Keyhole State Park and Homemade Tear Drop

Monday, August 12, 2013 

Awoke around 6am to an orange disk rising thru a giant Cottonwood tree. 

And at my usual break neck pace of packing up, I drove away only three hours later! it's a vacation- who's in a hurry?

I veered off to small town of Sundance to provision and ice up.  Then back on the interstate.  And how come some of South Dakota's freeways are red? It's quite startling, to be driving along and then there is big long stretches of a faded red brick road meandering over hill and dale.

Pulled of the exit to find snow under the pine trees. what the heck? in August?

When I drove the park gate I asked the ranger and she said they had 5" of hail fall a few nights ago and had to get a tuck to plow the roads clear. She did say there was 50% chance of thunderstorms that night, but that was their summer pattern. Of course it also means there is 50% chance it won't - so there!

Passed two small fawns ambling across the two lane road and  no sight of mom anywhere around. Keyhole State Park hugs the Keyhole Reservoir - big lake, even has its own marina. I found a spot in the Arched Rock campground near the water's edge and set up my camp.

A bit later a mini van with a trailer backed in. It reminded me of a baby airstream. That is when I met Randy and Martha from Indiana. He works at the Toyota plant in the maintenance division. Clearly this guy has some major skills. The trailer is called a Tear Drop and there is a organization called the Tear Jerkers that meet and share ideas.  Anyway, he designed, drew it, put it in his CAD, and built it from the frame up. They even showed me their little scrap book. It took him 6 months to build and the exterior aluminum is from ALCOA and made from aluminum can tops. Reminded me a of a small sailboat. Very cool. There were on a three week vacation and just left Yellowstone. 

The geese wake up at 5:30am around here and their honking echoes eerily off the water. A small ribbon of red lay across the eastern sky and I shrugged out of bed and started my morning. After a leisurely break down, interrupted by geese walking thru the campground. 

Currently writing this from the Firehouse Brewing Company in Rapid City, SD. 

I am now only minutes away from Mt.Rushmore. After fortifying myself with a cheeseburger and coleslaw, it is time to move on.

signing off for now