11th Hour Explorers

Spearfish Canyon is a hiking wonderland. Just when you think that you've done it all, another hike will pop up offering awesome views and new inspiration. This was the case with 11th Hour Gulch.

Looking to the road.

We've heard that 11th Hour Gulch is so-named because it only receives one hour of daylight a day. It is located around Mile 20, right around Kissing Rocks, and there is a small turn-off that allows for a few cars to park.

After parking, my brother-in-law, Jeremiah, Wu, and I headed south a few hundred feet to the gulch. When you are walking south, keep your eyes open, it's pretty easy to miss. The opening is only about 20 feet across and creeps back into a limestone crack.

Wu at the 2nd ladder.

At the entrance there are boulders that have to be tackled. It brings out your inner mountain goat, which is fun. Just past the boulders is an opening that's just big enough for a few people and their gear. Clinging to the right hand side is a iced over waterfall. It was marvelous.

Just past the clearing is a makeshift ladder that brings you up to the next area. It was easy enough to traverse, Wu climbed it without trouble. With the recent snow fall it seemed like a winter wonderland.

When there is one ladder, I guess you should expect two. The next ladder was much steeper and impassable for Wu, though he tried. I made it up beyond it and was confronted with a ice rink, another small iced-over waterfall, and a tree root ladder up to an area that allows for some real hiking.

With Wu stuck at the second ladder, we decided to call this hike and head north to Community Caves. It's a favorite spot of ours, especially with snow on the ground. The hike is definitely more intense but grappling up a ravine is more fun when there's snow to slide down afterward.

Anytime of year, the trail is easy to spot. There's no markers but the braided trails of the visitors throughout the years show the way. We wove down the creek bed and then headed up the ravine. The ice was well developed and we took our time.

The worst part of the trail was the last one hundred feet. It was solid ice but once we reached the top, the frozen waterfall and the green columns of ice were our reward for making it all the way.

It never ceases to amaze me how the area under the overhang is always dry and a perfect haven from the weather outside. It seems to have a calming effect. Each time I visit it seems that I discover something new. I always find the same spot, take a seat, catch my breath, and enjoy the moment.

Once we'd taken it all in, then we began the descent. It was really a barely controlled fall. It was energizing and fun and I highly recommend it!

A Hike on the High Plains

It has been far too long since Josh and I have been out in the woods. So, with warm weather in the forecast we have been planning a day to go out for a family hike. For the last week we've talked about clothing, supplies, and location until we had a plan. Of course, as plans go, it changed.

All packed up and on the road, we changed our destination. Instead of heading into the hills for some snowy fun we opted for the Ft. Meade Recreation Area in Sturgis.

There is an area north of the V.A. hospital that the Centennial Trail winds through and is also open to walk-in archery hunting. Wu and I had discovered it awhile back and it seemed like the perfect place to try out our new child carrier while letting the dog roam.

We arrived and it was apparent that we weren't going to need snowshoes. There was barely any snow at all. Eli was loaded into his pack, Wu was released from the jeep and we were off.

It was a perfect day to be out. The sun was at it's apex, it was nearly 60 degrees and a slight breeze was on our faces. Immediately we started to feel the weeks and months of being inside falling away. With each step we were feeling more like our old selves.

The trail wound through a treed area, across a small creek and then led us up to a ridge that was open and flat. Like most of the land in this region it was being leased out as grazing land for cattle. This was apparent by what had been left behind- we never saw the inhabitants- and the fact that we went through several cattle gates.

The whole while we were marching towards Bear Butte. With the sun at our backs, it was looming before us. Neither of us wanted to turn around, we could have hiked all the way there and back on a normal day. But this was not a normal day and asking Eli to spend a few more hours in a brand new carrier seemed like we would be pushing our luck.

As the sun began its descent on the Black Hills we decided to turn around and begin the march back. Josh had worn Eli on his back the whole way in and the way out was my turn to bring him for a spin.

It wasn't too long and we started to hear from him. All the excitement was too much and he was sleepy but he wasn't sure how to fall asleep standing up. We tried a few things, all of which seemed to irritate him but finally we settled into a nice sing-along of nursery rhymes and he settled down. By the time we reached the creek, he was asleep.

A few minutes later we were at the jeep, wrangling Wu and packing up. We were sad to be heading home but the taste of adventure had reminded us that this is who we are and we shouldn't get away from it again. So, in true Davis family fashion, we headed down the road already planning our next adventure.

