Spearfish, South Dakota

One of the reasons we decided to go to South Dakota at the end of August, was to escape the triple digit temperatures in Texas. Another reason was to fill our souls the with renewal that can only come from being surrounded by tall, green trees, deep valleys, and rushing water. The town of Spearfish, in the Black Hills National Forest,  filled all of those requirements.

                           

Spearfish Creek carves a valley running through the Black Hills. At the mouth of the creek, there was an information center with a few details about the area. The most fascinating tidbit was about the way the creek freezes in the winter. Evidently, it is a geographic oddity because it freezes from the bottom up. The creek moves so rapidly that the top layers of water are constantly in motion, preventing freezing. The bottom of the creek moves more slowly because of the resistance from the rocks along the creek bottom. Therefore, it freezes up instead of down! It also flows south to north; which is a bit strange.

There were very few communities or homes along the creek because the hills are extremely steep and rugged. It reminded me a lot of some of the back roads in Ohio and Kentucky. The few that we saw were mostly log exteriors and blended in with the surroundings beautifully. The area is so unspoiled that it's easy to imagine what it must have been like when the Dakota Sioux roamed the area.

There were several mountain bike paths along the route; but we saw very few bikers. Of course, it was in the middle of the week. There are also pull over sites where you can walk back to some of the water falls. We met a couple about our age at one of the falls. They just happened to be from Ohio and of course Ron noticed the husband's clothing. I can't remember what his hat said exactly; but I think it was a Cleveland Browns hat. Of course, that led to a conversation about football. We took pictures for each other and sort of leap frogged each other's cars for the rest of the trip. Ron has certainly never met a stranger!

We were able to have a picnic lunch along the road side, saw some beautiful scenery while driving with THE WINDOWS DOWN!!! Honestly, the only thing disturbing the serenity of our visit was the sound of my loud truck. The cool breeze, beautiful green trees, rushing water, and fresh air made for a beautiful, relaxing drive.