At the Black Hills Mining Museum, Lead, SD
I find mining things interesting because my grandpa was an iron ore miner.
If you have spent as many hours cooped up in a convertible, speeding across the country to Montana, then you’ll understand why the fifth day of our trip was not super-exciting. We didn’t cross long distances, even though we did cross a state line. We spent minimal amounts of money, opting to picnic on a river’s bank. We thought about going to see Public Enemies as the Massive Movie Theatre, but decided to look for other activities – activities that were odd, weird, and slightly wacky. So, after sleeping in a little bit, we loaded up Sally and headed to Belle Fourche, South Dakota.
Now, you’re probably thinking to yourself, “What the heck is in Belle Fourche?” Well, The Coach wanted to visit a site that only a Social Studies Teacher could possibly love. You see, in 1959, the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey “officially designated a point 20 miles north of Belle Fourche as the Geographic Center of the United States.” The change came after Alaska and Hawaii became the 49th and 50th states.
Since the official center of the universe, I mean the United States, is probably located in the middle of somebody’s farm or something, the fine upstanding citizens of Belle Fourche made it easier for us tourists by putting a massive compass rose right behind the town’s visitor’s center. We stood on it and had our picture taken by a Canadian gentleman who was on a long motorcycle journey through the States. We, of course, reciprocated and took his picture as well.
It was a little anti-climatic, but since I’m not into trespassing, I’ll just have to be content with having been 20 miles from the geographic center of the country.
After getting the pictures, we hopped back in the car and headed deep into the Black Hills National Forest. We took the scenic route, twisting and turning through the forest, looking up into the hills, and stopping to see a cute little waterfall. After a while, we pulled into the Long Valley Picnic Ground to eat lunch. We pulled into the last empty slot in the picnic area only to find some people walking down a path along the river towards *our* table. As we made our (turkey and salami) sandwiches on the hood of the car, they kept staring at us like we had the swine flu or something. For a minute there, I thought they were going to plop down on our picnic table before we could eat, but then they wandered back to the table located in front of their truck.
Really, nobody needs to have two picnic tables, unless they have eight children in tow.
So, we ate and talked and then I had a brilliant idea. “Coach! Let’s wade in the river!” Now, The Coach responded negatively to this suggestion. Maybe he’s just not big and brave, maybe he didn’t want to take off his shoes and socks, or maybe he just didn’t want to get his feet muddy. I, however, pulled off my sandals and stepped into the river.
Mistake! Icy water! Numb feet!
Quick as a flash, I hopped out, put my freezing cold feet on The Coach’s leg to freak him out and dried off. Then we headed down the road again. We were going to stop in Deadwood, but didn’t see anything that we were interested in, so The Coach kept on driving. We finally came to the town of Lead (pronounced Leed) and stopped at a mining museum in town. The Coach roamed around the exhibits while I sat on a kid-sized chair and watched the looping video of cartoon. Tom and Jerry and mining. Donald Duck and mining. The Scooby gang in a mining town. You get the picture.
We didn’t pay to pan for gold, but we did cough up the cash to go on the “simulated mine tour.” It was, uh, kind of amusing – basically, just mannequins and old timey equipment. Our tour leader was a high school kid with a horrible cold, but he gave it his best effort. And, I did learn some stuff, like the fact that the miners were incredibly superstitious and would only fire their explosives in a counter-clockwise pattern. Then there was the fact that a smelly gas would be pumped into the mine as a warning for the miners to get out. Or — and this one appeals to the environmentalist in me – diesel trucks can be outfitted with special filters so they could be used inside the mine without killing people with their fumes.
We left with a complementary core sample.
After checking into the Rapid City KOA – very suburban with air conditioned kamping kabins – we headed downtown to dinner. We had a general idea of where we wanted to go, having seen Rapid City featured on an episode of Rachel Ray’s Tasty Travels (I can see TQE cringing now). We had some success taking her advice during a trip to Lake Placid a couple Christmases ago, so we thought we’d give her recommendation a try. Why go to a stinky ol’ chain restaurant when you can go to a local joint, right?
So, we gave the Firehouse Brewing Company a whirl. Yes, it is located in an old firehouse, and yes, it was damned tasty. The Coach had the BBQ Buffalo special while I opted for the Spontaneous Heating Gumbo, as recommended by Rachel. I know, I know, gumbo in South Dakota. It sounds ridiculous, but it was really good. It had depth of flavor and enough spice that my nose started to run but not so much that my eyes started to water. And the price was super reasonable.
Stuffed to the gills, we went on a walking tour of downtown Rapid City. Sounds dull, right? Well, it’s not! Scattered around the downtown area are bronze statues of the presidents. We sat on benches with presidents, had bronze Airedales sniff our faces, gave high fives to Jimmy Carter, and read the Declaration of Independence over Thomas Jefferson’s shoulder. Before you start thinking that we’re deranged, I want you to know that other people were doing the same thing! We took a picture of a family with Ronald Reagan and The Coach helped another couple find some of the presidents they were missing out on.
Since it’s summer, it stays pretty light out so we made one more stop. I had read about The Chapel in the Hills in the Black Hills guide, so we went looking for it. Also known as stavkirke, the chapel is an *exact* replica of the famous 850-year-old Stave Church in Laerdal, Norway. Constructed by the Scandinavian community in Rapid City, the church actually served as a radio station when it was first opened.
Now, I’m not super-religious, but I do enjoy looking at architecture and this place was something to behold. The whole structure – inside and out – is wooden, with the exception of the windows and the doors. It has dragons on the top, which are a nod to the seafaring heritage of the Norwegian people. The church even has a pagan influence as one of the doors includes carvings of pagan icons.
Our timing was perfect. We missed the vespers, so we had a chance to walk around the church and look at it from various angles. It was quiet, peaceful, and a wonderful end to the day.
Next Entry: Four Presidents, a crazy horse, and gunfights.
