I’ve blogged about this plenty of times before, but South Dakota is quite the popular set for movies and television productions, whether they’re actually filmed here or are the inspiration for a Hollywood movie set. Well, it was only a matter of time before the unique location and beauty of the Badlands found itself as the backdrop of a series. Tonight is the premier episode of the new science fictions series, Warehouse 13.

Here’s a quick overview of the show:  Warehouse 13, referred to as “America’s Attic,” is a massive, top-secret government storage unit located in the Badlands. Supernatural objects, like Pandora’s Box and Houdini’s wallet, are housed in the secluded warehouse looked after by a caretaker named Artie. Secret Service Agents Pete and Myka are assigned to Warehouse 13 after saving the president’s life from a possessed idol at the Museum of Natural History. Their new mission is to retrieve any paranormal artifacts and bring them back to be stored safely in “the attic.”

The new show airs tonight at 9/8:00 Central on the SyFy channel. I plan on watching just to see how South Dakota and the Badlands are portrayed.

Take a look at some reviews of the show below:
Los Angeles Times
Oregon’s Mail Tribune
TV.Com
Eclipse Magazine

Tattooing, or skin art, is amazingly diverse art form. I’ve seen tattoos that combine meticulous detail and vivid colors to create images as memorable as those painted on canvas or carved in alabaster.

I just found out that some of the world’s best practitioners of this art form will be in Rapid City Sept. 18 to 20 for the Black Hills Tattoo Convention.

Artists from Alaska to Florida have signed up to participate in the Rapid City convention, Taylor said. Local artists from South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, North Dakota and Minnesota will also attend. Black Hills Tattoo & Piercing in Rapid City is the host shop for the convention.

And the legendary Lizardman, the human canvas and old-style sideshow performer who has toured worldwide, will be there. He has a full-body tattoo, a split tongue and a number of interesting piercings. His repertoire of classic sideshow acts includes fire-eating and sword-swallowing.
In addition, Deadwood’s own “Flaunt,” an all-woman revue that mixes burlesque and Broadway entertainment, will perform during the convention.

Organizer Heather Taylor of Rapid City said her goal is to make the Black Hills Tattoo Convention a can’t-miss annual event for tattoo artists nationwide. Many are already familiar with the Black Hills. Some of the best tattoo artists in the country are based in the Black Hills. In addition, many top artists set up shop each August during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
“We have really tried to make this convention for the artists,” she said. “We want it to be as unique the Black Hills.”

Convention events will include tattoo contests, an artist’s gallery, vendor displays and live tattooing throughout the convention. (To schedule an appointment, visit the artists-and-vendors page at www.bhtattooconvention.com.) There will also be professional seminars and workshops.
The convention is open to the public. Admission is $10 per day or $25 for a three-day pass. Children under 12 get in free, but all children under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

For more information, visit the website www.bhtattooconvention.com, or contact Taylor at bhtattooconvention@gmail.com.

OK, I admit it.

I always thought the north end of the Centennial Trail, between Bear Butte and the Black Hills proper, would be boring. You know, walking through pastures until you can get to some real hills, pine trees and rocky ridges.

I thought this section of the Centennial Trail, created in 1989 to commemorate the 100th birthday of South Dakota statehood, was added to only to make the trail it 111 miles (the other end is at Wind Cave), and connect it with Bear Butte, a well-known Black Hills landmark.

That’s what I thought — until Saturday.

About mid-morning I grabbed the dogs and headed to the trailhead/park just east of the Black Hills National Cemetery. I’ve done that before, and headed south under the interstate and into the Hills. But this time, we went north toward Fort Meade and Bear Butte.

It turns out that the north end of the Centennial Trail is a great, scenic hike.

We crossed a clover pasture, then headed up into the hogback ridge that runs east of Interstate 90 to Sturgis.  Before long, I was up near the top of the ridge looking down on an incredibly scenic view of Bear Butte and the plains to the east. And guess what? There are real hills, pine trees and rocky ridges.

I had to change the way I think about the north end.  It’s beautiful over there. I recommend that you give it a hike.

We knew the fireworks at Mount Rushmore are pretty spectacular, but now news reports – I think the story originated with the Associated Press — have put the Rushmore show among the Top 10 Fireworks Displays in the United States.

“This national monument hosts a glorious pyrotechnic display on July 3 that attracts 20,000 to 30,000 people. Officials say if you’re planning to attend, be prepared to park anywhere from one to three miles away, and don’t be in a hurry to leave as it can take an hour or more to clear roadways after the show.”

By the way, that’s tomorrow night. But from what I’ve been hearing, you might want to head up there tomorrow morning. The place gets pretty crowded. In fact, it’s one of the biggest events in the Black Hills, a place known for big events.

It’s one of those great coincidences: I just read a piece in New Yorker about Nora Roberts, one of the most prolific and successful writers of all time. And today I found out her newest book, a romance novel that comes out July 7, is named Black Hills.

