Tag: Spearfish KOA

Destination: South Dakota

Even though there were plenty of remarkable sights and special memories, our recent South Dakota trip now ranks at the bottom compared to other travels. It was not the fault of this stunning state but two separate issues with our truck, many other challenges, of and most significantly, an attack on our dog by two other dogs from a nearby campsite.

Pictures conclude the post.

THE PLEASURES AND THE PROBLEMS

We marveled at the Corn Palace in Mitchell on a Friday, and in transit to Spearfish on Saturday we stopped at Chamberlin to gaze at Dignity, the gigantic and beautiful statue of a Native American women that sits on a hill above the Missouri River valley.

Spearfish

Arriving later at the Spearfish KOA, we set up the travel trailer. Sunday followed with Mitch and I driving to Deadwood. We enjoyed the atmosphere of the Old West, ate lunch, and bought our first-ever moonshine (mint chocolate chip) after sampling varieties. We wrapped up by visiting the site of the gold mine in Lead.

God gifted us an amazing day–ahead of the truck struggling to cool as we drove back to Spearfish.

Back at the KOA campground, we were stranded. Finding an excellent and timely mechanic in John at Williams Phillips 66 was a huge blessing. Though it was Sunday, he answered the phone and took in the truck Sunday night. He had it done early Tuesday afternoon. Meanwhile, since we didn’t know exactly when we would get the truck back, we cancelled our two nights at the Devil’s Tower KOA and extended our reservations in Spearfish.

Mitch and I were forced to relax and enjoy the campground instead of thinking we had to run around to see more sights. For me, it was an opportunity each day to explore the town. The KOA is convenient to a safe, side-walked road along which I fulfilled a sense of adventure on my bicycle, stopped at a couple farmer’s markets for produce, and admired the campus of Black Hills State University. Parks are connected by a path along which Spearfish Creek tumbles and sparkles throughout the town, welcoming tubers and kayakers. And a grassy trail system crosses behind the campground and allows easy access to the creek in which our dogs splashed in the icy water.

When the cooling system was fixed and the truck returned, we wound through Spearfish Scenic Byway among the majestic rock formations, where the mountain goats thrilled and waterfalls spilled. This must-do had been simply delayed. The added days also enabled visits to the fish hatchery and the don’t-miss Western Plains Heritage Center.

Mount Rushmore (Hill City)

We arrived at the Mount Rushmore/Palmer Gulch KOA on Friday 8/22. The next day, we loaded the dogs in the truck and found the buffalo, donkeys, and pronghorn antelope while rolling through Custer State Park. Iron Mountain Road was our pathway back toward the campground, and it was amazing. You can view Mount Rushmore from a marked lookout spot near the end, and from the last of the tunnels. It was at that tunnel that the truck shuddered when slowing down, and the check-engine light appeared.

Returning to the campground, Mitch used a diagnostic tool and found that it was likely a sensor giving us a code. He cleared the code, and we were able to go and be astounded by the magnificence–and fulfilling of a seemingly impossible dream– at Crazy Horse Memorial. (If you go there, go to the museums and the bus tour and learn about Native American culture as well as why Crazy Horse deserved to be the subject of what will be the world’s largest sculpture.) At the Laughing Waters Café, we also filled our bellies with Indian tacos, tatanka stew, and kuchen, the state dessert.

Mount Rushmore was Sunday’s pleasure. Walking (clockwise for less stairs up) the Presidential Trail around the base revealed wonderfully various views and information displays of each president.

The truck was still acting funny, and we weren’t comfortable with it pulling our 25-foot trailer home later in the week, so Mitch took some steps to have a new sensor installed. Rapid City is forty minutes away, and the local auto shops were not as understanding as our Spearfish guy John, so Mitch called him and decided to drive the ninety miles back to Spearfish for the excellent service we had previously received.

The Attack on our Dog.