1.8.13 Ft. Meade Rec. Area, Bear Butte behind us.

McNenny State Fish Hatchery

A lot has changed in the last year. Not only did we become parents, but also both Josh and myself have changed jobs. We thought we would take a few minutes and show you the places where we spend so much of our time and efforts.

8.12 Working hard.

As part of my outdoor education degree I needed to do an internship. I landed the most fun internships I could have imagined, at McNenny State Fish Hatchery. There is so much going on. Rearing fish, research, and visitors!!

McNenny is a cold water hatchery and rainbow trout and fall chinook salmon are the resident species. Lots of species have been raised there but these two seem to do remarkably well.

Very rarely are two of my days alike. Usually, I get to feed the fish in the morning, but after that I could be doing a myriad of things. I could be helping to cut metal for a project or spray painting them. I could be inside washing rearing tanks or outside sweeping the raceways clean. Sometimes the lawn needs to be water or mowed and I may be doing that. We move fish around the hatchery and I help out with that.

8.12  1 of 4 raceways at McNenny

Two things make working at a hatchery incredibly fun; stocking fish and visitors. If I go stocking that means part of the day is spent in the Black Hills delivering fish to lakes and creeks. Doing this completely makes my day.

Visitors are mostly around during the summer months. When I first started I was overwhelmed with the great questions that they had to ask and realized how much I had to learn. Now, I am confident in answering their questions and get excited when they ask something I'm not sure about. People from all over stop into the hatchery (it is located just off I-90) and it's nice to tell them about what goes on at a hatchery. McNenny is so unique in its rearing techniques and the amount of research that's done.

12.12 McNenny's Display Pond

One of the tasks that I've done this summer is to work with another intern (a great friend of mine) to create interpretive signs for the visitors. The signs cover topics like hatchery funding, fish identification, local geography, and the history of McNenny. I've really enjoyed this and it's influenced what I want to do in the future.

I have been really lucky to find a job that I enjoy going to everyday. When I leave for work, I know I'll have a great day, it'll be fun and I'll learn something.

Bear Lodge Cruise

6.12 Bear Lodge District

Getting out and about with a Little One isn't as easy as we thought it was going to be. We thought we'd try our first outing today and head into Wyoming to the Bear Lodge District of the Black Hills.

It's an area that's quite close but far enough away that we haven't explored it like the Northern Black Hills. We packed up and headed west. When we got to Sundance, we headed towards Devils Tower but instead of staying on the highway, we opted for the first dirt road we could find.

The sun was shining and it was a perfect day. Not too hot, no Wyoming wind. Sometimes we forget how beautiful the Bear Lodge District is. It seems that there are more aspens, more sunflowers, and somehow, just as much wildlife.

6.12 Bear Lodge Aspens

We took the road that goes to Cook Lake. Since we had never been there it seemed like the perfect time to explore. There were hardly any people on the road (most people prefer the direct route to the Tower) and we had all day.

We didn't hear a peep out of Eli as we enjoyed our ride. Eventually we made our way to Cook Lake. Not only is it a serene little lake surrounded by hills and forest, it has hiking trails and a campground. Since, our camping expeditions for the next few years will be predominantly front-country, we made a mental note and both agreed that we'd like to come back to this area. Maybe for our first family camping trip.

6.12 Cook Lake Campground

After stopping to stretch and feed Eli we jumped back into the Jeep and cruised on. It felt amazing to be on an adventure with our family. We couldn't help but reflect on how much we had changed and grown and on the fact that we now had a little person of our own.

The wildlife was on the move and there were more does with their fawns than we could count. It was spectacular. It has been a particularly good year for the deer and I've enjoyed watching them more than usual. 

After enjoying our time out on the dirt roads we decided to head back towards Sundance. It had been a successful first adventure with our little boy and it helped us to realize that we can still do what we love- it will just take a bit of adjusting. In all, it had been a memorable day.

Daddy + Mama = Eli

On May 11, we welcomed our little guy, Eli, into our family. All the preparation and anticipation could not have prepared us for the upwelling of love that we felt. Just a few days later, on Mother's Day, we brought him home.

That was when our real adventures began...

Eli

Rephotography in the Black Hills

Recently, we were introduced to rephotography. 

Re-what? Re-photography!

It's a movement that asks people to seek out locations and landscapes that are documented in historic photographs and attempt to photograph them again trying to get the angle and distance accurately. It sounds easier than it actually is.

