Chadron, Nebraska

 In keeping with our intent to visit small, out of the way places, we find ourselves in a small Nebraska town of just over 5,000 souls. Surrounded by prairie grasslands, Chadron was established in 1884 as a railroad town near the site of the Bordeaux Trading Post, where trading for furs and hides was a brisk business between the American Fur Company and native Sioux, Lakota, and Cheyenne peoples.

We’re still recovering from the excitement preparing Deadwood, Sturgis, and Spearfish for Bike Week, and Chadron is providing a quiet one night stop. Eagles Rest RV Park is home for mostly longtime residents with a half dozen or so available sites. When we checked in we were told to just drive through and find a site we like. So we did,

The trip from Deadwood was uneventful, but fascinating in its own way. Leaving the Black Hills, we set sail on Highway 79, south out of Rapid City. Past Custer State Park, the road to Mt Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial. Highway 79 skirted the east side of the Black Hills, and is enveloped by the praire.

The vistas remained the same as we crossed into Nebraska.

So, as we tuck in for a relaxing afternoon and evening along a dirt road called Stockade Rd, we reflect on the cool, clear, and noisy mountain air of Deadwood.