Our Drought is Over / For Now

Very little rain from April caused dams to begin drying up and our water tanks to empty.

Thankfully being away in the USA for six weeks had helped our situation a little.

But by the last weeks of November we had put ourselves on strict rationing and were making tentative enquires about getting a water delivery if we had to start using our domestic water supply for the cattle.

Even more concerning was that the bush around us had really dried out, especially the understorey, and, with a hotter than normal summer (El Niño) predicted, bushfires were going to be a possibility.

But all that changed on Wednesday.

225mm (9inches) rain fell in just over 24 hours.

Our tanks filled,

Our dams filled.

Our creek flooded.

So we are good to go now until at least January.

More rain is predicted over the next few days.

It’s very soggy and there was a little fence damage but who cares!

Our 2023 USA Visit / Part 7 / Homeward Bound

After six weeks away it was time to head home.

Flight transfers and a couple of hour’s layover each in Denver and San Francisco.

Change of terminal in Denver from one of the furthest B gates to one of the furthest A gates but, hey, we were walk fit by this stage.

Both flights to SFO from Sioux Falls were packed.

I had checked the United App and was surprised to see our flight from SFO to Sydney was virtually empty.

Must be a glitch I thought. That flight is normally pretty full.

What I didn’t realise was there was a flight three hours earlier.

Indeed our flight on a 777-300ER had only around 100 passengers and most of them were ‘upfront’

Our economy section had 10 passengers.

As a result we could stretch out on the four middle seats and sleep a lot of the way during the 14 hour Pacific Ocean crossing.

In between times I watched four movies and read a little.

It was the most comfortable economy flight ever.

How United would economically maintain this scheduling is anyone’s guess.

Maybe it’s freight based.

We arrived in Sydney 45 minutes early.

The pic above is us actually landing. It’s a screen shot from the Sydney Airport Live website.

Immigration is all automated for citizens and ETA holders now and is quick. 

Baggage took a while but it all arrived safely.

We have AirTags in our bags to keep track but United’s tracking system on their App is pretty good as well.

I declared some pistachio nuts I had brought in and all our bags had to go through X-ray at quarantine.

Why? I don’t know but we had plenty of time.

Then we caught three trains back to Nowra where our lovely neighbour was waiting on the platform with coffee and muffins.

It was a bit of a hairy drive south with torrential rain a lot of the way.

Unfortunately that petered out the nearer we got to home.

We are still in drought conditions here. Very little rain while we were away.

Jet lag took over for 4 to 5 days but nothing we couldn’t handle. Going to bed at 7pm and waking up at 2-3 am is the name of the game.

So that was our 2023 trip.

Tentative plans are to do it all again in 2025.

Our 2023 USA Visit / Part 6 / The Black Hills of SD

From Brookings, the I90 west across SD to the Black Hills is a speed track.

There are other more relaxing but, time wise, longer routes eg. State Highway 14 through Huron, the state capital Pierre meeting up with the interstate at Wall for the final leg into Rapid City.

The scenery, basically prairie, is the same.

We had tried this last year but were thwarted by bad weather and diverted to the interstate directly south of the capital.

This time the 14 was enveloped in fog the whole way to Pierre and we saw nothing but the tail lights of the cars/trucks in front of us.

Thankfully the capital is home to one of the best steakhouses, The Cattleman’s Club, and again it didn’t disappoint.

Next morning the weather forecast didn’t look good so we (again!) abandoned our Route 14 trip and headed for the interstate.

All was fine for a while, then the temperature dropped to -8°C and our surroundings turned white.

Ice!

And the road became a skating rink. We were down to speed of under 60kmh on a road with a speed limit of 130kmh.

There were county trucks already dumping salt and gravel but on the passing lane only and there were jackknifed transports in the ditches both sides of the road.

Video here.

Was a sweaty back drive to Wall and a relief to have a break, gas up and consume a buffalo burger at Wall Drug.

Then it was another slow careful drive through an icy landscape to our family accommodation at Edelweiss Mountain via Rapid City.

That evening it snowed.

After two days relaxing there we moved onto to Custer via Hill City.

Family had ‘borrowed’ a friend’s nice cabin just out of town and we took the opportunity of exploring the town, visiting Custer State Park (absolutely stunning) and the Mammoth Site (extremely interesting) at Hot Springs.

Tatanka is the Lakota word for bison 

The animal is essential part of their culture.

My YouTube video here.

Being there out of season avoided the crowds but we faced closed businesses and restaurants. Thinking back, this didn’t affect us a whole lot.

Then after a few days it was back along the I90 and across the Missouri in perfect weather to the Sioux Falls area.

A great week away.

Our 2023 USA Visit / Part 5 / Colorado / Days 3-6

Day 3

It’s a short drive from Montrose back along Route 50 to the Black Canyon of Gunnison River.

I had done a little research and thought I knew what to expect, but what we saw there was jaw dropping.

The pic below is the initial view of the canyon from the first car park.

It was a preview of what we were going to experience over the next three hours.

We walked the 1.5km path along the edge of the canyon to the Visitors Centre and back.

