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In my 25 years of snowmobiling - including more than a decade of free-loading trips as a snowmo-writer - I have never snowmobiled the Black Hills. I always meant to one day. I just never did. And it was my loss.
That's changed since last season. I hooked up with a "press tour" of the Black Hills. For those of you who don't know about "press tours," let me just say that they are the main reason travel writers think they are important. On a press tour you are wined and dined by tourism officials and restaurant and resort owners who want you to write good things about your experiences - and especially about their resort or restaurant. You are treated as though you are someone important and given service beyond your wildest dreams. In other words, you're spoiled rotten.
There was, however, one thing about this "press tour" into the Black Hills that was a bit unusual. I realized that you didn't have to be on an official tourism junket to be treated well by the folks we visited and at the places we stayed. The beauty of the Black Hills is that you all are treated as though you were on a "press tour." Everyone who visits the Black Hills, either the South Dakota portion or the Wyoming part, is treated like a very important snowmobiler. That's the beauty of this place. It's not the scenery - although it is outstanding. It is the people - they are genuinely wonderful.
It was late February last winter when I made my first visit to the Black Hills. The trip was underwritten by the tourism departments of South Dakota and Wyoming. I was one of four snomo-journalists invited to invade the area. My compatriots in this adventure were Joe Mellenthin from Minnesota Snowmobiling, the official voice of Minnesota's state snowmobile association; Ed Wright, who, at the time, was the assistant editor of Snowmobile West magazine; and John Robinson, the publisher of Snowmobile Sports, a Canadian snowmobile magazine. It was a good crew that could flex with the schedule. Our official hosts were Darla Bigler, the public relations spokesperson for South Dakota's tourism office, and Elayne Wallis, the official voice for Wyoming's state tourism group. Each was stuck with us for half of the time. Because we all met in Rapid City, Darla had us first as the guest of South Dakota.
It was quite warm upon our arrival, unseasonably so. Black B-1B bombers from the nearby air force base flew overhead. These modern weapons would prove to be quite a contrast to the "wild west" feel we would share in Lead and Deadwood, where historic rowdiness, returned as legalized gambling, has staged a comeback.
But it was the natural resources we had come to enjoy. We were treated to lunch in downtown Rapid City at the historic Hotel Alex Johnson (Telephone 605-342-1210), named after the railroad vice president who oversaw its creation. You'll see a great deal of Sioux Indian artifacts in the hotel as Johnson was a longtime admirer of that culture. The hotel was founded in 1928 and has been renovated to reflect its original character. Being close to Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills, this hotel made an interesting starting point for our adventure.
Obviously, since I had never been to the Black Hills, I had never seen the Mount Rushmore monument to presidents Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt. It's a worthwhile sidetrip. Late winter is a great time to see it. There was hardly anyone else in the Park. The day was crisp and the sky blue. Perfect.
But we didn't come to snowmobile Mount Rushmore, which is totally illegal anyway - even for a "press tour." We had come to sample the Sylvan Lake area adjacent to the monument.
We worked our way into the snowy elevations to reach Sylvan Lake. It was dusk as we pulled up to the Sylvan Lake Lodge (Telephone 605-574-2561), but we could fully appreciate the character of this granite and wood building. It is rustic like the scenery in this part of the Custer State Park, but friendly and inviting like the South Dakotans who staffed it.
The original lodge had been built on the shores of Sylvan Lake. It was destroyed by fire almost 40 years to the day that it opened on July 1, 1895. An excellent retreat for "city" folks and a wonderful way for honeymooners to begin their married lives, its fame spread. Presidents Calvin Coolidge and Theodore Roosevelt were once guests at the lake shore resort.
On September 15, 1937, two years after the fire, the new Sylvan Lake Hotel opened. Not by the lake shore this time, but up on the craggy rock and pine hills to the north and east of the original site. Today the hotel has gone through many updates, but the flavor of this big hotel remains. It has the grace and open air feeling associated with a slower, more casual era when communications came by wire and people came by steam train and horsedrawn coaches.
The rooms are impressive in their size and comfort Only an "executive suite" hotel will give you much more room.
As guests of the hotel, we were "between" seasons, wrapping up the slow winter and ahead of the faster paced spring rush. It was a good time to visit.
