Southern Hills RV Park, Hermosa, South Dakota
Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.) [FYI – Edom means ‘red’.] Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.” “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?” But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright. ~ Genesis 25:29-34 At first glance, this seems like a meaningless exchange between two siblings, but there is soooo much more going on here. More than we understand in this day and age, because we don’t value male firstborn status like they did back then. To them, the birthright meant everything. Literally. It meant they inherited everything the father owned at the time of his passing – whether wealth or debt. It meant they received the best blessing from the father (doled out as he lay upon his deathbed). It meant taking on the leadership role of the family and caring for the rest. And in this case, more than any other, it meant taking on the covenant relationship with God. By passing his birthright on to Jacob, Esau passed up his right to inherit that covenant promise. For instant gratification. For a bowl of stew. And God’s prophecy to Rebekah has been fulfilled. The older will now serve the younger. And he won’t be happy about it. How often are we ‘Esau’s’ who are impatient and given to fulfilling instant gratification – even at a cost? Given the legacy of these deceitful people, you have to wonder if Rebekah has told Jacob (her personal favorite) about God’s prophecy and Jacob’s been waiting for an opportunity to help God along – like He needs help. If things had gone along ‘normally’, we’d be revering Abraham, Isaac and Esau as the patriarchs of our faith, rather than Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God in His infinite wisdom and sovereignty has thousands of years already in place.
After yesterday, it was time to spend the day getting in some real exercise. A three-mile-round-trip, strenuous hike should do the trick! Especially when it’s uphill – – both ways. Literally. And it ended up being more like five miles when all was said and done.
The halfway point is a waterfall.
The reason it was longer was because we started out on one trail, and had to turn around.
We parked where we were supposed to and headed out.
Still, there were two cars here before us, so we figured it must be the one we’re looking for.
After a while, we came upon some gold seekers. Yes, you read right, gold. There were two guys who we discovered were working a claim, and it seemed a family (with children) had paid for the privilege for the morning/day. Blaine asked the one guy about the trail and if it would take us to where we wanted to go, while I chatted up the other guy who admonished me about the possibility of running into things like mountain lions, snakes and spider webs. He even said, “I don’t now if he carries (meaning a gun), but I hope he does.” I told Blaine later, maybe the real claim was down that trail and he was trying to dissuade us. 😊
And what’re they doing?
At any rate, based on Blaine’s guy’s instructions, we turned around, climbed back in the Jeep and drove to another trailhead. The right/easier one.
The trail wasn’t particularly long, but it was very steep, eventually taking us into a gorgeous valley – – and a waterfall.
Are you sure this is the right way?!?
But note the dead fish . . .
See the rope and ladder?
The ladder’s useless for what we want, and no WAY could I climb a rope ladder.
And I certainly wasn’t going to try, and end up in the drink!
It was decided we’d cross the creek and continue following the trail up the other side to the other parking lot. Which was definitely the most difficult part – trying to climb up those rocks and following a practically non-existent trail.
Don’t know what it is, but it’s not a rock! : )
How am I supposed to do that??
I’m much more comfortable using my arms and hands.
Look to the left of the picture.
Wonder what happened?
This doesn’t seem like a place you’d scuba . . .
The trail runs between the two.
I just followed Blaine and when it looked like he was going nowhere,
I made him scout before I climbed up. : )
On the way back, we picked up some tailers. Teens who were headed to the hole to jump and swim. We’d planned on eating lunch by the water, and were a little concerned about the noise they’d make, but they were all very well-behaved – even encouraging one another if they showed any fear of jumping. And they wisely checked out the depth before doing so.
We found a place to sit and eat lunch, while we watched the kids.
The other took a while before he’d take the plunge, but once he did,
he enjoyed it and went several times while we were eating lunch. : )
After lunch and the show, we made our way back to the Jeep, and continued our day with a scenic drive on Iron Mountain Road. A very curly-cued road that winds around the Black Hills and offers glimpses of Mt Rushmore. In fact, one section is even called “The pig tails” 😊
Iron Mountain Road
Distance: 17 miles
Expected travel time: 60+ minutes
Tunnels:
Doane Robinson Tunnel, 12′ 0″ wide by 11′ 4″ high;
C.C. Gideon Tunnel, 11′ 6″ wide by 10′ 9″ high;
Scovel Johnson Tunnel, 10′ 9″ wide by 11′ 0″ high.The Iron Mountain Road is a work of art in itself. The highway connects Custer State Park and Mount Rushmore National Memorial and passes through some of the most beautiful scenery in the Black Hills, including three tunnels that frame Mount Rushmore in the distance. The road is famous for the “Pigtail Bridges” that allow travelers to drop or gain altitude quickly.
The highway was constructed in the 1930s under the direction of Governor Peter Norbeck, “this is not meant to be a super highway, to do the scenery justice you should drive no more than 20 mph and to do it full justice you should simply get out and walk.” Experience the road that engineers once said couldn’t be built; you’ll be happy you did.
Isn’t it a marvel?!?
It starts off as a kinda difficult read, but if you persevere, it gets better. : )
Interesting! Can’t wait to learn more!
Back home, we cleaned up and headed over to the Lazy R restaurant beside the campground for a bbq rib dinner. It was good, but to be honest, the ribs we make are better. 😊