Then we drove to the various outlooks.

We came across a few deer on the road but they were quick to make their escape.

 

The Black Canyon is so named because its steepness makes it difficult for sunlight to penetrate into its depths, some parts getting only 30 minutes a day. As a result, the canyon is often shrouded in shadow, causing the rocky walls to appear black. At its narrowest point the canyon is only 12 m wide at the river.

At the section where the canyon’s walls are the steepest, it is 16km long with depths ranging from 525 to 740m.

My Canyon YouTube video 

Then back to Montrose for a late lunch at Colorado Boy for good panini, salad and craft beer.

Then it was a drive to Grand Junction. Here is where the Gunnison and Colorado rivers meet.   

We made a small detour to the Two Rivers Winery where we tasted a selection of their products. A couple were quite acceptable.

Dinner that night was fancy tacos and craft beer at Tacoparty downtown.

Day 4

What to do today?

We only had a 1.5 hour drive to our next destination, Glenwood Springs.

A 2 hour drive to the west in Utah was The Arches National Park.

But we had done a lot of driving so far and an extra 4 hours added on today didn’t appeal.

A quick look at the Grand Junction tourist brochures indicated the Colorado National Monument just out of town maybe worth a visit. 

Reviews were mixed however.

It was only a 45 minute circuit so we took the ‘plunge”.

 

Three hours later we emerged from the park a little gobsmacked.

It was one of the most wonderful places we had seen.

And wild life too, a photogenic mountain sheep who was happy to pose but a shy coyote didn’t wait to be photographed.

My Colorado National Monument YouTube video is here.

Then it was a drive through an ever changing landscape following the Colorado River to Glenwood Springs for a relaxing couple of hours of soaking at the Iron Mountain Hot Springs.

Then probably the best meal of the trip at the CO Ranch House.

Grilled mountain trout and asparagus washed down with a bottle of Sancerre.

Day 5 

Our last full day was a drive, three hours, to our Denver airport hotel.

The I70 from Glenwood Springs traverses a number of canyons, high mountain passes and tunnels and is very busy with cars travelling seemingly bumper to bumper at high speed and trucks struggling up steep inclines.

We passed through the ski resorts of Vail, Copper Mountain and Beaver Creek.

The Eisenhower Tunnel, with a maximum elevation of 3401m and a length of 2.7km is a very impressive engineering accomplishment.

For the uninitiated, this drive was a bit stressful but we made it unscathed, physically. Mentally may have been a different matter.

To ease ‘the pain’ we stopped for a very good BBQ lunch at Smokin’ Yards in Idaho Springs and had enough leftovers for dinner in our DEN hotel after their well attended happy hour.

It was a deserved good night’s sleep at one of the Airport Hiltons.

Day 6

Up reasonably early for a typical hotel breakfast, a short drive to return the rental, shuttle to Denver airport, check in, a relatively long wait to get through security.

I’ve been to Denver airport a lot of times over the last 25 years but always stayed airside, never been landside.

Actually leaving the airport was a first.

It’s a huge operation with the main Jeppesen Terminal connected to three concourses by trains. Total number of gates is around 160 which service 25 airlines.

I am more used to Terminal B from which United Airlines arrive and depart. But they have expanded into Terminal A as well so you have to be on the ball looking at the departure boards when catching or connecting flights.

So from there the daughter flew back to NYC, me back to Sioux Falls.

A great trip all round.

Our 2023 USA Visit / Part 4 / Colorado / Days 1-2

Day 1

I flew the one and a bit hours from Sioux Falls to Denver and met up with the daughter who had flown in from New York City.

After a very efficient organisation of a rental car, a Nissan Murano, we took the short drive to Colorado Springs and the Garden of the Gods.

This park is popular for hiking, rock climbing, biking, and horseback riding.

It attracts more than 2 million visitors a year.

The outstanding geologic features of the park are the ancient sedimentary beds of deep-red, pink and white sandstones, conglomerates and limestone that were deposited horizontally, but have now been tilted vertically and faulted into "fins" by the immense mountain building forces caused by the uplift of the Rocky Mountains and the Pikes Peak massif.

The following Pleistocene Ice Age resulted in erosion and glaciation of the rock, creating the present formations. 

After driving the circuit, we walked and climbed for a couple hours through this amazing landscape.

Here is my YouTube video.

Later that afternoon we found our comfortable suburban Airbnb easily. 

Dinner at Shuga’s Restaurant and Bar was excellent despite a particularly grumpy server and my CC not working. 

A later call to my bank in Australia established that a block had been put on it due to a suspicious transaction ie. Brookings Health System 🙄.

They promised to unblock it within the hour.

Day 2

Next morning, after a good coffee in town, we were in line at the gate at the 9am opening time for the drive up to Pikes Peak, height 4,302m (14,115ft).

The drive started off fairly easily but as we progressed the road got steeper, narrower and extremely winding. 

The switchbacks had no safety railings and the drop offs were a little confronting.

It became obvious as we climbed that we were not at all height acclimatised.