You don't visit the Sylvan Lake area for snowmobiling as much as you visit for scenery. We were told that the Needles Highway Trail, whose trail head is at Sylvan Lake, is a picturesque 15 mile round trip that follows Highway 87. This trail is not groomed nor is it marked. It follows the highway when it is snowed in and closed to automobiles during the winter. The Needles Highway Trail runs through a section of granite formations. For us native Granite Staters, this section of the west looks a lot like the "notch" areas of New Hampshire. You should call for up-to-date trail info though, if you want to run the Needles Highway. (Telephone Custer State Park at 605-255-4515.)
For more active and unlimited snowmobiling, you might want to do as we did and head over to nearby Custer. There we met up with Don Grable who would take us for an 80 mile romp through the "hills." Don and his wife, Faye, own and operate the Sunset Motel (Telephone 1-800-351-1477). Open all year around, the motel offers complete snowmobile services, including rentals and guide services. For you pooped and aching riders, there is a welcome hot tub and rooms with waterbeds.
Maybe Don was taking it easy on us out of towners, but we weren't pooped and aching after our first 80-mile jaunt through the Black Hills. After leaving the town of Custer, named after the military genius by the same name, we unloaded our sleds near a place on the official "Black Hills Trail System" map referred to as Sourdough. With Don in command, we used some of the 280 official groomed and marked trails in the system. Mostly, though, we followed Don on a wonderful series of cross country excursions. There are 1.3 million acres of National Forest Land (our tax dollars at work!) in the Black Hills, so "excursing" is a pretty wide open experience if you don't have a veteran guide like Don. And, yes, Don and friends are available for guided tours into the area.
We followed trails to an area known as the "ice cave," which is just that, a cave with icy drippings that can be pretty spectacular in a really warm-cold-warm-cold spell. Then we "excursed" across areas literally off our "official" trail system maps. But, Don knew where we were.
The highlight of this day's ride was Bear Mountain Lookout Tower. A fire tower in the non-winter months, it's mounted on the second highest point in the "hills" at 7,166 feet. When we were there, the tower was not officially on the trail. It is supposed to be an official part of the trail for this 1990-91 season. Even if it isn't, by the looks of the path to it, the way to the tower is pretty well known. For you trivia buffs, Harney Peak, at 7,242 feet, is the highest point.
On our jaunt we also visited the "sand mines," where fine silica used to be mined. This is the stuff used in sand blasting, so you definitely don't want any of this stuff getting ingested into your sled's engine.
At this end of the "hills" we discovered that you might want to carefully plan your trip so that you end up at Mountain Meadow Resort somewhere between one-quarter full and empty on your gas gauge. There are not a lot of gas stops in the areas. This is one.
While our day trip was only 80 miles, well within the range of most modern sleds, it's always a confidence-booster to top off your tank when you can - especially in a new location. In addition to paying attention to fuel levels, local snowmobilers suggest these hints for first-timers to the Black Hills.
• Pay attention to your fuel - gas stops are farther away than many Midwestern and Eastern riders might be used to, and keep in mind the posted hours of the pit stops;
• Consider "jetting down" a couple of sizes for optimum performance in the higher 5,000 - 7,000 feet elevations (consult a local dealer and see what he recommends for your sled);
• Ride conservatively until you get used to the trails and snow conditions (always a good idea anyway!);
• Stay alert when running in the open meadows and keep watch for dimples in the snow that may indicate hidden logs, rocks, fences or drainage ditches;
• Watch for wildlife and don't spook them (deer, elk and coyotes are commonly seen);
• Remember that temperatures in the Black Hills tend to be milder than either the western mountains or, especially, the upper Midwest, so dress accordingly.
On our return to the Sunset Motel, we said a quick farewell to Don and Faye, threw our gear into the rickety, old SoDak Tourism transporter and headed over the hills for a rip-roaring western adventure in Deadwood.
Deadwood and its wild west twin, Lead, have a lot of history between them. Lead is a gold town, home of Homestake Mining. You can't miss Homestake Mining. It's everywhere in Lead, much of it underground. One of the largest gold mines in the world, Homestake produces 300,000 ounces of gold annually. At a retail price of $400 per ounce, that's well over $100 million worth of the world's gold produced by the 1,300 workers in this South Dakota mining community.
The city of Lead (pronounced "Leed") was named after the Homestake ledge (or lead) that was discovered to harbor a vast supply of gold ore back in 1876. Obviously, Lead and its sister city, Deadwood, located three miles down the road, were rip-roaring towns back in those days. Those days were filled with gold dust, gunfights, and gumption as people fought to find and then hold onto their riches.
