At the Black Hills Stock Show Professional Saddle Bronc Match in Rapid City, all eyes are on the bucking chute—anxiously awaiting that 8-second whistle. The crowd claps and cheers the cowboy’s performance, all the while oblivious to the unspoken heroes in the arena—the pickup men. In a rodeo, the pickup man is tasked with rescuing the cowboy after bronc [...]

I spent my Saturday discovering the allure of cross-country skiing in the Black Hills with the desire to offer a snapshot of the area through the activity. My company on this trip was Pam, a downhill skier. I’m always delighted when I talk someone into a new outdoor excursion with me, mainly because many of [...]

What do you do with 80 loads of dirt and 160 tons of woodchips? Hold the annual Black Hills Stock Show & Rodeo®, of course! Before competitors can face off in Rushmore Plaza Civic Center’s Barnett Arena, a team of twenty men will dedicate an entire week to the event’s setup. Together they work to [...]

  I recently spent most of a day at Crazy Horse Memorial and devoted several hours to a careful inspection of the art and artifacts on display in its Indian Museum of North America. And while I certainly appreciated the craftsmanship and skillful artistry of the Native American displays, I stood the longest in front [...]

So, I’m driving into work on Monday and I’m thinking about Art Alley. Actually, I’m thinking about Art Alley, the Emerging Artists Showcase I attended Friday night and Main Street Square. It’s the “butterfly effect” in action in downtown Rapid City – a term used in Chaos Theory to describe how tiny variations can affect [...]

Airports are peculiar places, I think, as I watch a young Asian man with two huge rolling suitcases pause in his rather random amble across an expanse of industrial carpet at Rapid City Regional Airport. For example, I haven’t flown anywhere for decades, yet I’m feeling rootless and slightly anxious through what I take to [...]

Around our office there has been a lot of talk about fall which I’m learning is a favorite season for many. Especially after the hot, windy summer we experienced like most of the country, the cooler days that peak in the 70′s and the even cooler nights are a welcome relief. Also like most of [...]

The town of Hot Springs is a sightseers delight, filled with nearby treats such as the Mammoth Site, Evans Plunge, Wind Cave National Park, Angostura Recreation Area, etc., but when you take a drive through the heart of the town you are immediately drawn in to this Black Hills community. Hot Springs rests along Fall [...]

My mother recently made her second trip to South Dakota for the year. As usual, she thumbed through the South Dakota Vacation Guide and noted the Mammoth Site, in Hot Springs, has stood out over the years as a definite place to visit. So off we went…this would be a first visit for both my [...]

Lots of folks enjoy visiting museums because it’s an amusing way to get a little educated. And for some, it may be an educated way to get a little amusement. Then there are the deep research opportunities available at museums that have archives of records and objects that have historical, cultural and scientific value. On [...]