And Black Hills, the book, was named by ABC News’ “Good Morning America” to its summer reading list. Here’s what Roberts’ publisher, Penguin, has to say about Black Hills:

“A summer at his grandparents’ South Dakota ranch is not eleven-year-old Cooper Sullivan’s idea of a good time. But things are a bit more bearable now that he’s discovered the neighbor girl, Lil Chance, and her homemade batting cage. Even horseback riding isn’t as awful as Coop thought it would be. Each year, with Coop’s annual summer visit, their friendship deepens from innocent games to stolen kisses, but there is one shared experience that will forever haunt them: the terrifying discovery of a hiker’s body.

“As the seasons change and the years roll, Lil stays steadfast to her dreams of becoming a wildlife biologist and protecting her family land, while Coop struggles with his father’s demand that he attend law school and join the family firm. Twelve years after they last walked together hand in hand, fate has brought them back to the Black Hills when the people and things they hold most dear need them most.

“An investigator in New York, Coop recently left his fastpaced life to care for his aging grandparents and the ranch he has come to call home. Though the memory of his touch still haunts her, Lil has let nothing stop her dream of opening the Chance Wildlife Refuge, but something . . . or someone . . . has been keeping a close watch. When small pranks and acts of destruction escalate into the heartless killing of Lil’s beloved cougar, recollections of an unsolved murder in these very hills have Coop springing to action to keep Lil safe.

“Lil and Coop both know the natural dangers that lurk in the wild landscape of the Black Hills. But now they must work together to unearth a killer of twisted and unnatural instincts who has singled them out as prey.”

Nora Roberts, if you didn’t know, is an amazingly productive writer. Under her own name and under the name “J.D. Robb,” she has published 182 novels — about five per year these days. According the New Yorker story, Nora Roberts books sell at the rate of 27 per minute. She grosses $60 million a year, more than John Grisham or Stephen King, according toa Forbes estimate in 2004.

Her philosophy about writing? “Ass in chair,” she said.

I hope to find out more, perhaps whether she brought her ass out to the Black Hills to research the book. But for now I wanted to let you now that you’ll soon be seeing Black Hills on store shelves.

Today was a great start to my 4th of July weekend. I got the chance to do a little bit of belated hiking and listen to speeches by both Theodore Roosevelt and Seth Bullock.

Ok, so maybe it wasn’t really President Roosevelt and Seth Bullock, but reenactors instead (Trust me, they could have fooled you). Today was the Dedication of the Friendship Tower on Mount Roosevelt just outside of Deadwood.

The Friendship Tower will have been constructed 90 years ago on July 4th by Bullock in commemoration of the 35 year friendship between him and former president Theodore Roosevelt. The hike up to the tower is one that I would recommend for anyone. The view is amazing! It’s no wonder that Bullock chose such an area with so much natural beauty in remembrance of their friendship. After all, Roosevelt was known for being a conservationist and is responsible for most of the original national parks. In ‘his words’ today, “These magnificent forests are the welfare of the common man.”

Even though they didn’t make it to the tower, the Rocky Mountain Regional Specialty Mule Team was also at the dedication to help us remember the large role that mule pack strings have had and currently play in forest preservation. It’s pretty interesting; you should probably take a look.

Today I not only got to enjoy the outdoors, but was lucky enough to witness the dedication of what could now be considered a friendship that has been celebrated for 125 years. To learn more about Theodore Roosevelt and Seth Bullock, take a look at the sites below.

Biography of Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt.org
Legends of America
The Adams Museum

There’s always something going on during the summer in the Black Hills. We’ve got the First Fridays Markets in Spearfish and Summer Nights in Rapid City, theater productions at the Black Hills Playhouse, events like the Sturgis Bike Rally and the Black Hills Overdrive and of course rodeos.

This July marks the 87th anniversary of one of the top outdoor rodeos in the country which attracts the nation’s best cowboys and cowgirls to the Black Hills. On July 21-25 in Deadwood, the Days of ‘76 Rodeo, Best Rodeo, No Bull, will be back to continue its legacy.

The Days of 76’ originally started out as a small celebration to commemorate Deadwood’s past. With time, the celebration evolved to include parades, entertainment and 500-600 of the nation’s finest rodeo athletes competing in bareback riding, steer wrestling, saddle bronc riding, team roping, tie-down roping, barrel racing and bull riding. You’ll see quite a few of the same rodeo stars competing in Las Vegas at the National Finals Rodeo.

I’m not going to try to pretend that I’m any sort of a rodeo expert. My first rodeo experience was just after my freshman year of college with my roommate and her family in Dupree. Even though I didn’t completely understand all of the events, I had a blast. The rodeos I’ve been to since then have been a great time, and just judging by the list of awards the Days of ’76 rodeo has received, it’s probably something you want to mark on your calendar.

The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association named the Days of ‘76 Small Outdoor Rodeo of the Year four times and Midsize Rodeo of the Year each year from 2004 to 2008. In 2007, the Days of ‘76 was also named the Badlands Circuit Rodeo of the Year.

Also, you’ll get a chance to see the antics of some 40 rodeo clowns from the Rodeo Clown Reunion (ok, how could that possibly not be fun?), the Belgian Hitch and reenactments of the death of Wild Bill and a stage coach holdup.

