SP Campground Review – Snake Creek (Platte, SD)

This was a gem of a State Park that we found out in the “boonies” next to the Missouri River in South Dakota

Link to campground here: Snake Creek Recreation Area
Link to map here: Snake Creek Recreation Area

1. Site Quality = 4.5/5
   Really nice sites here. Long paved or gravel pads, mostly level and many have electric to boot. Bench and fire-pit at each plus plenty of sites with shade. Around the edge of the loop most sites will have a open view of the river and all are within walking distance of access to swimming.
2. Facilities = 5/5
   Awesome facilities for a State Park. They’ve got flush and vault toilets, full showers plus a central dump & water station. Also on-site are several playgrounds, a swimming beach and trails that skirt the water and go to the pier. The pier also has a restaurant and a small general store. 
3. Location = 4/5
   This campground is set right alongside the Missouri River on rolling hills which is just a beautiful location. Direct access to the water and beautiful views. The only negative (or positive depending on your viewpoint) is that you’re a bit out there. You’re ~14 miles from Platte which is a small 6-block town with a single grocer.
4. Pet Friendliness = 5/5
   They’re very pet friendly here. Pooch can’t swim on the “official” beach, but can go in the water at any other point and there’s trails to walk alongside the river. Plenty of space to hang out in the grass next to your site too.

Overall Rating = 4.6
BONUS ALERT = Take a dip in the Missouri right outside your RV

Summary: I have to admit this is one of the nicest State Parks we’ve stayed at so far. The area is gorgeous set in rolling hills right alongside the Missouri River. We all love the water, including the dog, and the river was literally 10 feet from our RV spot so we spent our days going for dips and drying off in the sun. The sites are all large, quite level and many have electric and nice shade plus views of the river on the outside of the loop. The park is a bit “out there”  being 14 miles from the nearest (very small) town and I gather it gets full in the week-ends. However during the week it’s empty and you have your own little slice of heaven practically all to yourself. Definitely a keeper and one to come back to.

 Extra Info: Verizon wireless worked flawlessly. AT&T phones did not. Sites cost $16/night for electric. Potable water and dump station on-site.

View of pull-in site right alongside the river

Typical back-in site. Long, paved or gravel with bench and fire-pit

View along one of the park roads

Paul and Polly take a dip. This was 10 feet from our RV

View towards the swimming beach

RV Park Rating – American RV Park (Murdo, SD)

A quick review of our 2-night stay in Murdo, South Dakota

No dedicated website, but you can link to phone info here: American RV Park

1. Site quality = 4/5
   This park has an upper and lower level. The upper levels are very nice pull-through concrete pads with full hook-ups (50 Amp/water/sewer), bench and slice of green but not a lot of shade. The lower level has dirt sites on a grassy area with some trees, but only partial hook-ups.
2. Facilities = 3/5
   The bathrooms here are decent, but a bit dated. The interior is basic concrete with smaller showers. The grasshoppers and humidity do tend to find their way in here.
3. Amenities = 2.5/5
   The main amenity here, if you would call it that, is a huge grassy area on the lower level where kids & dogs can play. The pool is empty and there’s nothing else in the way of “frills”. The park does have laundry and free WiFi which works perfectly so that’s a bonus. There’s also an attached bar/restaurant although the food is very average.
4. Location = 3/5
   The main attraction in Murdo is the Auto museum so as far as location goes you’re within a block of walking distance from that which is great. Other than that there’s not much going on in Murdo. The town is only ~6 blocks all around and surrounding area is farmland.
5. Pet friendliness = 4/5
   These guys are very pet friendly and the grassy area on the lower area is a great place for doggie to run around. There’s no hiking of any type close-by so that’s the only negative.

 Overall rating = 3.3
BONUS ALERT: Within walking distance of awesome Pioneer Auto Museum

Summary: Murdo is a small transit town on Interstate 90 that gets mostly through-traffic and people staying a single night. The park caters to that and is very simple. Sites are nice, there’s full hook-ups and the park grounds are well maintained but there’s not much in the way of extra’s. Apparently they used to have a Good Sam’s rating but lost it because the pool is unusable. The main bonus is a large grassy field on the lower level of the park where doggie, kids & adults can run wild. Also there is good WiFi. This is an attached bar/restaurant but I wouldn’t recommend the food. The stop is worth it mainly for the Auto museum next-door, but otherwise this is not a destination vacation. Fine for a one-nighter, but not much more.

