Howell Ranch - Day 1 - kathleen howell

We woke this morning at Chris’ Camp in Spearfish, chilly and damp as fog settled over my beloved Black Hills. Neither of us slept well, we forgot the pillows (doh!) and I laid awake paranoid listening to the rain hit the roof of the trailer. After a 1300 mile trip, lots of bumps and flexing, I was worried we’d have leaks, but so far so good.

However, at about 3am it had become apparent we ran the propane out, and the other tank was empty. Thank God I brought an electric blanket. Perkins was our first stop, then Bomgaars and Tractor Supply in search of a new propane tank. Our one tank was fine, but the other too old to refill, so a new one was a must. Except for propane filling we were sent to the Elkhorn Ridge Travel Center, a beautiful new gas station and store at the corner of 85 and Colorado Blvd.

And then learned they didn’t fill propane. They sent us to the Elkhorn Ridge Resort RV Park for propane. Once filled, we hit Walmart for additional supplies and were on our way north.

We stopped at the Crow Buttes Mercantile, as we always do. Going in the front doors, it was dark. ?? Hello? A voice answered and I asked if they were open. “Yes, but we just lost power..”

Oh no! We had stopped for gas, but knew that wouldn’t be happening. As we spoke, the lights flipped back on. Yay!

We left a rock for Southeast Michigan Rocks (more to come, we left quite a few from Michigan to South Dakota) and were on our way.

As we feared, it was muddy. Not quite sure what to do, our neighbor came down the road in his side by side. After talking for a few, we headed in. Quickly without stopping!

He then took us in the side by side to find a good spot to park. After a few circles, we found a level spot and began to set up our home away from home.

We sat outside for a while, listening to the generator hum outside on this chilly, damp night, our first night on our land. The moon tried to peek from the clouds and with the help of my tripod, I capture our view in the glow of our lights.