Today was the day to hang out with Steve and Sonjia, Steve is a classmate of mine from Stoughton and has lived in nearby Gillette for many years. They picked us up around 12:30 and we took a scenic drive through Spearfish Canyon, stopping along the way to see Bridal Falls and Roughlock Falls. The steep, rocky cliffs are beautiful, although tornadoes did a lot of damage here recently, so there were a lot of downed trees. We stopped at Cheyenne Crossing Store and had coffee and pie at the little cafe.
Another stop was at the Open Cut surface mine in Lead where we looked into a deep, dark hole in the ground that was once a gold mine. The town is pretty well preserved and it reminded me of Bisbee, AZ, another mining town with homes built on steep hills and old stone buildings.
On to Deadwood where we walked through the Silverado Casino, then watched a re-enacted gunfight in the street. At the Hickok Casino, Sonjia walked out with a nickel, and Steve made $70, and I made a $5 donation. By then, we were all getting hungry again and drove back to Sundance to finish up the day at the Longhorn Saloon and Grill. We all ordered shrimp and beef tips (medium rare) and the beef tips were served well done. We sent them back and the Chef got it right the second time. Dinner was tasty.
It was a fun day with lots of conversation and laughter and reminiscing.