While Lead is the mining town, Deadwood is an historic, wild west town. It was here that Jack McCall gunned down Wild Bill Hickok in the summer of 1876. In those days you found gambling, saloons and dancing girls. It was the stuff that filled the pulp novels of the time and fueled the imaginations of writers like Zane Grey and others. You'll still find whiskey and, as of last year, you once again will find gambling - blackjack, poker and slot machines. Late last season, gambling in Deadwood was revived and legalized by the South Dakota state government. But only for Deadwood.
If you plan on gambling in the Black Hills, you'll find certain snow in the nearby open areas and uncertain luck at the money games.
A good place to stay is the Golden Hills Resort (Telephone 605-584-1800) in Lead. You can hit the snowmobile trails out of town right from the resort's parking lot. However, you need to be a registered guest to enjoy this privilege.
It's where we stayed. The hotel has 100 rooms, an indoor recreational facility with swimming, and a free shuttle service to Deadwood. One of the Black Hill's newest hotels, it is a very plush place to stay and relax if you choose to snowmobile into the "hills" from the Deadwood-Lead area.
After an overnight at the Golden Hills we met up with Larry Jost, the district park manager out of Hot Springs. What Don Grable hadn't shown us, Larry would.
An experienced snowmobiler and an enforcer, Larry told us that when he started as a park ranger for the State of South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, the average arrest ratio of snowmobilers in the Black Hills was one in 33. One of every 33 snowmobilers was in violation of the laws governing the parks or snowmobiles. Today, Larry pointed out, that ratio has jumped to just one in every 500. He says that snowmobile education programs and overall compliance with rules in the parks by snowmobilers have grown. Quite an improvement.
One of the first places we visited was Roughlock Falls, a popular spot for snowmobilers and a very picturesque one as well. Even though we were riding toward the end of the season, the trail base was exceptional. Larry said that 40 inches of snow had fallen in early December, allowing the groomers to make a solid base. The subsequent three to four snowfalls just added to the luxury of snow for snowmobilers. According to the ranger, last year was the best year for snow in about four years.
From Roughlock in the north, we journeyed to Trailshead Lodge. This is a very "happening" place in the Black Hills. We were there on a normal weekend. But we were told that on President's Weekend, it's like the 4th of July. More than 350 snowmobilers per day come through to gas up and eat. It took five fuel trucks to supply the snowmobilers' fuel needs over that weekend. Figure it out, five fuel trucks at 1,875 gallons per load is a lot of snowmobiling. That's what Trailshead owners Chuck and Lila Bliss told us was used that weekend. We didn't need that much gas.
Trailshead Lodge (Telephone 605-584-3464) offers Arctic Cat rentals which are slightly cheaper if you are staying in one of the cabins. Last year's cabin rental was $40 per person per night or six people for $70 a night. Each cabin has three queen beds, full bath, television and linens.
One of only a handful of places to get food and fuel, Trailshead Lodge looked to be constantly busy. Many people trailer up to the Trailshead, unload their sleds and use the lodge as their base for the day. Just 21 miles from Lead-Deadwood and 35 miles from either Spearfish or Newcastle on the Wyoming side of the "hills," Trailshead has a very centralized location for snowmobilers. If you go on a weekend, though, take along extra patience as this place gets busy and - no matter how fast the cook goes - it takes a while to feed all the hungry snowmobilers lined up at the counter. Rest assured, it'll be worth the wait. And, where else are you gonna' go?
Well, we went back north from Trailshead Lodge, ending up back at the ranger station where the SoDak transporter was waiting to whisk us over to Spearfish for our last overnight in South Dakota.
I enjoyed our evening in Spearfish a great deal. Like everywhere else we went in South Dakota on this trip the local folks were just gracious as all get out. While we stayed at the Kelly Inn (Telephone 605-642-7795) in Spearfish, some of us partied down at the local "rock-a-billy" saloon where we caught a "father-daughter" band with a friendly sound. It was a down home place to be.
In the morning, we had a chance to chat with other snowmobilers who where using the Kelly Inn as their base for the Black Hills. We saw a number of snowmobilers headed into the "hills" as we headed up on the Interstate and finished up our South Dakota portion of the Black Hills.
