It's great to be back!!

It is great to be back in the Black Hills. We are given such a warm welcome by our friends and those we met last year when we were here. Most of them are back. Bob and Carol - where are you?

It doesn't take long to settle in. Sheridan Lake looks wonderful in the height of summer. We spend some time on the lake; climb into the hills behind the lake to catch wonderful views; become regulars at a Coffee Cabin - Annie Lode; enjoy great company at a bar at Three Forks - thanks Gerry and Darrell.

Our days fall into a familiar (and lazy ) pattern. I walk while Trevor catches up with Ron and Mason on Mason's deck for coffee. I do some  laundry; Trevor takes on the ride-on lawn mower.
Some days we drive into Hill City - thanks to Ron for the use of the truck(s) - and catch up with emails at Ron's office.

Hill City is a neat town with such a personality. Of course it is all about to change with the onslought of motorbikes which will be Sturgis.

Back at the Lake a deck is being constructed around a newly created pond. There are several working bees! Could there be too many 'cooks'?


 Thankfully Mason is supervising!!











We take a drive into the hills in John's jeep.

The view from the top is breathtaking! We can see Sheridan Lake and beyond.



The drive is scary! Switchbacks and tight corners! I thought the worst part of the ride was going up, but ... no!! It is far worse coming down, as you can see where you are about to go ...

I opt to walk a short way down, over the steepest part - or so I thought. Ron is taking the photos as we descend.

Ed and Eleanor do the climb on an ATV.  I think they have done it before!!

Trevor and John look fairly relaxed in the photo.

Take a look at Trevor's hands on the way down. How relaxed is he now?  I am also holding on tightly!!

You can see from these photos that we are in a beautiful part of the country. My morning walk takes me through the forest; I see deer, squirrels and chipmunks; I rarely see any other person - I must be the luckiest person in the world!

The weather in July is somewhat unsettled. Thunderstorms most afternoons; sometimes we get rain and, on occasion, hail. But the mornings are gorgeous and the weather is mild.
We have a campfire most evenings - the best place to enjoy a glass of wine!

Our bird feeder is checked out.

We have wildlife at our back door.

This rabbit climbed the woodpile outside our window to get to the peanuts Trevor left out for the chipmunk.

I see a snake in the woodpile - give it a wide berth after that.

A beaver calls the pond 'home.' It has cut down a large aspen; the rangers are called in to relocate it. It is enormous!!


We spend a weekend at Lake Oahe, the reservoir created by the Oahe Dam on the Missouri River. We are invited to Rod and Marion's cabin on the west side of Lake Oahe, near Pierre, the capital of South Dakota.
(I have referred to Pierre in some of my first posts.)

It's a great weekend. The weather is amazing; the company a lot of fun!
Rod and Marion's friends Dan and Lisa come down with their boat. We are on the water each day.

Hope swimming is like riding a bike!!

Jake loves the boat! Even better is when Dan lets him have a swim! There's a bit of fun when he gets back on board though as we all get wet.
The lake is enormous - 231 miles long, it begins in central South Dakota and continues into North Dakota. It has a shore length of  2,250 miles.
They say that the fishing on the lake is second to none. I know that Rod can attest to that. But this weekend was purely recreational!!



On Sunday we take the boat down river from the Dam. It is so relaxing ...

We eat heartily thanks to Trisha, Rod and Marion's daughter. And of course we also enjoy a few drinks.

Rod has us in fits when he prepares to
barbecue!  Some times it is best to let the pictures tell the tale!!















Away from the lake, rolling plains are covered in wheat fields. A lot of harvesting equipment looks ready to go.

The Missouri River is the longest river in North America. It rises in the Rocky Mountains of western Montana and flows east and south for 2,341 miles before entering the Mississippi River north of St. Louis, Missouri. When combined with the lower Mississippi River, it forms the world's third longest river system.

The Missouri River, which bisects South Dakota from north to south, holds such history. In September 1804, the Lewis and Clark Expedition - the first to cross the western portion of the US - passed through what is now Lake Oahe while exploring the river.

Possibly not a bale of grass!

Back at Sheridan Lake we are looking forward to Todd's visit. He will have a long haul as he is flying from Melbourne to San Francisco - via Los Angeles - and then directly on to Rapid City, South Dakota via Denver.

We do some housework; Trevor mows the lawns; we shop ....