Nemo

I (Mark) have been friends with Bruce Keller, the owner of the Freebird Ranch, for quite a few years. We met when we both worked at Cray. He and his wife (Traci) have turned their land and cabins into a wonderful group of rentals. The Freebird Ranch is in the Nemo Valley and it is such a beautiful area.

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Things to see

Buffalo Hunt Coaster (Rapid City)

Okay. At first glance, this seems hokey. On our way to Nemo, SD, we saw signs advertising this place. You ride a roller coaster shooting laser pistols at fake buffalo targets. It was SUPER FUN! Turns out, Mark is a horrible shot. He still blames the equipment even though facts would prove otherwise. Bruce is the bomb!

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Custer State Park

We went to this park with Barb's family and with our groups of friends. Beautiful landscape. The bison round-up was the very next weekend so the herd had been encouraged to be near that end of the park. We got some great close-ups.

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Dignity of Earth and Sky (Chamberlain)

This beautiful sculpture is at a rest area near Chamberlain, SD. It is definitely worth the stop.

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Mount Rushmore

Can you really go here too much? I don't think so. It is majestic!

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Needles Highway

Another unique Black Hills thing to do, drive the Needles Highway. Tunnels just barely big enough to get through and great views.

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Pactola Reservoir

Camille and Lucas ventured out to photograph a beautiful sunset over the reservoir. Charlie got to swim!

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Rapid City

We strolled around Rapid City a couple times. Played some games at a vintage video arcade. Went into a few shops. There are statues of U.S. presidents all around downtown. And a graffiti alley!

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Renting side-by-sides

Right across the road from the Freebird Ranch is D&K ATV Rentals. They have a dozen or so machines of various sizes. We took two trips; one when Barb's family was here and one when our crew of friends were here. There are trails all over the place. The forest service permit was included in the machine rental. We had a blast!

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Saloon No. 10 (Deadwood)

Yes, we went to Deadwood and Saloon No. 10 again. Yes, once again, Mark got picked to play the bartender - Harry.

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Spearfish Canyon

The drive is beautiful and we stopped at a couple of the iconic spots, namely Bridal Veil Falls and Devil's Bathtub.

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The Beatles!

As you drive between Rapid City and Nemo on Nemo Road, be ready to see the Beatles!

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Wonderland Cave

We've seen signs for this attraction for all the years we've been coming out. Finally made the short trip. It is pretty interesting!

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Hiking

Nemo Mountain

This is an ATV/UTV trail that we hiked instead. It can be accessed in Nemo, SD. We highly recommend staying at the Freebird Ranch Resort (www.FreebirdRanch.com). Dogs allowed.

Click here for photos.

To make a long story short ...

That night at the Nemo Guest Ranch Restaurant

We had walked over to the restaurant to have dinner, on a night we knew they were having live music. The couple (man and woman) were great singers and played quite a variety of old country. The guy's voice was fantastic. One of the locals told me that they usually ended their night with Lee Greenwood's classic "God Bless The U.S.A.". Well, this evening they decided to move it up in the show. Every single person in the restaurant stood and sang along with the song as if it was the National Anthem. It was quite a moving experience. Set your politics aside and realize that this song has been a patriotic theme ever since it came out. It was a beautiful rendition.

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