Darla Bigler, our official guide was courteous and actually seemed reluctant to hand the four of us snowmo-journalists over to Elayne Wallis, Wyoming's public info manager. Maybe Darla was just trying to be nice to Elayne. Regardless, we switched from the SoDak VIP transporter to the Wyoming VIP transporter in Sundance, Wyoming. We had fears that Darla would have left us at the state line, but I guess the two states have reciprocity agreements in cases such as this.
The next three days were detailed in a travel agenda. We were to be in Sundance just briefly, but let it be known that Sundance, Wyoming, is a good place to jump off into the Black Hills. Our itinerary included Sundance because it was convenient to the Interstate and because, as long as we were close to Devil's Tower, our group had wanted to include it in our trip. If you ever saw the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" then maybe you can understand my interest in wanting to see this natural wonder. Of course, like Mount Rushmore, which was highlighted in Alfred Hitchcock's "North by Northwest," Devil's Tower was merely a prop for the movie. The action was filmed in a "hollywood" studio. Oh, well, at least I saw the real places. Both are impressive and worth the sidetrips if you are in the area.
Our actual destination was Newcastle, Wyoming. It would serve as our primary base of operation. Just as with the South Dakotans, we found the folks across the state line to be equally nice and fun to be around. While in the Newcastle, Weston County area, our local resident-expert was Diane Baird Griffin. This lady represented the Weston County Development Board extremely well, making certain that we had a true feel for what the area had to offer.
Newcastle calls itself the "gateway to the Black Hills." We won't disagree. Unfortunately for Newcastle, when most people think of the Black Hills, they think more of South Dakota than Wyoming. Prior to this trip, that was how I used to think. That is wrong. While Wyoming may have the smaller piece of the Black Hills, this western state has a legitimate claim to some very good "hills" snowmobiling.
In many ways, Newcastle and Weston County have much more of a distinct "western" flavor than the places we visited less than 50 miles further east in South Dakota. Maybe it was imagination, but the western heritage of cowboys and independent minded ranchers seemed to be much more real in Wyoming. Much of that heritage is preserved and promoted in every day living in Weston County.
Our first significant impression of this heritage came from the Anna Miller Museum, named for the first librarian in the county. Don't tell anyone over in Newcastle, but visiting the museum wasn't on my list of most important things to do - until after I had done it. It's really worth the time.
The museum is housed in an old cavalry barn where you can see exhibits ranging from dinosaur remains - fairly common in Weston County - to authentically furnished pioneer rooms. For an appreciation of this part of the west, we recommend a stopover in Newcastle and an hour or two at the Anna Miller Museum (Telephone 307-746-4188).
But, we were here to snowmobile. And snowmobile we would. Our first stopover was the Sundowner Motel (Telephone 307-746-2796). Last year, Sundowner Inn owner, Jake Sharp, offered some incredibly priced snowmobiler packages. Try this on for size; motel room, continental breakfast, evening meal of steak, use of the hot tub and individual garages for your sleds for only $27.95 per person! Now that was last season. You'll have to call Jake to see what he has in store for this year.
Jake's Sundowner Motel works its meal packages with the Old Mill Inn, just across the street, which is hosted by Judy Mitich. It was there that we caught up with the Dixons and Deckers. Jim Dixon and Max Decker plus sons served as guides for our group. But more about Jim and Max later. Also helping to promote the area for snowmobiling was Bill Summers, president of the chamber of commerce, who does more than talk about snowmobiling the area. He gets out and rides to the places he tells you about. It was a good group.
After a night at Jake's Sundowner Motel, we headed to Four Corners, Wyoming. This is a high plateau area at 6,000 feet which lies about 18 miles north of Newcastle. We unloaded and headed for a day's ride. Our eventual destination would be Dampier's Lodge (Telephone 307-746-4797), which actually lies outside the Black Hills proper but is perfect for riding.
At noon, after exploring various valleys and hillsides, we pulled into the main snowmobile gas stop, the Buckhorn Bar and Grill for lunch. This would be the "big" stop for a couple of us "renegade" press junketeers.
During our tour we retraced the path of George Armstrong Custer who had mapped these valleys during an expeditionary adventure through the Black Hills in the mid-1870s. It is claimed that on certain lonely nights you can smell the smoke of long ago campfires and even hear the lonely sound of taps echoing off the canyon walls. Sorry, all we heard was a coyote howl and ourselves asking where the heck were we?
