Spring in Hot Springs

The other day I saw my first Robin. Then I saw my first Red-winged Blackbird. Then, on Sunday, I woke up and it was WARM! I just jumped into my clothes and jumped into my car and started driving...first to Dunn Brothers for some delicious coffee, then on down the road- wherever the car decided to turn was where I was going.

The air was so warm that- for the first time, I had the windows down. I was headed South on 79, and just South of Hermosa, I tuned West onto the road that goes to Custer State Park. Just after entering the park my phone rang- it was JhonDuane, my favorite partner in adventures! He wanted to know where I was, and when he heard I was driving through the Black Hills, he said that he'd meet me in Hot Springs after church... and so there was- A Plan.

I never tire of driving through the hills. Custer State Park is glorious at all times of the year, but in the Spring it is especially wonderful. The above red stone formation is a favorite of mine. It is just beside the road, and so I have photographed it from all views, at all times of the day. It almost feels alive it is so sinuous in form!

Before long I was passing the The State Game Lodge. It served as the "Summer White House" for President Calvin Coolidge in 1927 and was visited by President Dwight D. Eisenhower for several days in 1953.

It was built in 1920, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. when the rich wanted quaint "cottages" that had all the amenities of home. For a virtual tour, click here:

This is "bigger than life" country. The land is big, the people are big (JhonDuane is well-over six feet) experiences take you by the scruff of the neck, and you either "walk the talk" or are part of the evolutionary process. lol!


Soon, beauty was all around me! It is hard to drive and rubberneck 360 degrees, so as not to miss all the amazing scenery. Luckily, there are many turn offs so that one can stretch legs and take pictures without risk to life and limb!

Strangely enough, I saw very little wildlife until at the southernmost end of the park, and nearly about to leave.

Here I saw a small group of buffalo grazing and licking the ground for minerals. This is a favorite convening place for all kinds of wildlife. It is especially popular during calving, as the females have extra need at that time, but it's possible to see anything at all times of the year.

It was nice to see that this group had come through the winter in pretty good fashion. I have heard that the mountain sheep have been decimated this year due to widespread pneumonia- something to which all sheep are susceptible.

Just outside the southern gate, is the opening that is the beginning of Buffalo Gap. This is a gorgeous stretch that- Lakota people say the buffalo traveled when they first emerged from Wind Cave.

Once in Hot Springs, I decided to purchase a small snack, and wait for JhonDuane by a little chapel I know at the East end of town.






As you can see it's pretty tiny. But the interior is even more beautiful than
the photo can express.

















The stained glass looks as though it may have been created locally- perhaps by parishioners?? All images are lovely and sweetly rendered.





Wandering around outside, I saw my first flowers of the Spring! These are tiny little things, about the same size as the circumference of a grain of rice. They were blooming there little hearts out, and so I just had to do them the justice of a photo!



After this pleasant past time it was definitely getting warm. So I decided to go back into town and wait for JhonDuane by the lovely river that flows through its center.

The water is tepid at all times of the year, due to the hot springs for which the town was named, and so it never freezes.

I had a short nap in the sun until JhonDuane arrived.



Since the day was so lovely, we decided to stroll the walkway that graces the length of the river through town. JhonDuane took many more photos during this jaunt... I was still sleepy, and content to just follow his lead!

Hot Springs is a charming old town. Originally called Minnekahta (warm waters) by the Lakota, its waters were prized by all. As the rightful dwellers were pushed out of their ancestral lands, Europeans took it over. The town construction started in the late 1800's.

Its buildings are constructed of cut sandstone and brick- outer siding casually allowing less than perpendicular streets define their outer borders.

Above is an example of one of the many little alleyways to surprise and lure the unsuspecting stroller.


Upon returning to the shade where we had left the cars, JhonDuane suggested a drive down Fall River Road to Sheps Canyon. The vistas are nothing short of spectacular. I have only this one shot, as I was falling out out of the car window in total amazement at the sheer beauty of the place.

Remote though it seemed to us in the early Spring, we discovered that it is a major route to boat launches along Angostura Reservoir. In the summer, no doubt, the road would be plenty travelled and dusty!


After such a busy afternoon, our appetites were well-whetted, and we repaired to my newest favorite place to eat- The All-Star Grill. Over a glass of wine and Fat Tire Ale, we munched delicious salmon and wall-eye and reviewed the day.

Once we were happily full, we said goodbye to Hot Springs, and turned our car homeward- the glow of another full moon lighting the way.