06--01-11 A Dog named Boo

06--01-11



142.5 miles

Left Wall for Rapid City. Cheap gas (Safeway 3.56).
 Heard about jerry’s Donuts on morning radio show 92.3 Blueberry donut holes $150/dozen  ($3.00 bag)
Followed Garmin to location 4 years out of date. Got new location only a few blocks away. Walked Mischa I npark then went for donut holes.
Next on to camping near Hot Spring. The Black Hills (and Badlands) are nothing like I’d envisioned. Instead of desolate desert lands like Arizona these are green rolling hills forested with tall pines (that make the hills look black) It reminds me of places I Colorado and Monterey Highlands/ Big Sur areas. The tall grasses and plains vistas make me think of who it must have been  for the Lakota Sioux riding over these hills for decades. Ther is a peace in the wind and since of place. I’ve also been listening  to a new radio staion  along the lines of KOYA - a radio station on the Lakota Reservation. The mix is intoxicating.
 Hot Sprinds is a very attractive hamlet with old brick buildings in a beautiful setting.  Cottonwood  Springs Lake Campgrounds is about 7 miles west of Hot Springs . The 2011 AAA campguide said it was $5/nite but it’s been $7 for years according to the Park Ranger.
I have to go to town to get cash for camping. No one does cash back from a purchase. This is 2011! Chris at the shell tells me Duane at the Winners Lane (Bowling Alley) has helped her before but just running thru the  money as a charge. Duane is willing to help me out.
Set up camp. The Host has a dog named BOO (like the song which I heard yesterday on KOYA radio and has stuck in my head) who barks at the slightest movement around. He’s a good dog, but too vigilant.
Warmer night than the night before, but still a bit cold. I go to sleep early, must have been exhausted.