Roam'n Around

Geocaching Challenge

2012-05-04T16:44:00.000-07:00

Hello Geocachers and adventurers! This summer we are kicking off our Geocaching Challenge. We thought is was time to put some great "caches" out in the Black Hills. The lucky individual who finds the cache will receive a $20 gift certificate to Roam'n Around!

Every month will be adding a few of our certificates in caches throughout the Black Hills and the world. To find out where these hidden gems are and for more information about geocaching, check out the Geocaching Challenge link on our home page at www.roamnaround.com. Then click on the "Geocaching Game" option.

Good luck and Happy Caching!

Time to dust off that bike!

2012-04-11T10:48:00.000-07:00

With Spring here, it's time to get outside and play. Dust off that bike that has been stored in the corner all winter and go for a little ride. There are miles of great places to ride in the Black Hills. If you don't want to head out of town and M Hill is to difficult then jump on the bike path at the base of M Hill and ride it to Canyon Lake park and back.

You can explore the many trials up in the Black Hills as well. A good starter ride begins at the North boat dock at Pactola and heads north towards Silver City. A beautiful ride in the trees with views of Jenny Gulch await. If you ride this trail to where it intersects the Highway 385 you will have gone 7 miles and will have a fast, fun 7 mile ride back to vehicle. A few quick notes: 1. Don't take the trail to Jenny Gulch (unless you want an adeventure-but that's not part of the ride I am discussing right now). 2. When you cross the paved road that goes to Silver City you will ride on the trail about 150-200 yards then take the trail to the left. (if you go right it takes you down the hill to the parking. You will get a nice hill workout riding out.) The trail will come out of the trees by Highway 385 and you can continue on across the highway or turn around and come back. This trail in on the Centenial trail.

So get out there and enjoy some great bike riding!

Hike the Hill!

2012-03-28T11:45:00.002-07:00

Looking for something fun and exciting to do this weekend without leaving town? How about a hike on M Hill?

The fire is long gone and an enjoyable hike awaits. Park at Founders Parks and hike up the hill along the Far East trail which takes you north to the area where the fire occurred. The grass is growing back lush and green. Along the Sun Climb trail and Horse Shoe trail (you access them both from the Far East trail) be on the lookout for freshly blooming pasque flowers. If you don't want to hike it then try and bike it. Both are a great way to enjoy a beautiful day outdoors.

Have an adventurous weekend outdoors and send us an email of you favorite places to enjoy in the Black Hills. You can email us at info@roamnaround.com. Maybe we will use your adventure in our next blog.

Also, stayed tuned for some exciting information on Roam'N Around......

Spring is here!

2012-03-21T20:13:00.001-07:00

Hello fellow explorers and travelers! Spring is officially here. It's time to get off your seat and on your feet with a little hike on a trail in the Black Hills. This year try to make it a point to explore a new trail or area the next time you go out into the Black Hills.

A fun, easy hike is at Dakota Point. Dakota Point is located on Sheridan Lake road a few miles east of the Highway 385 and Sheridan Lake Road intersection. You access the trail off the parking area. It is a great little hike to the spillway at Sheridan Lake where a beautiful view awaits. Hope you enjoy the hike!

Stop by the store and let us know your favorite place in the Black Hills to explore. Maybe will be talk about it right here on our blog!

Spring into Spring!

2012-03-06T09:38:00.000-08:00

Spring is here, it’s in the air, and Rapid City is ready to play. Yesterday was so beautiful that I skipped work and went for a bike ride. I think half the town had the same idea because everywhere we road people were out playing. The disc golf courses were packed, the bike path definitely saw some mileage, and if there was open green space you could probably find someone out playing and enjoying the weather.

It’s always fun to dust off the bikes, day packs, the tent and camping gear after a long winter in the basement. It means you get to dream about exploring new places and visit some old favorites. To help get you started I thought I’d share some of my favorites and a few places I’d like to visit.

1. Camping in Badlands National Park: Cedar Pass Campground is the perfect place to enjoy some early season camping. The snow usually melts off early and most people aren’t in camping mode yet meaning you’ll have the nearly dry trails and empty campground almost all to yourself. South Dakota’s early season flowers burst into color sooner than in the Hills out here and it’s also a great place for star-gazing and amazing sunrises!

2. Bear Butte: If you’re craving a sunny and warm hike, look no further then Bear Butte. Bring a wind shell for the breeze at the top but you’ll have no problem keeping warm on the south facing hike up and down.

3. Summit Ridge Lookout Cabin: Located just east of Newcastle this former lookout cabin seems like a great family weekend getaway. I’ve never gotten to explore this site but according to the U.S. Forest Service website, “The Summit Ridge Lookout Cabin is a form fire lookout cabin that is currently available for rent. This primitive USFS cabin is eligible for listing on the national Resiger of Historic places.” Although you need to bring your own propane, firewood, water and cooking utensils, the cost is reasonable and situated in an easily accessible location. You can bet you’ll find me there soon!

4. The Outdoor Campus West: If you haven’t gotten to explore here, it’s a must do this spring. Located in Rapid City just off Sturgis Road near Meadowbrook Lanes, they have 32 acres of wildlife habitat and trails to explore and offer a number of community programs for all ages. The trails are open seven days a week from dawn to dusk so if you’re looking for a quick adventure you should check them out.

