We pulled into Spearfish a couple of days before the actual Hoots Rally started because Stan and Lynne are on the board and they had details to take care off prior to the start. The Rally was being held at the Elkhorn Ridge RV Park which was a very pretty campground with a pool, hot tub, restaurant and large sized lots.
The first evening five couples went to Los Cabos for a mexican meal.
The following day we took a down day and mentally/physically prepared ourselves for the Rally. We also got the BusseBus and BBT washed and the coach waxed by Mobile Wash out of Naples, Florida. They have been taking care of Hoots coaches for years. What a shine!
Bear had to supervise. The Busse Bus looked better than the day we purchased it.
For dinner, four couples went to the REDwater Kitchen for dinner. Interesting place right next to the brewery. I ordered one of the local beers and I was told that they ran out over the past few weeks due to the Bike Rally in Sturgis and the recent Antique Car Rally. Oh well, I had to try another one.
The next day was the start of the Hoots Rally. We received our packets and lanyards and sat through the opening ceremonies. This rally was much different than others that we have attended – much less formal. Seems nice! The Godfrey’s arrived so we had the band back together. They had Michelle (a long time friend of Sheila’s) with them experiencing this lifestyle as she is contemplating a similar life change. After the opening session, we grilled out at the Godfrey’s and had a nice meal with a good conversation around the campfire.
The following day I thought that I was going to get the modifications finished on the Busse Bus. I wanted to add a “secret” way into the coach in case we get locked out again. We had purchased the necessary equipment a few months ago and I stored it somewhere in the coach and I could not find it! I guess the coach is bigger than I thought! The next modification was to add in gaskets to the front hatch so that it opens upon unlatching it. Couldn’t get that one completed either as we thought we ordered the wrong pieces.
Katrina hosted the Arts & Crafts session with about 20 ladies who all made bracelets.
A good time was had by all.
That night we went to Nonna’s Italian restaurant with the Gardipee’s, the Browns, the Hamiltons, and us. We don’t eat Italian too often so it was a nice treat. They offered Keenan wines and we got a bottle of Cab Franc.
Great meal!
Afterwards, the Gardipee’s and us stopped at Z Bar across the street for an after dinner drink.
There were about seven people in the place, us included. Katrina asked the bartender what red wines he had and he responded that they had nothing that she would enjoy. Nice bartender!
Great news! Katrina found our secret switch! That meant that I (actually John Lodholz – thanks John!) could get it installed. John and I were also able to install the gaskets on the front hood! Very productive day.
Hoots had a number of technical sessions that I missed out on – but, getting these modifications completed was key. I was able to run up for a grab-and-go lunch and catch the tail end of the NIRVC presentation.
In the afternoon, Katrina and a few ladies made some more bracelets to donate. Alan and I installed his water softener and DI system in the front of his coach. Now he’ll be able to wash without having to dry! What a time savings.
Godfrey’s invited us over for dinner – sausage and peppers. Yummy! Afterwards, we joined in the community campfire and we were able to connect with more people attending the rally.
The next morning we were able to feed the bisons. Check out these pictures!
Bisons are huge and they have long tongues.
I saw this tee shirt:
We headed into the downtown area to pick up our poker run cards at a number of different stores. If you haven’t ever been involved with a poker run, let me explain. In this instance there were eight stores that held sealed envelopes that house playing cards. Each participant visits each store and collects one sealed envelope and then there is an unveiling where each coach selects their top five cards. The winning hand gets fabulous prizes!
My favorite stop was the local meat shop where we were able to replenish our supplies. For dinner we used two of the ribeye that were huge. Great grilling at the Godfrey’s coach! While we were eating dinner, friends of ours who just traveled into the area, Jack and Laurel Pope, told us the in downtown Spearfish there was a street Concert. Off we went!
We met up with the Popes (who visited us earlier in the day And brought us this beer from Wisconsin):
and listened to the music. The band was really good and played anything from The Ramones to Neil Diamond. The concert ended just after 9pm – hey, we are in South Dakota for crying out loud. Check out this fireplace located on the sidewalk:
Afterwards, we headed into Stadium Sports Grill for a drink and we also got some Macho Nachos!
Late night.
The following morning the Hoots had a pancake and sausage breakfast. Yummy! Afterwards we drove up the Spearfish Canyon to hike the Roughlock Falls Trail. Nice hike and falls:
We hurried back in order to get to The Butcher Shop to get some more meat for the road. We got some brats and a beef tenderloin – can’t wait to grill them up! W then met up with the Gardipee’s for lunch at the Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant. So good!
Back to the Elkhorn Resort to check out how well our poker cards were. We didn’t win, boo! Headed over to the Godfreys for dinner and the Pope’s come down for a drink. Fun time!
We slept in the next morning until our pickleball game with the Godfreys. It felt good to get back on the court. Afterwards, we decided to drive up to Belle Fourche
to see the Geographic Center of the Nation Monument.
There were some other very nice monuments:
Next we stopped at the Cowboy Back Bar for a drink.
Now I know what some South Dakotans do on a Sunday afternoon. Not much, except drink. We were a little bit hungry so we went down the street to the Stadium Sports Grill for some appetizers. That place was owned by the same people that owned the place we went to in Spearfish a few nights ago. Even named the same.
Back at the Elkhorn we attended “Dave’s Dirty Dogs” cookout which actually offered brats.
The Hoots took the group photograph:
Since the weather was turning cold and snow was predicted, a number of fellow Hoots participants pulled out early. Labor Day and snow. We never had that back in Illinois.
Spent our final day at the Hoots rally exploring the surrounding area with the Godfreys. We went to check out the little town called Hill City and had lunch at a wonderful German place – Alpine Inn. I had the German special – bratwurst, sauerkraut, potato salad, red cabbage, bread and spatzle. Outstanding!
Afterwards, we walked through the small town. Stopped for this photo-op:
A lot of “for sale” signs and closed for the season signs. After a few stops we headed to some local wineries/breweries. Interesting that both were housed in the same buildings. First up, Naked Winery of South Dakota and Sic-N-Twisted Brewery, the wines originated in Oregon. Some decent reds. We bought two bottles – need to restock our supplies. One was named Penetration and the other one Climax. They named their wines around the theme of nakedness and sex. Check out the menu:
The next one we visited was called Prairie Berry and Red Ass Wineries. A much bigger place although we didn’t like the wines as much. An interesting one that we tried was Rosy Ass – a rhubarb and raspberry favored wine. Not great! We didn’t purchase any wines there.
The last one that we visited was called Firehouse Smoke Jumper Station. Smaller place where we were able to sit at the counter.
We tried the red flight of six tastes, but they only had five red wines. That meant that we were able to taste our favorite one twice. Some good and some yucky! We purchased the Cab and a Port.
Whilst we were wine tasting, snow started to fall. We drove back to Deadwood and met other Hoots participants for dinner at Legends Steakhouse located inside the Silverado Franklin Historic Hotel.
We had a wonderful meal with the Brown’s, the Gardipee’s, the Reed’s, the Godfrey’s and us. Stan ordered the largest prime rib that I have ever seen:
We were celebrating our last night together and Karl’s birthday. Happy birthday, Karl!
So sad saying goodbyes to everyone. We will be seeing a lot of them in December when we attend another AIM Rally in Texas (hopefully, we are on the waiting list).
We got back to our coaches in time to bring in our hoses and sewer drains as the temperature was supposed to dip into the 20’s. Brr!
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