At 6000ft Denver/Colorado Springs had not been a problem.

But for us above 8000ft altitude sickness became a reality.

It presented itself as a woozy head and some difficulty walking in a straight line.

Despite that, we managed to eat one of their famous donuts which were pretty yummy and walk (stagger?) the circuit of the summit in below freezing temperatures.

You can see five states from the top on a clear day and that is what we got.

My YouTube video.

Then we had to really gird our loins for a safe trip back down.

Concentration plus a low speed was the name of the game.

We were supposed to engage low gear all the way to the mid point but the Nissan’s low gear was not as low as some and we had to apply the brakes more than we should have.

At the mid point ranger station our brake temperature test was 500°F, way above the required 300°F, so we were sent to the ‘naughty’ car park for 30 minutes too let things cool down before completing the descent.

We were not the only ones there.

My YouTube descent video.

Then it was a long but beautiful drive to Montrose with the scenery changing dramatically each hour from expansive plains with snowy mountain backdrops to steep pine covered mountain passes and lakes and rivers surrounded by bare mesas and buttes.

Another CC refusal at a gas station along the way😡. 

Another call to my bank later that evening finally sorted out the situation. Really annoying when you advise your bank of your travel plans before leaving home.

Always have a stash of cash is the lesson learnt.

Another nice suburban Airbnb in Montrose and dinner around the corner at the Horse Fly Brewing Company was excellent.

Next day would be the Black Canyon of the Gunnison River.

Our 2023 USA Visit / Part 3 / Outside Sioux Falls Activities

Elkton, SD

Staying with family in a nice rural environment.

Lots of corn/bean harvest activity going on around us.

Lake Hendricks, SD/MN

Lovely lakeside family accommodation and a USA small town feel just across the border.

We had a fun family reunion here.

Granite Falls, MN

Lisa and I (not winners) visited the Prairie’s Edge Casino with Crystal (big winner).

Nice facility.

Lots of slots and reasonable food at cheap prices. 

Try the chilli dog!

Choice of smoking and non smoking gambling rooms which is a big plus. So many casinos are tobacco smoke polluted.

Lowville, MN

Family farm corn harvest.

 My YouTube video of harvest here.

Brookings, SD.

Great university town (SDSU) with lots of restaurants, bars, cafes and boutique shopping.

Unfortunately I had to visit the ER at the Brookings Health System.

I was extremely well and efficiently looked after. 

The cost however was the complete opposite to our socialised medicine system in Australia.

Thank goodness for travel insurance. 

Never go overseas, especially to the USA, without it.

Dell Rapids, SD.

High School football (NFL) game.

My short YouTube video here.

Places to eat/drink in Brookings, Lake Hendricks and Elkton.

Great coffee and atmosphere at Kool Beans, Brookings.

Good coffee at Cottonwood Bistro, Brookings.

BBQ pulled pork sandwiches at Backyard BBQ, Brookings.

Best ham and cheese omelette at Irene’s Cafe, Lake Hendricks.

Prime rib at Knotty Pine Supper Club, Elkton.

Our 2023 USA Visit / Part 2 / Sioux Falls Activities

The Sculpture Walk

The 2023 exhibition is the 20th.

The sculptures are placed throughout downtown Sioux Falls and other high traffic areas of the city.

Art is really brought to the people.

Have always loved this and again, it’s worth the hour’s walk 

My Youtube video here

The Arc of Dreams

One of my favourite places to visit.

More details in this previous post.

My YouTube video here 

Falls Park

Always worth a wander and a few pictures.
Not a lot of water flow this time.
More details in this previous post.
My YouTube video is here

Sioux Falls Quilt Show

The biggest quilt show in South Dakota held every two years.
Here’s a small sample of the 300 plus quilts on display.

And sister Kay was vending there.

Check out her website

Recommended Places to Eat.

Phillips Ave Diner. Back to a full post Covid menu.

Try the House Reuben sandwich or the Spicy G burger.

M.B Hackett Deli for an innovative lunch menu.

Our 2023 USA Visit / Part 1 / Getting There

Late September departure.

Instead of leaving the car at the airport, we decided to take the train from Nowra (Bomaderry).

A neighbour kindly drove us an hour north to the station.

A very pleasant and relaxing rail trip with two train changes finally had us right under the international terminal and our hotel for the night.

Check in the next morning was fast as was emigration and security which was in great contrast to the extended time it took in 2022.

The 14 hour flight on United to LAX was relatively comfortable and uneventful.

A spare seat beside me was a bonus.

   

I was through USA immigration in about an hour, the co driver, as an American citizen, a lot less.

Apart from a sniffer dog, no real customs presence.

After dropping our bags off at the transfer point it was a longish walk from Tom Bradley Terminal to T7 where we were soon, after another quick security check, having a nice breakfast overlooking airport apron activity.

Then an onward flight to Denver for an early supper and, of course, our first Caribou coffee of the trip. 

Then another flight to our final destination Sioux Falls. 

Total travel time approximately 24 hours.

Next morning it was time to ease into our USA adventure.