We left Custer’s Gulch on Saturday morning and moved on to Spearfish. We made reservations at the Elkhorn Ridge Resort & Golf Club. We made reservations for 3 nights based upon referrals from other RV owners. Upon arrival, we were not disappointed! It is conveniently in the Black Hills a few minutes from Spearfish, Deadwood, and Sturgis.
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Spearfish, SD
The town of Spearfish sits in a valley in the northern Black Hills. The name stems from the days when the Indians speared fish in the creek that flows through town.
We drove along the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway, one of the oldest and most beautiful canyons in the west. The canyon spans 20-miles and is less than a mile wide. We stopped at Bridal Veil Falls and Roughlock Falls along the route. It was a beautiful day and lots of tourists were enjoying the falls, scenery, and sunshine.
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In Spearfish, we also stopped at the Historic Fish Hatchery. It was a very interesting place and the admission was free! There was an underwater fish- viewing area as well as several outdoor ponds. We saw some really big Trout…too bad they won’t let us fish!
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Deadwood, SD
Deadwood is a historic town born in 1876. Gold miners and fortune seekers descended on the northern black hills in hopes of making a better life for themselves. Deadwood was lawless in the early years, and the men and women who first came were people who didn’t mind a struggle on the way to fame and fortune. Lewis and Clark, Wild Bill Hickok, Wyatt Earp, George Armstrong Custer, Poker Alice, the Sundance Kid, Calamity Jane, and many others have all passed through here in search of fortune and adventure.
Walking down historic Main Street, we saw the Celebrity Hotel, Saloon #10,and ate lunch at Mustang Sally’s. We even spotted a couple of gunfighters on Main Street.
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Lead, SD (pronounced Leed)
Lead, SD is high in the Black Hills and surrounded by ponderosa pine forests and meandering trout streams. The town was founded during the gold rush of 1876. One of the richest veins of gold was discovered in Lead.
We stopped at the Homestake Visitor Center to view the Homestake Mine. The mine is one of the oldest and largest underground gold mines in the western hemisphere. It reaches 8000 feet below the surface and has 376 miles of underground tunnels. The hole was so large and deep that I could not get a good picture. Outside of Lead, we passed the Broken Boot Gold Mine but we did not stop…just a picture!
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Lead’s historic main street was under construction, so we could not really visit the historic downtown.
Sturgis, SD
We heard there was a Mustang Rally in Sturgis during Labor day weekend and we knew the area would be busy. Downtown Sturgis was Crazy! The main street was blocked off and there were hundreds of Mustangs lining the street. Ken enjoyed looking at the displays and I took photos.
The rally ended at 4PM and we drove to the edge of town and stopped at the Full Throttle Saloon, one of the famous Sturgis biker bars. We sat at the bar, but the bartender was kinda rude and never waited on us so we left. Across the highway there were hundreds of Mustangs lined up…for what? We found out that they were lined up for a parade followed by a drag race. We decided that we would pass on the events, but it was fun to see so many Mustangs in one place!
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Back at the resort, we walked around the grounds and checked out the amenities: Heated outdoor pool, 2 hot tubs, lighted tennis court, lighted basketball court, walking path, playground horse shoe pits, volleyball, fire pits. It is a beautiful place!