In the Black Hills there are lots of photos of historic mines and early settlements. It's really quite amazing since the history here is so young. I was able to locate some photographs of a homestead that is located along the old highway between Whitewood and Deadwood.

It's been renovated but not remodeled and today, it sits empty with the exception of the cattle who graze the fields.

The first step in the process is to print off the historic pictures- these serve as a reference.

Then I walked around and compared the building that stood before me and the image I was holding. I tried to find the location that the photographer was standing at when he snapped the first photographs. This is much harder than you'd think. And frustrating, too.

I had three photographs to recapture and I repeated the above steps with the next two. The whole process took me about an hour.  

At home, I uploaded the photos and started to look at my work. It hadn't gone as well as I'd hope, mostly because it was far more difficult then I had anticipated.

The next day, I drove into Lead to try it again at the Ft. Pierre Black Hills Roundhouse. They aren't so bad for a first attempt!

Once the new place has been photographed then it can be contributed to an online archive which specializes in rephotography. If you would like more information about Rephotography please follow these links: Third View, and Where in the Hills? These photos were submitted to Where in the Hills.

This was a fun first attempt. While searching the archives I came across a number pictures of places I am familiar with. Now that I've learned a few things I think the results will be better and it will become another hobby of ours. 

Nemo 500 Outhouse Races

This weekend we attended our first Nemo 500 Outhouse Race. Usually the event is held out in Nemo but over the last couple years it had outgrown it's venue and this year was moved to the Day's of '76 Museum and Rodeo grounds right here in Deadwood.

Since we moved here we'd heard a lot about what these outhouse races entailed but until today we had no idea of how much fun it could really be. There were events planned all day long. There were two auctions, a few raffles, a chili and rib cook-off, live music, drinks and food and of course the outhouse races.

Josh enjoying the ribs 2.12

We arrived around noon and immediately set upon the chili and rib cook-off. I tried every chili I could and was surprised and inspired by the variety. A couple had quite a kick and one in particular was almost sweet and had pineapple chunks. I voted for the one with the best kick. Josh set upon the ribs. There weren't too many choices but he tried a few and was impressed (which isn't easy to do). After placing his vote we decided that next year we would definitely want to be competitors. I know we can make a darn good chili and I have no doubt that with his southern blood his ribs would be top-notch.

The crew of "The Wizzer" 2.12

After eating our share of food we made our way to the 'outhouse' area. There were roughly 14 teams competing and each had their outhouse on display. We were blown away by the creativeness of the designs. Each team was dressed thematically to match their outhouse. It's amazing how many puns and witty jokes about poop we heard. People are so creative.

Competing Outhouse 2.12

Of all the teams our favorite was 'The Wizzer of Oz". Their team members were dressed as the main characters from the Wizard of Oz and there must have been 40 people in their entourage. That is, 40 people dressed up as citizens of Oz. The Wicked Witch was there and so was the Witch of the East. They even had a 6-8 piece band that struck up "We're off to see the Wizard" every now and again. It was a fabulous display.

After touring the museum and checking out the silent auction we watched the live auction in anticipation for the races. I mentioned to Josh that I was surprised that they weren't taking bets on the various outhouse teams and about 10 minutes later the biding started up. I love Deadwood.

The Litter Box, 2.12

The official start of the outhouse races was at 1:45. Each team was to pull or push their outhouse on a track that looped around the football stadium at the '76 Rodeo Grounds. Most teams had at least 4 people. Three to push and one to ride inside (this was an official rule). About 3/4 into the loop the team members had to do a fire drill of sorts and run around the outhouse while stacking colored toilet paper onto plungers stuck to the ground. It was incredibly silly.

Along with a few hundred people we watched and cheered. One competitor lost his shoe halfway through the track and just kept on going. A few were bogged down by the slushy track and had to walk part of the way. The 'Wizzer of Oz' definitely stole the show (they did have a live band!). They ended up winning the entire event!

After watching all of our favorite outhouses race we decided to call it a day. It had been a long time since we had laughed to hard and had such a great time in Deadwood. And now the countdown is on for next year. Hopefully we'll have an outhouse to race and be in the chili & rib cook-off!

The Black Hills Pioneer wrote an article about the Nemo 500 which can be read here.

This is a short video of the Outhouses that we watched. They are each doing their fire drill so it's funny to watch. And make sure to listen for the band!