Heartland Park in Hermosa, SD

This year we decided to spend a little more time in South Dakota-- mostly in the Rapid City area, since it's arguably more interesting than Sioux Falls. Although, I would highly recommend everyone stopping to see the waterfalls in Sioux Falls, from which the city got its name-- at least once. They are amazing.

We spent our first week at Heartland Campground in Hermosa, which is about twenty minutes south of Rapid City-- closer to Keystone and Custer State Park. It's a nice campground and  one we will happily return to. They have live entertainment on Saturday evenings. You can't beat that! They also serve food. So we decided to check it out and get some dessert while we were at it--pie and ice cream (Mark ate the pie, I ate the ice cream).

Local musician at Heartland RV Park

We had a lovely time listening to the country western tunes and watching people get up and dance to the music. 

Interesting side note...   As I'm sure I mentioned way back when we first bought our motorhome, it came with a dishwasher. The dishwasher looked brand new, but when we tried to use it, it complained loudly and then flashed up an error code. We've checked it on and off since then, and we've been threatening to call in a service technician to see what it would cost to fix it. Soon after we settled in at Heartland, Mark decided to turn the dishwasher on again to get the error code, since he couldn't remember what it was. And shock of shocks, it started right up and ran through a complete wash cycle. It's a happy miracle with absolutely no explanation. But my handwashing days are over - Hallelujah!

We were also blessed with a chance to meet up with some Alfa Roadrunner friends, whom we met at the Roadrunner Rally in Quartzsite back in January-- David and Vicki Minelli. They were in town to take care of some personal business and met us for dinner at a local restaurant, the Colonial House. It's always a treat to meet people we know on the road in this sometimes lonely lifestyle we've chosen. It doesn't happen often enough.

David & Vicki Minelli, Me and Mark

Once again we thought we'd take a drive through the Custer State Park to see if we could encounter some wildlife. We didn't have much luck on our first visit to the Park last year. Unfortunately, this year wasn't any better. We guessed that it was probably because we got there too late in the morning and it was already starting to get warm. Determined to try to get a peek at some herds of bison, we decided to get up early and see if that made any difference. On the second trip, we arrived in the park around 7 a.m. and were greeted by this gentleman...

It was an encouraging sign, but nothing came of it. There were a few more solitary bulls grazing here and there, and a few pronghorns, but no herds. I guess it's not herd season. 

Well that sums up our first week in the Rapid City region. Our next stop was Hart Ranch RV Resort, which is north on Hwy 79 a few miles. I'll write a separate post in a few days covering the week we spent there.

Wishing you all safe travels wherever you are!

More pics...

Pronghorns in Custer Park

Beautiful scenery in Custer Park

Bison at Custer Park

Posted speed limit at Heartland RV Park.
I don't know if it's possible to go this speed...
unless you're on a bicycle. Or walking.