View of full hookup site in upper level...concrete and level, but not much shade

Side-view of upper sites

View of lower-level sites

Another view of lower-level sites. These are not full hook-up

View of green field in lower level. Lots of space for doggie to play.

Wheelin’ It in Murdo, SD – Auto Style

They always say to expect the unexpected when you travel, and I’ve found that if you approach things with an open heart and free mind you can often find gems of surprise in the most unusual places. And that’s how we started the day…wheeling the monster into the tiny town of Murdo, SD.

This unassuming spot is small enough to spit across (barely 6 blocks all around) boasts just one store and a few gas stations, a single RV campground and more grasshoppers than grass, giving the totally surreal effect of walking through waves of green that magically sprout from your shoes as you cross the fields. And in between all the sleepy houses and the empty streets, in a little corner of no-mans land is one of the most surprising museums we’ve ever seen. Welcome to the Pioneer Auto Museum of Murdo, SD.

Established in 1954, this fabulous museum has over 300 vintage cars collected lovingly over many years by AJ ‘Dick’ Geisler. But, it’s not just cars. AJ was apparently a bit of an obsessive history buff and couldn’t stop with just autos. He collected paraphernalia, signs, phones, motorbikes, trucks, gas pumps, dentist equipment, apothecary bottles and just about anything he could lay his hands on from the 1890′s onward. The museum is actually a small town with ~30 buildings and has a fully stocked 1950′s grocery store, a 1900′s county jail, a schoolroom and so much more. It’s dog friendly too and you’re welcome to bring pooch to the show.

As they say, not at all what we expected, but what a fun surprise.

The entrance to Pioneer Auto Museum

A rare 1953 Packard

A 1913 Humpmobile and other early 1900's cars

An old piece of Hotel Dakota...$1/night for the cabins

Collections of old trucks

Sticky Memories

As we’ve driven out of an arid 10% humidity in the desert and well into the sweaty 80% of South Dakota my thoughts turns to sticky stuff. Call it brain going to mush if you will, but my mind always has a strange way of thinking that manages to surprise even me (always a way to keep yourself entertained). So, as I sit and watch the evening sunset, listening to a wild chorus of cicada’s reverberate around me and entranced by the clouds of mosquitos twirling above the last evaporating heat of the day I think of sticky things and that brings me to sticky memories.

You see, sometimes you may wonder what you’re doing in life. Whether it be wild adventures, bumming on the beach or a tough job that works you 80+ hours a week, we all at some point question our purpose. And the truth is, what we should be doing is making sticky memories….things that we’ll remember for years, the type of experience you look back on and reminisce, the stories you tell your children and grand-children….things that remain glued in your mind forever.

Today, as I sit here and watch this wonderful theatre that is nature, I’m thinking “yeah, this’ll stick”. So, whatever that may be for you go and find it, for life is really only the sum of your experiences and the ones you remember are the only ones you can carry with you.

View across the Missouri River....it's a sticky one, for sure

Heading East & Last of The Black Hills, SD

We’ll we’re off East and further “out there” so not sure we’ll have blog access for a few days (we’ll see). In the meantime it’s time to say a last goodbye to the Black Hills of SD and our 2 weeks here. 

The Pahá Sápa, so named by the Sioux Indians for their dark Ponderosa Pines, are a sacred and rich hills wrapped in controversial history. Originally traditional hunting grounds, the hills were assigned to the Lakota at the Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868. However, peace was not to be. In 1874 General Custer discovered gold in the region and the draw was irresistible. Within 2 years 10,000 prospectors filled the area and a year later the US government seized back the land. It was the beginning of the massive Gold Rush the age of migration to the West. 

All this history is wrapped in the hills and there for you to experience, and we’ve been under, over and across to see it. Jewel Cave, the 2nd longest cave in the world (151 miles) lies ~12 miles West of Custer, and the area is flanked by another monster Wind Cave in the south. Marking the north is Mount Rushmore where the road leads all the way to historical Deadwood. Closer to Custer is the remarkable private undertaking of Crazy Horse, which will eventually be the largest mountain carving in the world and displays a wealth of Indian culture and history. And, of course there’s the hills, the berries, the wildlife and the hiking. 

Well worth a visit. As they say “we be back…” 

Sunrise at Stockade Lake in Custer State Park

Wildflowers in Custer

Hiking Hellhole Canyon w/ Paul & Polly in the East

The stunning Jewel Cave

The Crazy Horse Monument. It will eventually be 563 feet (172 m) high and will depict Crazy Horse on his mount pointing to the land of his people

The Black Hills as seen from the top of Lovers Leap