July 8, 2025 (Tue.) - A Slow Day
Today was all about taking it slow. With beautiful weather in full swing, we wandered around downtown Custer again, taking in the sights and spotting some mesmerizing cloud formations drifting overhead.
Lunch was spent on the patio at The Custer Wolf—not the most memorable meal, but we enjoyed the people watching.
While meandering through town, we stumbled upon a sculpture called “Vigilance”, a flame-shaped installation that commemorates the annual Burning Beetle celebration. A little online sleuthing revealed it was created by a local artist, symbolizing community resilience. It features a foundation stone, representing the town itself, and a flame pillar as tribute to the fiery tradition. Saw blades incorporated into the design highlight the cyclical nature of the pine beetle outbreaks—and a literal method for combatting them.
Each year, the high school cross-country team leads a torch-lit procession, joined by townsfolk carrying torches and pitchforks, marching toward Pageant Hill where they ceremoniously set fire to a giant wooden beetle. It’s like a spirited old-school mob—only with civic pride and bug-banishing flair.
You can learn more about the flame and annual burning beetle event here : BURNING BEETLE EVENT NOT TO BE MISSED – Girl Camper
Later, we swung by Ace Hardware so Kirk could grab supplies to fix our ever-warping sticker board. The rest of the afternoon? Relaxing outdoors, switching to TV time once the sun got a little too enthusiastic.
A whole lot of nothing, and yet we still learned a bit more about Custer and the Burning Beetle.
Weather – High 83*, Low 54*. Winds 2-17 mph.
Traffic – None.
Food – The Custer Wolf – meh.
Notable – Doing nothing. Learning about the Burning Beetle event.
Screen time – The Ritual
July 9, 2025 (Wed.) - sunrise, a day of appointments
Today was a big one—the verdict on whether we’d need to stick around the Custer/Rapid City area any longer.
Â
Lynn was up bright and early at 5:15 AM, greeted by a breathtaking sunrise—the kind you only catch when you’re willing to sacrifice those last few minutes of sleep. She soaked it in, grateful that today’s appointments called for an early start and a scenic jumpstart to the day.
Â
 We hit the road by 6:30 AM, dropping off Otis at 8:00 for his much-needed spa day. Then it was off to Lynn’s 9:00 AM appointment for her follow-up mammogram and ultrasound. Good news: the radiologist was on-site, and everything came back clear, with just a routine 6-month follow-up recommended. One major box checked—and while these yearly rechecks have become expected, it’s always a relief to get the thumbs up.
Â
With time to kill before Lynn’s 2:30 PM dental appointment, we dove into some retail therapy—Scheel’s, Bass Pro, Target, and even a quick stop at Skechers. Otis was done with his pampering by 1 PM, making for perfect timing to scoop him up. His groomers were so smitten, they joked about keeping him!
Â
Next up: Lynn’s permanent crown. In and out in just 30 minutes, and everything fit like a charm. Second hurdle cleared, and we’re officially free to start heading east! That ‘free’ candy that Lynn didn’t like cost $587 (after insurance)!!!
Â
We made our way back to Custer around 3:15 PM, winding down with a quiet dinner in the RV and some TV—well-earned relaxation after a jam-packed adulting day.
Â
No pics other than a beautiful sunrise.
Â
Weather – High 89*, Low 63*. Wind 7-20 mph. (Rapid City = High 94*)
Traffic – None.
Food – Nothing to report.
Notable – Good news on the mammogram imaging and permanent crown is solidly in place!
July 10, 2025 (Thu.) - Sticker!, Centennial trail
Lynn was up absurdly early again—this time without reason. At 5:50 AM, she dove into more digitized family videos, soaking in precious memories while the blog continued to sit in the “maybe tomorrow” pile.
With a late start to the day, Kirk floated the idea of riding the bike into Keystone to resume the hunt for the elusive Needles Highway sticker. But Mother Nature had other plans—thunder, lightning, and rain quickly grounded the motorcycle. Plan B? Load up Otis and drive instead.
Our hunch paid off. Returning to the Keystone Mall, where we’d previously found the Iron Mountain Road sticker and t-shirt, we struck gold—a Needles Highway sticker that wasn’t comically oversized! Victory at last. The only other option looked like it belonged on a billboard—a huge 3×5 oval that wouldn’t vibe with our modest sticker board.
We explored Keystone a bit more and realized we’d missed a good chunk of the town the last time around. Lunch on the patio at Grapes & Grinds gave Otis his moment in the sun—literally, since the clouds had cleared—and a taste of key lime gelato, which turned out to be right up his alley. Who knew he was so gourmet?
On our way back, Lynn suggested stretching our legs on a trail, so we ventured onto a section of the Centennial Trail at Big Pine Trailhead. It was a short and scenic hike, giving both us and Otis a perfect nature break before heading home.
Note: The Centennial Trail is ~123 miles long and takes 5-10 days to hike all of it (depending on pace). There are 21 official access points. Big Pine Trailhead is just one of them. The Centennial Trail was established in 1989 to commemorate South Dakota’s 100th year of statehood.
A quiet win of a day—stormy start, sticker success, and one very satisfied pup with a gelato mustache.
Weather – High 82*, Low 62*. Winds 5-18 mph. T-storms (weren’t in original forecast).
Traffic – None.
Food – Grapes & Grinds – so-so sandwiches but the gelato was delicious.
Notable – Found a Needles Highway sticker!
Screen time – Ballard! (Finally! Lynn has been waiting for this release!)
