Along with my friend and his mother, I spent the last two nights at a hotel in Spearfish, South Dakota. The property my friend inherited is located near Sundance, Wyoming, about a half-hour away by car. There really isn’t much in the way of amenities near Sundance, which is why, I think, we’re staying in another state.
Deadwood is about a quarter-hour drive from here, and it’s where we spent Tuesday evening. After having a meal at one of the hotel-casinos, my friend and I had a walk around the historic town, while his mother enjoyed some slot machines.
Yesterday morning, we spent an hour or so at the ranch, where my friend put me to work doing some cleaning. The house hasn’t been lived in regularly for years, so I found myself filling trash bags with over-the-counter medications that expired as recently as 2002. We also drove around the boundaries of some inherited land separate from the ranch, where we caught a glimpse of some four-legged wildlife.
After the work and lunch at one of Sundance’s few restaurants, we took my friend’s mother back to the hotel while we explored a relatively short waterfall trail in the nearby Black Hills National Forest. The weather has been warm and dry here, so the cool mist from the waterfall was refreshing.
Yesterday evening, we headed back to Sundance for a history walk along the town’s main street, which was led by the curator of the local history museum. There was a lot of focus on one colorful character, the notorious Sundance Kid, who apparently earned his nickname based on the time he spent in Sundance’s jail. It was also interesting to learn that Calamity Jane had ties to Sundance before she earned her reputation in Deadwood.
