Hidden In Plain Sight

 

Well, the cranes were spectacular but a person can only take so much sandhill squawking, so I pointed the van with a name north, and west and cruised the Sandhills Journey scenic highway.

The highway traverses through the Sandhills, and really doesn’t have much to do with cranes, and everything to do with the hills that were once just sandhills, and thought to be a foreboding wasteland,  but now support grasslands and some huge ranching operations.

One Spiffy Cow

Surprising enough Nebraska has some excellent State Recreation Areas, usually with electric at your site, and since its “Winter” and there is no water, the campsites are ½ off the regular $35.00 a night fee and a nonresident fee of $14.00. I have stayed at several of these over the past few days and I usually am the only camper around.

 Since the weather was cool, never getting over 60 on most days I thought I would run up to Hot Springs South Dakota, and see about having a soak, and that was a great idea except that Hot Springs is seasonal, and right now isn’t the season, and most everything was shuttered.

No worries, Wind Cave National park is nearby so I motored up there to discover  that the cave tours were shuttered and same with the campgrounds. Okay Custer State Park is just up the road, and an easy pleasant drive, but it to was shuttered.

Finally  at Custer City, after being hung up on by one RV park proprietor,  I was able to secure a spot at a RV camp for the night with or without hookups, and I opted for the dry site for only $21.00. it was supposed to be $25.00 but 21 was all the cash I had. Should have said I only had $10.00 cash. It was a peaceful night and it was fun to walk along the main street.

The van with a name was ready for a oil change and a place like Rapid City should be able to handle that chore rapidly and the guys at the local “Super Lube” did just that, and with a minimum of up sale. I did let them put in a can of injector snake oil. It didn’t cost much and made everyone happy.

Snake Oil Always Good For A Automotive Up Sale

South Dakota is home to some of our thermonuclear Minuteman Missiles and what a great place to put them. You couldn't find them if you looked. 

No Missiles Here Just Buffalo

You can even tour the one that is located just east of the most famous thing in south Dakota Wall Drug.

Motoring out to the visitor center you could see why this was a excellent place for thermonuclear  missiles.

The visitor center has all the usual informative displays that focus on the cold war, and the peace kept by the minuteman missiles. They also quite frankly stated that if it was your decision to actually push the button and fire a missile could you do it knowing that life on earth would be over.

The actual tours of the de armed missile were on hold because the elevator was out of service, and that probably is just as well as the description of the tour said it involved scaling down ladders mounted to the wall. That wouldn’t be a problem, but the elevator ride 30 feet down with 5 strangers who probably stink of scented fabric softener would have been excruciating.

A google search will turn up that there are 400 live minuteman III missiles scattered around Wyoming, Montana, and North Dakota, and we have in Alaska way out next to nowhere Anti-Ballistic Missiles.

Makes you wonder with warmongers like putin threating to use nuclear weapons. If his still work. I bet ours do.