Sad Day in South Dakota

Three Flags RV Park, Black Hawk, SD – May 6-11, 2014

We needed a place to roost for a few days to let our mail catch up to us. Three Flags looked good on the Internet and the price was right. We were even able to negotiate a slightly lower price because the kind of hookups that we wanted weren’t open yet. The owner was very nice, but she is new to the campground business so it will be interesting to see what the future holds for Three Flags.

She’s going to have to really advertise this place and offer some incentives because it has a few things going against it. It is located right next to Interstate 90 and you have to travel about a half mile on a red clay road to get to it.  If it rains, the road is a mess and you end up with mud all over your rig and car. After a while you start to ignore the road noise, but it might put some people off. Oh yeah I forgot to mention the trains. Luckily there are only two a day, none at night.

But she agreed to let us have our stuff sent here and even delivered it right to our door when it showed up.

While we waited for the mail, we decided to get some projects done. Hair cuts, laundry and fixing the tow guard for the Element were 1st on the list. It is windy and cold and we may have what the weatherman calls a Winter Mix precipitation later.

After all our hard work, we ran into Rapid City and took in a movie (Draft Day) actually pretty good flick. Of course the popcorn & drinks were more than the tickets especially since we get the geezer/early bird rates.

It has been raining and about 11:45 pm it stopped so EJ took a look outside. Here’s what she saw – Yep, the Winter Mix is here.

And the next morning it looked liked this. It didn’t last long, but it was still a surprise.

Thursday was a sad day for us here in South Dakota. Taz, our 17 year old cat passed away at 6:50PM on May 8th, 2014. As many of you know Taz had been dealing with an increasing number of health issues over the past two years. However, there was some spark in her, a desire to not let it interfere with her unique attitude, that enabled her to compensate for her frailties and continue to enjoy life.
   
Seventeen years ago she came into our lives on a trial basis. A lady Frank worked with had several young kittens that needed a home. Frank told her we would take two, but only if our 18-year-old cat would accept them. They didn't exactly all get along, but an atmosphere of tolerance prevailed. Kind of like "If you won't bother me, I won't hiss and swat at you".

Taz was the runt of the litter and was endowed with short legs, a short bent tail and a stocky body. She never had the lithe flexible body you would associate with a cat. As she grew older we began to call her "Bulldozer" because she would just plow right through what ever was in her way. Her build and size were perfectly suited for this.

She loved to get in bed and snuggle between the two of us and be petted. She had a purr that sounded more like wheezing but when she got between us in bed she was at her happiest.

She was a very tactile cat in that she loved to be rubbed, petted and brushed. She also liked to make sure that one of her paws touched you when she was close.

She was also a very quiet cat, rarely meowing and never complaining. When it came to asking for food, she let her sister Mocha do all the talking. Occasionally, if she was really excited she would let out a squeak.

As her infirmities increased she accepted having to rely on us more and more. She knew how to signal she wanted up in your lap, or down off the couch. We just had to be alert to the signals.

We bought her a special bed and immediately she claimed it. When we started traveling this year, we took her bed and she very rarely left it except to eat and answer natures' call. The bed was her throne and she could keep an eye on everything that happened around her.

Her personality was more than just being a cat. The love she gave us more than made us aware that she was glad that we were part of her life. She was full of surprises. The picture below was taken a few days before when EJ came out one morning and found Taz up on the couch. How she got up there we haven’t a clue.

On her last day with us, she craved constant attention and became very vocal. As the day wore on, she became weaker and weaker. We put her in our bed and lay on either side of her and that seemed to help make her happier. Then finally, we could no longer avoid the
inevitable trip to the Vet.

We will miss her terribly. Love you Tazzer, sweet dreams.

We are both having a hard time adjusting and keep getting over whelmed with emotions. Frank thought it would be good to get out and stay busy. We spent time taking inventory and shopping in anticipation of higher prices and unavailability in Canada and Alaska. Things that we know we won’t be able to find north of the border at reasonable prices such as toilet paper, paper towels, napkins, one pound propane cans and more. Every nook and hidey spot on Big Guy will be filled and even the Element is being used to store supplies.

We got a call from our friends, Jeff and Debbie, who are on their way delivering a rental RV from Chicago, IL to Seattle, Washington. They were traveling with their friends Tom and Susie who were also delivering an RV. They were nearby and decided to come and stay at Three Flags Friday night. The RV’s were brand new and had some pretty real looking graphics on them.

Saturday morning, Jeff, EJ, and I went shopping for a new camera for Jeff (his broke on the way) and a new GPS for Big Guy as the Rand McNally 7725 GPS went belly up the week before. Jeff got his camera, and Big Guy got a Garmin Nuvi 2797 GPS. Shopping completed, we got Jeff back to his RV and on the road so he could meet up with his friends and wife in Sturgis by noon.

That afternoon EJ and I decided to go to Deadwood and travel up the Canyon road and Nemo road to get there. Nice drive, and you definitely  see some interesting things along the way.

We went through Lead, SD and visited the site of the Homestake Gold Mine. Interesting place and a critter sighting to boot.

We stopped at a place called the Pump House for a late lunch. It was an old converted gas station that also had a glass making studio in it. We got lucky and they were doing a demo while we were there. Very interesting turning two piles of glass pieces into a work of art.

Of course we had to take a stroll downtown to check out the place. Lots of casinos and hotels with a few shops. Still felt a little like the old west though.

Coming back to BG we passed the Black Hills National Cemetery. No matter how many we see, they always make a strong impact on us.

Weather was great today, but they are predicting another winter storm tomorrow. We decided to stay two more days and wait it out. Our memories of Black Hawk will always have a sad twinge, but the journey will continue.