Abandoned buildings, an old water tower and some markers served as the last proof that a lively timber industry had thrived in this area in the 1920s. It was a strange feeling to ride in this area of the west. As an outsider and student of history, I had eerie feelings about this area. Not bad feelings, mind you, but a semi-reverent set of feelings about traveling in the scene of such great historic activity. This area, believe it or not, was once the home of massive dinosaurs. In recent American history, it was the site of battles for supremacy and survival between cultures and it was the ultimate fade from history of an entire way of life. This is a huge, awe-inspiring land in which we rode. It's impressive to realize just how huge this country of ours truly is. Because for the third day, we rode in an area that was so big that we didn't cross paths with our previous days' rides. That's the size of the Black Hills.
It was the wrap up of our tour, this third day of riding. Our overnight spot was Dampier's Hunting Lodge, Jim and Marilyn Dampier, our hosts, organize hunting trips during the various hunting seasons and offer respite for snowmobilers in the winter.
As I mentioned earlier, a couple of us "renegades" departed from the schedule and went ala carte to the Buckhorn Bar & Grill. Ostensibly, our reason was to refuel our sleds. At the same time, we decided to wash down some of the day's snow dust with a local beverage or two at the Buckhorn. Of course, we weren't expecting to run into "bad" company - like the Dixons and Deckers, our guides who seemed to have the same idea in mind. They were returning home for the evening. We would return to the lodge - eventually.
Since I had served a tour in the U.S. Army, sleeping in a dormitory style bunkhouse with other guys who also snored wasn't a priority reason for rushing back to the lodge. And while the meals were said to be exceptionally good, eating "boarding house" style for dinner didn't seem as important as having a steak dinner at the Buckhorn - of course. I had to pop for the meal, but what's a few bucks for some local color?
With our guides, Jim Dixon and Max Decker, leading us astray, we two "renegade" snowmobile journalists listened to (and told) some mighty tall tales at the Buckhorn - way into the evening. Howard and Karen Johnson, Buckhorn proprietors, were very gracious hosts. Why Howard was even kind enough to show us a couple of "bar" tricks that lightened our pockets a couple of bucks each time. Our little off the agenda side trip gave us an interesting insight into the area. For example, we discovered that these snowmobilers are just like the rest of us. Jim Dixon likes to have good running, quick Arctic Cats. Last season he was getting his go-fast info right from Thief River Falls, Minnesota and having Randy Adamson at RV Sports get him set up right. Max Decker, who owns and runs Decker Foods, in Newcastle, is always up for a good time - when he's off duty. He may be one of the most eligible fellas in the area. Howard Johnson, a former career military man, is a transplanted Southerner who was looking to make the Buckhorn a "must" stop over for snowmobilers and summer travelers.
It was an interesting side trip - even worth the comments heard the next morning about us "renegades" coming in "...a little late..." the next morning. Can we help it if we got lost on the trip back?
We returned to sanctioned behavior the next day, even making brief speeches about the promise of the Newcastle area as a snowmobile destination before an assemblage of the local chamber of commerce group at the Northern Mallard Inn (Telephone 307-746-4426). It's true, of course, that Newcastle and Weston County have a lot to offer. It's close to the Black Hills, offers its own version of "western" heritage, has a good selection of places to stay, and gives riders who may get bored with the groomed areas of the "hills" a unique, open area to run outside the "hills" in case you want to try something new.
Our finale was a great meal at the Flying V-Cambria Inn (Telephone 307-746-2096) and an overnight at the Fountain Inn (Telephone 307-746-4426) back in Newcastle.
The Flying V-Cambria Inn is an incredible castle-looking edifice that seems almost out of place in Wyoming. It has the look and feel of a European castle or manor house. It is big - inside and out. Our evening there we experienced a huge fireplace with a burning log - actually a stump. That gives you an idea of how big the fireplace is. With the log in place, it was enough to heat the dining room. And it did.
With that warm memory in our minds, we headed back to the Fountain Inn and got a brief sleep before Elayne packed us into the Wyoming VIP transporter for the last time. It was sometime before 6 AM. We were heading for the airport in Gillette for the trip back home. I think. All I really remember is that it was still dark and we stopped at Max Decker's grocery store for some fresh doughnuts and orange juice. Max was wide awake.