2018 08 15 - 08 18 Rapid City SD - Reptile Gardens, Wall SD - Badlands, Wounded Knee Museum

Reptile Gardens, Hill City, South Dakota - 14 August 2018

Our last day, so let's go see some snakes, crocs and gators. 

First stop, petting a python. Easy peasy, just don't touch its head. Apparently, snakes don't like that. 

Cody, the snake wrangler, had his hands full with some of these. He kept his sense of humor even when it seemed like the snakes were going after him. The rattlesnake was particularly cantankerous. The cobra (bottom, right) had to stay in the glass cage since the anti-venom is not guaranteed to prevent death. But the manufacturer will replace it free if it fails.  

A couple giant Gallapagos tortoise were there but we couldn't get close for a picture and they were hiding in their shells. While we were reading about the Bald Eagle that was so severely injured it can't be returned to the wild a couple of teenagers walked up and the girl kept asking where is the "bald" eagle because this one wasn't bald. Sigh! What are they teaching kids in school now? I tried to get the kookaburra to join the recording I played but neither of them were interested .  

Hey, look. It's Cody, the snake wrangler. He doesn't have enough challenges with all those venomous snakes! When he first went in the crocodylinae they just ignored him as he showed the throat flap that keeps the animal from drowning when it eats underwater. But the longer he was in the arena the more aggressive they became towards him. In the end, he was being surrounded and some were snapping at his legs. It made me very nervous since there were about 40 animals and he had only been working with them for one month. 

The claim to fame of this place was the largest saltwater crocodile in captivity, Maniac, which was brought in from Australia. Maniac was not outside in a pen but inside this geodesic dome so we couldn't get a decent picture with all the glass. The skeleton was interesting as it shows the lack of a "chin" bone which allows the lower jaw to expand side-to-side. The middle snake is an important part of "Polyjuice Potion", it is a boomslang. Only the skin is needed and this is a good thing because handling this venomous snake could be very deadly. Its venom makes you bleed from all your orifices until you die. 

Badlands National Park, South Dakota - 16 August 2018  

Prairie Dog Town on the southwest portion of the driving tour. More than half of the black-tailed prairie dogs are an important species as prey for black-footed ferrets, fox, badgers, coyotes, bobcats, hawks and eagles. Once ranging from Canada to Mexico, prairie dogs now occupy only 2% of their original range. In 2008, a plague-like disease, not native to North America, transmitted from fleas. Dusting colonies and and oral vaccine are being tried to contain the plague because of the prairie dogs' importance to the endangered black-footed ferrets for food and creating habitat and aerating the soil. They even benefit the bison, who are attracted to the colonies for dirt wallows. 

The haze from the wildfires to the north and west of South Dakota takes away the colors of the spectacular views.

The Badlands Wilderness Area serves as a reintroduction site for bison.

Every which way we turned was a contrast from jagged peaks to rolling rocky hills with grass interspersed. 

I chose not to climb down the slope but Bob was very willing. The expansiveness, the cragginess were amazing but the silence, except for the wind, was truly awesome. We pulled off the road several times and just waited for everyone else to leave so we could close our eyes and enjoy the sound of the wind blowing over the grasses and buttes. But we had to be careful since some of the rock surfaces are very unstable. 

The different colors still can't be seen as clearly in photography.

Do you see a face in this profile?

The flat surfaces are called tabletops.

Finally, we can see the striations of different eras.

I made it down the overlook with multi-level sculpted spires that rise from the plains at the Door Trail.  

We stopped by the Visitor's Center to ask about this cool looking flowering shrub. We were surprised to find out that it was not in the official cards of recognized flora. Bob finally discovered after we got home that it is the Adonis Blazingstar (mentzelia multiflora) and it has an amazing aroma, like an ole fashioned heritage rose. 

And we also saw some fauna, two pronghorn and a buck and doe mule deer. While we properly kept our distance from these animals, the buck mule deer is so intently focused on some guy who had gotten out of his car and was seemingly too close to the female. 

Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, Philip, South Dakota - 17 August 2018

During the Cold War, a vast arsenal of nuclear missiles were placed in the Great Plains. Hidden in plain site for 30 years 1,000 missiles were kept on constant alert. Meant to maintain peace and prevent war, it holds the power to destroy civilization. 

The above ground portion of the Delta-01 Control Center dining room. This Control Center had a 24-hour crew to work the launch control building 30 feet underground. 

Part of the crew included a cook. But if you didn't want what was on the menu, he would heat up a ubiquitous frozen TV dinner. Bon appetit.

The above ground Security Station. Pay attention to the 1990 phones and intercom system. 

Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs on the left) were launched above ground because they were liquid fueled. The Minuteman was a solid fuel missile and could be launched from underground.  

The blast door to the underground. USAF personnel just having a little fun. Notice there is no handle on the outside of the door. Access is only allowed from the staff inside. 

This door was kept closed except for the cook bringing meals or a change in the two staff members monitoring the 10 missile sites assigned to this "flight".

This is one of four shock absorbers that are built into the underground chamber to make sure earthquakes do not disrupt the monitoring crew.

The Control Center has two crewmen at all times. Unlike what many people think there are no red buttons to launch any missiles. It actually takes two keys turned at the same moment from opposite sides of the room. 

What a throw back. 

The small red box above the front chair contains the keys and the launch code books. Each box has two combination locks, one belonging to each airman. As one team leaves they remove their lock and the new team installs their locks.

One main rule is the "No-Lone Rule". No one is permitted to do job-related activities without a partner. Security, maintenance included. The cabinet in the corner in the corner holds a bottom drawer containing files for downtime activities. Some crew studied for advanced degrees, and a special file marked "Missile-anious" (a little USAF humor).

Bob practicing the fateful "key turn" at the Visitor's Center Museum. 

Launch Facility (Missile Silo) Delta-09, Philips, South Dakota - 

We had driven by this site multiple times going out to Rushmore, Badlands and the Minuteman Visitor's Center without noticing it was without a quarter mile of the highway. During the Bush 1 presidency, the US and USSR signed the START Treaty which specified the two countries would reduce the number of nuclear warheads and missiles in their arsenals. All the missiles in South Dakota were destroyed as were the missile silos housing them, except each country was allowed to retain one silo for historic preservation. 

Under this dome is a dummy missile left in place.

The reinforced cover is designed to withstand a direct hit from incoming hostile missiles and was also designed to plow snow off the track during South Dakota winters so crew members did not have to deal with that chore.  

The dummy missile is shown connected to the umbilical cord which is a direct cable to the Launch Control Facility.

Wounded Knee Museum, Wall, South Dakota - 18 August 2018

The museum tells the story of the Massacre at Wounded Knee. The artifacts that were gathered from the site have been returned to the Lakota people.

The Feather Display symbolizes those who perished at Wounded Knee Creek. Men, women and children. 

The Memorial is located at the site of the attack while the names of the victims are etched into these acrylic disks.