Visit To An Underground Waterfall

(Sheridan Lake, South Dakota) 85 degrees, blue sky, hot

A friend of ours told us about an underground waterfall.  Supposedly it gushes inside of an old abandoned gold mine.  Really?  Road trip!  We took off and drove along a pretty country road that  twisted and turned along the Rapid Creek. 

Rapid Creek

At the ticket booth a nice lady came out and told us about the history of this famous tourist attraction.  It was originally a gold mine in the 1878.  She described how laborious the task was to chip and dynamite with gun powder the mine.  Some gold and other minerals were extracted.  One day as the miners struck the granite walls with their picks  a huge underground stream was struck and a waterfall quickly developed.   The mine was abandoned and forgotten about for many years.

In the early 1900’s a traveler heard about the waterfall and purchased the land.  It was developed into a pretty cool (literally) attraction - Thunderhead Underground Falls.  The new gold in this area became “tourists”.  At one time the waterfall generated the necessary electricity to run the attraction.

Waterfall outside of entrance (not the underground one)

There is a concrete pathway that leads back to the waterfall with a rail.  It is delicious and cool in here.  A stream goes by at a rapid pace to the right and empties out into the waterfall above. 

Gold mine tunnell

As you go down the path it becomes louder and louder.  Suddenly the waterfall appears.  It is quite a thrill to see it roaring out right from the rock.. 

Underground waterfall

We got in free with our VIP pass (regular admission is $7/person).  If you are in the area, be sure to check it out. 

Afterwards we went into Rapid City to do some shopping.  It was very busy.  Sturgis will soon be in action and I think the local folks are stocking up.  We have heard that the locals stay off the roads during this time. 

Fun Day With Blogging Friends

(Rapid City, South Dakota) 95 degrees, hot, humid

Last week I was working at the day use booth at Sheridan Lake.  A couple drove up on a motorcycle and said “we are looking for John & Carol”.  It turns out they (J.C. and Bev) have been following our blog for some time and were camping nearby.  Cool!  We found out that they have been full timing since 2008 and are really enjoying the life style too.  They had also attended a RV Dreams Rally in the Smoky Mountains. 

J.C.and Bev (http://www.mytripjournal.com/webber) stayed for awhile and we each shared a little about our travels and history.  To be honest we really think they stopped to see our dog Jimmy :).  After spending some time fishing we made plans to get together on our day off. 

After a few exchanges of emails, we decided to meet for lunch today at the Powder House and then spend the afternoon at Reptile Gardens.  They had enjoyed their visit a few years ago and wanted to go back for another visit. 

I am not exactly a huge fan of snakes and reptiles.  They pride themselves on having some of the deadliest ones and over 223 species.  However, I was pleasantly surprised and we all really enjoyed our visit. 

Each day there is a schedule of shows (birds, snakes, gators) that you can attend.  The gator show was amazing. You can see all the alligators and crocodiles hovering around where he is demonstrating how to hold an alligator.  That is certainly a skill I never want  to use…but then again we do like to kayak in Florida. 

After each show an opportunity is available to “pet” one of the reptiles.  I passed on this offer. 

Alligator/crocodile show

Looking for tempting morsels of chicken

Bird show

Snake show

There were pretty flower gardens throughout and the grounds were well maintained and immaculate.  Bev and I especially liked the orchids inside the bird exhibit.  They were spectacular. 

J.C. having fun!

Inside there were numerous displays of snakes, lizards, and birds.  All the reptiles were displayed with geodes, rocks, and/or mulch. 

Komodo Dragon (he was huge)

So, what does it take to feed all these reptiles? Two tons of meat and fish. That is quite a grocery bill!

We really enjoyed our day with J.C. and Bev and hope to get together again in a couple of weeks.  They also  gave us a tour of their beautiful Country Coach Inspire motorhome.  They have added lots of great features to their home (solar panels, custom cabinets and desk, and an amazing system for watching movies and viewing their photos with a wireless Apple gadget.)

Bev & J.C.

One our way home we saw a double rainbow. What a great day! Thanks J.C. and Bev!  We are sure glad that you stopped by.