To learn more about the Days of ’76, take a look at daysof76.com or the Deadwood Chamber of Commerce. If you’d like to purchase tickets to the rodeo, call 1-888-838-BULL, or purchase online at blackhillsvacations.com

I’ve always been curious about that odd, monolithic, castle that stands on the hilltop just north of Deadwood. The tower is called the Friendship Tower, and the hilltop is Mount Roosevelt in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

I hope to find out more — and get some photos — on Thursday, July 2.

The Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission and the U.S. Forest Service is hosting a dedication ceremony marking the 90th anniversary of the tower’s construction.

The event, at noon, will feature professional actors portraying Seth Bullock and Theodore Roosevelt.  Also, the Historic Rocky Mountain Pack Team from Colorado will be on hand.

“Nationally recognized professional reenactors will play the parts and speak about the conservation movement, their friendship and America’s great National Forests,” according to the release.

Friendship Tower was constructed by Bullock, Deadwood’s first sheriff and frontier entrepreneur, to honor President Roosevelt, his longtime friend. It was built in 1919, shortly after Roosevelt’s death in January of that year. Bullock also got the hill renamed Mount Roosevelt.

Today Mount Roosevelt is maintained by the Black Hills National Forest as a recreational trail and picnic area.To get to the summit of Mount Roosevelt, travel north of Deadwood on U.S. Highway 85 and turn west on Forest Road 133, just past The Lodge at Deadwood.

One interesting footnote is that Bullock was buried just east of Mount Moriah Cemetery — there’s a sign in the cemetery that points the way — on a hillside with a good view of Mount Roosevelt. That was Bullock’s wish.

Is there anything more relaxing than being in the great outdoors with a fishing pole in hand? Well, at times this scenario wasn’t very relaxing for my father during my younger years, since every time I cast my reel I nearly snagged the fisherman next to us. I soon became the designated lure picker, and spent most of the outing enjoying my time sitting by the water and being extremely proud when my dad caught a walleye in Lake Thompson. (After all, I’m sure my chosen lure had something to do with it.)

Even though my fishing skills are still slightly lacking, I can still appreciate a day outside by a lake, river or creek. The Black Hills have plenty of opportunities for fishing, and plenty of beautiful scenery to enjoy while doing so. Whether you’re an avid fisherman or just along to enjoy the day like me, I did a little research on where to fish in the Black Hills.

Some great spots for fly fishing according to the Black Hills Badlands and Lakes Association are Rapid Creek (either in the city limits of Rapid City or by Lake Pactola), Spring Creek by Sheridan Lake and French Creek in Custer State Park. Also, if you’ve ever gone through Spearfish Canyon, you probably noticed a good number of people taking advantage of Spearfish Creek. Other Black Hills locations I’ve heard about are Orman Damn near Belle Fourche, Stockade Lake near Custer, the Angostura Reservoir by Hot Springs, Iron Creek Lake near Spearfish and Bear Butte Lake near Sturgis.

As you may have guessed, this just barely scratches the surface of all the locations great for fishing in the Black Hills. For more sites, (and trust me, there are plenty!) you should take a look at the South Dakota Public Waters Fishing Guide. You might want to read the Game Fish and Park’s Fishing Handbook, too. There are rules and regulations that need to be followed along with a harvest limit of which you should be aware before going on your first outing. Also, don’t forget to buy your fishing license (you can get one online.)

Well, good luck on your next fishing excursion. If you need anyone to pick out your lures and be there for moral support, let me know.

For more information:
SD Game Fish and Parks
SD Tourism
Fishing Works

I’ve been living in the Black Hills for nearly five years now. I’ve hiked my share of trails, gone on scenic drives, had fun at the Sturgis Rally, gambled in Deadwood and taken the time to visit plenty of historic sites and monuments.

There’s always been one activity that I’ve wanted to try while in the Black Hills, but I’ve always been a little too intimated. Maybe it’s my lack of athleticism or maybe just my lack of experience, but I’ve always shied away from opportunities with rock climbing. Well, after doing a little research on the climbing in the Black Hills, I’m considering overcoming my fear.

The Black Hills have great locations for rock climbing like Spearfish Canyon, the Cathedral Spires in Custer State Park, the rock surrounding Mount Rushmore and Devil’s Tower, just to name a few.  No matter whether or not you’re an expert or a first time climber, there’s a site in the Black Hills suited to your climbing abilities.

Well, if you’re like me and have no experience whatsoever, you’re probably wondering where to start. There are rock climbing guide services available in the Black Hills, like the Sylvan Rocks Climbing School. An expert will provide you with gear and training so you can enjoy your climb at your own pace (take a look at this video). Even if you’re a seasoned climber but new to the Black Hills, it’s still recommended to use a guide a service to avoid getting lost and be able to find the best and safe routes.

Well, I’m hoping to get out there and have my first rock climbing experience this summer. You never know, maybe I’ll even be brave enough to give ice climbing a chance this winter. For more information on rock climbing in the Black Hills, take a look at the links below:

Black Hills News Bureau
Rock Climbing.com
Real Adventures