The most difficult thing that happened was truly a peril rather than just a problem or a challenge; it was a downright horrific situation at the Mount Rushmore KOA at Palmer Gulch. It happened between the truck acting up and getting the second glitch fixed in Spearfish. I thank God that the truck was okay as we traveled back and forth to Rapid City’s emergency animal clinic in the dark on that Monday night.

On our fourth day at our campground, Ana and I were just starting into a leashed walk along the road that passed by a campsite with two large, white pit bull-type dogs (I believe they are actually Dogos Argentinos). They were tethered to a heavy picnic table while the owners were in their trailer. I was about to go the other way when the dogs suddenly ran at us and covered thirty feet–while pulling the table!  They pinned Ana down, and she was crying terribly. She is a black Labrador mix of medium size and was completely covered by the one dog.  My kicking and Mitch punching had no effect on this animal. It took Mitch and me, and several men, to get the dog off her while the other dog was pulled away by the owner.

Before we saw her injuries, we were afraid our dog was being killed by the attacker.

Ana’s ear was torn on the outside, and the notch created by the missing piece is now a reminder of the ordeal. A puncture in her “armpit” area became a slit, and she is still getting veterinary care to heal from that.

I won’t go on about the experience with the awful owners of the dogs. They lied and said Ana was not on a leash. They refuse to pay for her care, and they never apologized. The campground required them to leave, but not before the police came and gathered information. We are not happy with any of these entities or people.

LOOKING FOR THE GOOD

I must say that looking for the good —for the blessings—is such an important part of life, no matter whether or not one is a Christian. As someone who used to be a frequent complainer, I can tell you that it makes a huge difference in life.

If I had read the Bible in my pre-Christian, whining days, I would have posted Proverbs 11:27 as a reminder and acknowledged God’s wisdom both at face value and the deeper meaning of walking in obedience. It says, “Whoever seeks good finds favor, but evil comes to one who searches for it.”  

I find there are three kinds of God’s good in life and our plans:

1) God’s good plan is better than my good plan.

In this case, the outcome is recognized as being better than or equal to the original plan, or it is simply a separate blessing; either way, He knows what we need.

• We enjoyed the extra time in Spearfish. It was more relaxing than the work it takes to move from one location to another. And:
• At Devil’s Tower, the ninety-seven-degree heat on the arrival day would have been miserable as we prepared the trailer both in Spearfish and at the new KOA.

• At Rushmore, when Mitch took the truck ninety miles back to Spearfish to our new mechanic friend John for our second truck problem, he has fond memories of staying overnight in a tent hammock back at the Spearfish KOA. And for me, the girls’ night alone with Ana and Elsa as we stayed back at Rushmore was also different and special.

2) The “It’s a good thing that…” scenario means protection against the worst scenario.

• Our truck issues did not happen with our trailer attached. We were set up and out delighting in a planned excursion in both cases. We did not break down on the side of a mountain road or any other road.
• We found a helpful and wonderful mechanic.
• Our sweet Ana lived through the attack and was not more badly injured. I also cannot imagine the situation if her sister Elsa had come along, or if I had been farther away from our site. I was just across from our campsite, and Mitch was able to come and help immediately.

3)  God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good–no matter what is going on in our lives.

We can rely on His strength, peace, comfort, and hope. We can trust that God, that Jesus, will get us through any difficulty.  Psalm 18:2 is one of my favorites in this regard:

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

This reliance begins with prayer, as in Philippians 4:6: Don’t worry about anything, pray about everything, ask God for help and thank Him for all He has done. 

Wrapping Up

Among the many things that went wrong, I have focused only on the most significant. At one point, I thought it was the vacation from hell, but that’s the kind of thought the devil wants us to focus on. Recognizing the good fills me with gratitude and returns me to the anticipation and appreciation of Heaven’s truth.

In life and in our travels, not every day or every experience is easy or what we hope for, but we must look for God’s good and be grateful.

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