The Black Hills, Rock Hounding for Teepee Canyon Agate

We left Iowa, heading for the Black Hills. The first day’s drive was a long one, but Renita took a turn behind the wheel! It gave me a chance to take a nap and relax from the constant monitoring of tires, oil pressure, engine temperature, transmission temperature, and fluid level, that makes sure that everything is ok.

We drove to Mitchel, South Dakota, where we found an inexpensive campsite, thank you Passport America, and of course went to Cabela’s. We needed to buy two things, sleeping bag liners for Yellowstone and I needed a new raincoat as mine no longer keeps me as dry as I would like.

The next day we continued our trip towards Rapid City. It has been a while since we drove across Interstate 90 and as we neared the Missouri River the large statue of Sacagawea came into view. We had already passed the rest area exit and so we had to settle for some quick images from the front seat of the truck.

The drive was uneventful, and my highlight was when Renita took another stretch behind the wheel. We have made the drive across South Dakota so many times, (we lived in eastern Wyoming and drove to Iowa each year to visit our parents), that the endless highway stretch seemed to go on and on.

Arriving at Rapid City we stayed at another Passport America campground, again at half price. The next day we had plans to go rock hounding at Teepee Canyon and visiting a few rock shops on the way back. Packing a picnic lunch, we first stopped at a rock shop in Keystone where I purchased the worst made fossil assemble I have ever seen.

The reason I purchased it was, so I could dissolve the glue and recover the fossil ammonites form the bondo, (car body repair filler). These were relatively unique South Dakota fossils that were found on private land and would allow us to make jewelry from them for legal sale, (we can find them ourselves and collect them, but we cannot sell them, however our children can sell them as part of an estate sale, stupid).

Driving to Tepee Canyon we noticed the mining that had taken place since our last visit. Because the agate nodules are in-situ, people were able to lay claim and mine the hard rock. Because it is open pit mining they don’t have to reclaim their mess!

We walked along the same road way hillside where we have found agates for the past forty years and still found a few good pieces. Driving to a closed road. We parked along the highway and after lunch hiked in.

Not seeing any claims markers, we climbed the hill side to take a closer look at the previous mining.

A year ago, we had watched a movie on fortification agates, which included some footage on digging techniques. You could see where huge slabs had been mined and unearthed and left in overburden piles as the miners had uncovered the agate bearing layers. You could also see where people had dug nodules and then cracked them on large slabs, leaving then as they did not contain any agate.

All of this had taken place after the arson set Jasper Fire of 2000, as it had uncovered the agate layers and a mini agate rush had taken place. We wondered if the convicted arsonist is still in prison, (she got twenty years)?

Returning to the truck we drove back to Custer. A fatal motorcycle accident had just occurred, just before we arrived, and the victim still lay alongside the road, (please wear a helmet). A State Trooper and Park Police were already there so we said a prayer for the person as we drove by.

Our last stop of the day took us past the Crazy Horse monument. We have passed by this ongoing carving for forty years, (I took students on field trips for thirty years as I taught high school and college geology classes,) and we could see changes since the last time we were here. The detail of the hand and arm is being formed along with some roughing out of the horses’ head.

Our last stop was at one of our favorite rock shop, The Rock Shed, in Keystone. Renita and I found some much needed ruby in fuchite and gold and blue tiger iron. Now we have a lifetime supply and of course we won’t have to buy anymore, lol).

Today we are heading west with our goal being Casper, Wyoming. The wind is supposed to pick up today and so we are getting an early start. Now that we are back in the area we lived for thirty years we feel like we have arrived home. If all goes well, we will be in our summer home by this weekend!  Clear skies.