LRGV's Newest Property - Hunke Ranch

El Tecolote Ranch, part of the Hunke Ranch, is one of the newest acquisitions of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acquired the 1,119 acre tract with funds from the Department of Homeland Security that were reserved to counteract the negative impact to wildlife caused by the construction of the U.S./Mexico border fence. The previous owners, Karen and Phil Hunke, worked for more than a decade to transform thousands of acres into a sanctuary for endangered plants and animals such as the ocelot.

 

We had the opportunity to spend three days working with the fencing contractor as well as posting signs along the borders. The property is seven miles from any paved roads and sits on the Hidalgo/Willacy county line. The area is very quiet with an abundance of wildlife. Driving through the property we saw deer, coyote, nilgai antelope, and lots of birds. 

The fencing contractor placed these beautiful iron
gates at the two entrances.

 

 

Lunch Stop



This beehive on an abandoned building
is the largest we have seen.

Weekend on South Padre Island

We arrived at our destination in South Texas on October 29th. Site 10 at the Marinoff LRGV campground, our winter home for the last six years, was waiting just the way we left it.

 

We took a weekend trip to South Padre Island to celebrate Kurt's birthday. December is a great time to visit the Island because the crowds and prices are low. If you time your visit right, you can still get some great weather.

 

We had a great time bay fishing.

The seagulls chased after us for the unused bait.

This friendly pigeon followed us around the boardwalk.

Baby Alligators at the SPI World Birding Center

Finishing Up In The Black HIlls

After spending two complete weeks in the Black Hills area, it is now time to hitch up and move on down the road.

 

Sanford Lab Homestake Mine - Lead, SD

Over a period of 126 years, miners pulled more than 41 million ounces of gold and 9 million ounces of silver, worth billions, from the Homestake Mine, the largest mine in the western hemisphere. The mine closed in 2001 and left behind 370 miles of tunnels under the surface down to 8,000 feet. Sanford Labs purchased the property in order to conduct clean and quiet solar neutrino experiments 4,850 feet below ground. They were awarded a Nobel Prize in Physics for their work conducted here. There is a very elaborate Visitor Center as well as guided tours.

The surface mine is about a mile deep.



This sculpture features a stainless steel ring that “floats”
off the interior of a neutrino experiment tank support.



Friendship Tower on Mount Roosevelt near Deadwood, SD

We took a walking tour around Deadwood and had lunch at a casino. After lunch we hiked to this historic monument that was built by Seth Bullock of Deadwood in 1919 to honor his friend, President Theodore Roosevelt.



Friendship Tower is a short hike from a gravel parking area.



D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery - Spearfish, SD

Established in 1896, D. C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery, formerly Spearfish National Fish Hatchery, is one of the oldest operating hatcheries in the country. It is now managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service along with the State of South Dakota.

 

Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway

Bridal Falls

Crazy Horse Monument

We chose to skip the $28.00 admission and settled for
a picture of this still unfinished monument.

Jewel Cave National Monument - Custer, SD

Crystal Lined Passages

Third Longest Cave in the World

Custer State Park

This 71,000 acre park is centrally located in the Black Hills. Although, we took several drives through it while touring the area, we made a point of spending a couple of days in this South Dakota's first state park.

Peter Norbeck Visitor Center

Along the Wildlife Scenic Drive we saw a portion
of the 1,300 bison that reside in the park.

Mt. Coolidge Fire Tower Lookout

The 14 mile Needles Highway is spectacular.

The road winds between the granite spires.

In some cases the road winds through the granite spires.

Height 10 feet, Width 8 feet.

The Needle's Eye

Sylvan Lake

The Badlands of South Dakota

We spent two days exploring the Badlands, about 80 miles from home. There are two significant national sites in the Badlands, a National Historic Site and a National Park.

 

Minuteman Missile National Historic Site

Under the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) signed in 1991 the US and USSR began to reduce their stockpiles of nuclear arms. There were many Minuteman II missile sites across South Dakota. Out of the 450 sites, one Launch Control Facility and one Launch Facility (Silo) were preserved as historic sites. The Minuteman III Missiles are still active in Montana, Wyoming and North Dakota.

The newly built Visitor Center along I-90 is four miles
from the Launch Control Facility.

Delta-01 Launch Control Facility looks pretty innocent
from the road.  Only six visitors are allowed on 
each tour due to space constraints.

Inside the Launch Facility, three stories underground.
This is where two missileries sat at their stations 24/7
for three decades. 

Delta-09 Launch Facility (Silo)
is about 10 miles from Delta-01.

Minuteman II Missile

Badlands National Park

The 30 mile Badlands Loop Road has 14 significant scenic overlooks. We stopped at them all.

Badlands NP is more than 240,000 acres.

The camera cannot do it justice.



Yellow Mounds Overlook



Some of the turnouts had short hikes.
This one was called the Fossil Trail.

This trail was called the Door Trail

Wall Drug Store

Of course, no trip to the Badlands is compete without a stop at Wall Drug Store in Wall, SD.

We each had a piece of homemade pie
and a 5 cent cup of coffee.

 

Black Hills - Mount Rushmore

The three tunnels along the Iron Mountain Road all frame
the faces on Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

Major improvements in the mid 1990's added a three
story parking garage, a large outdoor amphitheater,
a visitor center with two theaters, an extensive museum,
and a granite flag lined approach.

Avenue of Flags

The sculpture remains the same.

The President's Trail was very interesting.
It allowed for an up close and personal with the "Faces."

The Evening Lighting Ceremony is held in the outdoor
amphitheater throughout the summer.

Rapid City & Black Hills, South Dakota

We arrived at Three Flags RV Park in Blackhawk, just outside of Rapid City, on Friday, September 4th. We started our tour of the area by visiting some of the sites in the city which has a population of almost 70,000.

 

Dinosaur Park

Built in the 1930's, this Apatosaurus (Brontosaurus) can
be seen from all over Rapid City. 

This is the same place Kurt sat for a picture 55 years
ago on his first trip to Rapid City.

The narrow winding Skyline Drive to the park provides
great views of the city.

Stavkirke Chapel

Built in 1969 as a replica of the famous 850 year old
Chapel in Laerdal, Norway.

Rapid City Formal Gardens

Three formal garden settings maintained
by the Garden Club and Parks Department.

Ellsworth Air Force Base and South Dakota Air & Space Museum

Home to the B1-B Bomber

Getting in a little practice time.

The Mammoth Site of Hot Springs, SD

One of several in North America,
this mammoth site, located on an ancient sinkhole, was
discovered by a housing construction company.

The actively working excavation site has uncovered
61 Columbian and woolly mammoths so far.

Wind Cave National Park

This Ranger is standing in front of the largest natural
opening to Wind Cave. We are glad they made a
larger unnatural opening for visitors.

Boxwork, a thin, honeycomb-shaped structure, protrude
from the walls and ceiling. Almost all of the known
boxwork worldwide is found within Wind Cave.