Ya know, I've seen plenty of Colorado plates before on South Dakota trips!!

Hey and I think all the rest of you should just go! ;-P

Wish ya could... :-(”

“I checked and it would be 7.5 hour drive and we wouldn't be able to leave till after 5 on Friday.

Plus we close on the house this Friday and thats going to be keeping us busy. So I think we'll hang out in Colorado this Labor Day Weekend.

Sorry!

So, you live in Minn-a-soda?
last edited: 8/10/05 10:50:53 PM”

“Yes, Minnie-soda. A few miles from Ioway.

Aww, Adventurist, you should come. We're driving 8 hours! ;-P”

“:P”

“Of course you have to have a trip when I'll be in Colorado backpacking Grrr. Till next time.”

“If mata ain't going, I ain't going. ;-)”

“WTF??!? ***I*** am not -- in and of myself -- worthy enough for you to make the trip???!!?

Hey Flash, come on this trip instead and let the NEW gf meet your backacking friends. heheeee”

“Sorry lizs, I tried to get permission to come out for this but I got the blank stare back and the lightening rods from her eyes pierced my chest so I will not be able to hike for a very long time.”

“LMAO! I hate it when that happens!

good one Wounded Knee, but ya better heal up for the hikes you're hosting.”

“I'll check it out. Since we are leaving for Colorado on the 26th and will be out and about camping, backpacking, dayhiking, whitewater rafting, horse back riding through labor day weekend. 10 days out west I can't wait. :)”

“Hey, I even have a cell phone that WORKS NOW!!!! I can get a signal where I couldn't before... and have voice mail. woo hoo! Accessibility!”

“Thanks for the invite Liz. This is a long way for me. However, I will be back in Iowa in October and will be looking meet up with my IA, MN, and WI friends again.

Chuck”

“The hike up Harney Peak is fairly short, but more-strenuous-than-average. I've done it prolly a dozen times. Love the Hills, but be wary of mountain lions. Some of the more northern hills trails are a bit less traveled. Cathedral Spires is a very nice trail, as is the Lost Cabin trail. Unfortunately, I have to work that weekend (I believe--at least Thursday and Friday), otherwise I'd love to go. I'm pretty familiar with the Black Hills--not so much Badlands hiking--don't like the "no available water" thing.”

“Ok, I'm a maybe, but I might could meet you guys late late late Friday night at Badlands and since monday is the big freebie holiday day off, this could fall right in place. I'd likely be bringing a couple of folks with me, including a kid or two, so theres a chance we'd be more tourony than i might normally be, but ya never know how things could turn out. It'd be cool to see Badlands... one of those places we talked about on the way home from Glacier this weekend......

hope it works out, i'll talk to my peeps tomorrow and see what they say.”

“COOL!! If you really want to do the Badlands, maybe we should look at doing that later in the weekend. hmmm...

I am going to be getting some good backcountry information from the ranger who led the "wild adventure hike" I was on earlier this summer.

And roamaround, try to work your magic on Adventurist and Bison. LOL! :-) And anyone else out your way.

If we go from the Sage Creek area, it's more rolling prairie type hills. Following a drainage was suggested.

If we go to Deer Haven, which I recently learned about, it's a 2-mile hike one-way to a grassy location in the Badlands formations. I'm kinda learning toward that. Course, if it rains, we're screwed, cuz it turns to slipperty clay. Would also probably not make the gravel/dirt road to Sage Creek.

It sounds like there's a third person in the SUV heading out from my place, a gal from Missouri.”

“I'd rather not have Roam coming on to me... perhaps after spending a week together with him, Bison may feel differently.

Roam's magic is pretty powerful stuff.”

“HAHHAHHAA...”

“Lizs,

Saw your post in the other thread talking about this trip. I am wide open to what we do out there, you are giving us a lot of options. I know carrying all the water in adds a lot to our pack weight but it can be worth it. I will find out how out of shape I am. I had lost over 30 lbs this year but gained 10 of those pounds back since I lost my job. Have plenty of time to work out again. I have no excuses.

Looking forward to camping in the wide open – my trips are normally in forested areas so this is a welcomed change.”

“Interesting "documentary" on the area....

http://www.argusleader.com/undiscovered_south_dakota/txt/southwest/journal.shtml

It would be cool if an Indian guide on reservation lands would pan out. One guy is sending me info.”

“Soooooooo, lizs, are you thinking of landing friday night at a car campground in the Nat'l Park? and if so, which one?

I'm looking at a likely arrival around midnight, perhaps a bit earlier, but not much - so a car campground looks like a good spot to land that night for us.”

“roam you have e-mail, if your addy on yoru profile is correct. :-)”

“it is, but i can't check it until i get home after work.”

“Gotta stay at Sagecreek if it's the Badlands, dirt road to it but easily passable by passenger car.”

“you guys get me your e-mails at lisapbia at yahoo.com and I'll get you up to date. Although a lot is still coming together and not set in stone at this point.

I'll throw some ideas for a rendezvous together later today (and I have a meeting tonight)... once I hear what Roam's looking for.

Current plans would have us in Badlands backcountry -- and probably NOT Sage Creek -- on Friday night. So maybe we should look at Wind Cave first???

Or, if you guys have ANY interest in rock art, I could set up a hike north of Edgemont... closer for you guys coming Friday.”

“you gots mail lizs!”

“Hi, it's Sara. The boss approved my time off so I just signed up. Looking forward to it.”

“Roam, I got e-mail off to you, hopefully at both addies.

I was thinking Bison said somewhere that he wrote me ... but maybe not. Anyhoo, I didn't get it if so.........(and if not.... never mind, as Jane Curtin used to say!)”

“Yeah, i got it - just havn't stopped to write back yet.

Both plans look good to me. Let me know what yall decide to do and I'll plan accordingly.”

“I can't believe you didn't get the email that I didn't send Lizs, Darn Yahoo mail!”

“LOL... ok, so I was confused??? lol”

“Let's hit up Deadwood...

Oh, wait, Roam's bringing the kids ain't he, guess we'll have to stay away from the whores, gambling, and gunfights.”

“at least the gunfights...”