We’re hoping you get to take advantage of the lovely spring weather and get out and play. We’ll see you on the trails!

~Rochelle

Snowshoeing anyone?

2012-03-02T09:47:00.002-08:00

March is here and spring will soon be upon us. If you are a snow lover then you know the snow isn't here to stay so get out and play. This weekend I plan on taking advantage of the snow with a little snowshoeing adventure.

Sylvan Lake, at Custer State Park, will be having a beginner snowshoeing hike on Saturday, March 3 at 1 p.m.. Check out the link to their website for more information ( http://gfp.sd.gov/calendar.aspx ). This is a great opportunity to get your feet "snowy" with snowshoes. You may just find a great winter family activity for you all to enjoy!

So get up, get out and enjoy the Black Hills!

Time to Tube!

2012-02-29T12:50:00.000-08:00

Winter has finally decided to pay us a visit. Plenty of snow has covered the Black Hills from Spearfish to Custer, Rapid City to the Wyoming border. With fresh snow comes the opportunity for fun winter activities.

One enjoyable family activity is tubing at the Zero Gravity Tube Park at Mystic Miner. You can get passes to tube for a few hours or all day. We took advantage of the 2 hour (10:30-12:30) option. With a GoPro camera mounted on my helmet to record the action, we set off up the mountain on the tube lift. A relaxing, slow paced ride allows you to watch other groups racing down the mountain. Once at the top you have three different runs to tube down. You can go solo or in a group. For the adventurous type, get a group of people to generate more speed. The three runs provide three different riding experiences. All three provide plenty of speed with the middle run designed for a little air at the bottom of the run. This is a great family adventure for kids (and adults) of all ages.

So get up, get out and enjoy the great adventures in the Black Hills!

Check in next week to see what other fun adventures we have enjoyed.

Taking Advantage of the Crazy South Dakota Winter

2012-02-08T10:50:00.000-08:00

“How ‘bout that weather?” Lately, almost every conversation I’ve had or heard has included a discussion about the crazy South Dakota winter we’re having. The old adage, “If you don’t like the weather wait five minutes, it’ll change,” has been proven true once again. Whether you’re a snow lover or part of the crowd that wishes is could be 70-degrees and blue skies every day, hopefully you’ve been taking advantage of the weather to have a few adventures.

Without the snow and our usual winter fun, the mood around our house was beginning to get a little bleak. Finally we decided that if it’s going to look like summer, we’re going to treat it as such. We have what I jokingly refer to as “Our Black Hills Bucket List.” It’s a list of all the adventures we want to check out and haven’t gotten to yet. Most of these are summer activities but with the sunshine and 50-degree temps this past weekend we figured it was the perfect opportunity to check one off.

Our adventure took us to a place of some mystery and much local lore, Hippie Hole and Big Falls. Even though we weren’t going to get any swimming or cliff jumping in it seemed like a fun hike and we figured we’d probably have the place to ourselves. The directions we had were vague so we opted to use a geocache with a similar name help us get there. Using the vague directions, the GPS and some intuition we bounced down a few Forest Service roads until we arrived at a well-used turn around with the words “Hippie Ville” colorfully painted in large letters on a nearby boulder. We took this as a hint, shouldered our packs and started hiking.

Our three dogs raced down the steep but scenic trail, tails wagging with the excitement of being in the woods. Mica-flecked granite, sparking icy drainages, and imagination-sparking caves filled our views. The trail led us deep into sun choked canyon of Battle Creek where we followed the winding stream down towards the waterfall and pool. The closer we got to the pool, the smoother the rock became, making it apparent Mother Nature’s been working at creating Big Falls for a long time.

Suddenly, the trail dropped away, the gurgle of the ice crusted stream turned to a dull roar and the canyon widened. The granite-rimmed pool was a perfect ice skating rink, save for the hole where the falls crashed through. We scrambled high and low, searching for a passage below but found ourselves cliffed out. A large rope reached towards the pool below but led into the icy depths of the pool. The 50-degree sunshine and bone-chilling water persuaded us to wait for another day.

With nowhere to go but up, we meandered our way out of the canyon. The sun warmed our backs and layers were quickly shed. By the time we reached the top, I was wishing for a t-shirt and shorts. It seemed that the weather knew we were at Hippie Hole, even if it was February in South Dakota. It was a perfect weekend for making the most of our crazy winter and checking another adventure off the list.

Getting There: From Highway 16, head south on South Rockerville Road. Turn left on to Foster Gulch Road (Forest Service Road 372.1) and follow the road until you reach the fork in the road where it splits with Deadman Gulch Road. Stay right on Foster Gulch Road. You will drive past three more Forest Service two-tracks before coming to Forest Service Road 372.1E, turn right onto this road and follow it down to a turnaround. Park here and look for the obvious trail headed downhill. Once you reach the creek, just keep heading downstream until you reach Big Falls and Hippie Hole.

Picture in RCJ 11/27/2011

2011-12-02T17:48:00.000-08:00

"Downtown businesses make pitch to holiday shoppers" article by Holly Meyer in the Rapid City Journal

Check out the pictures--one was snapped in our lower level! Click here for the article

RCJ Article Mention from 11/29/2011

2011-12-02T17:09:00.000-08:00

'Black Friday" weekend shopping feature in the Rapid City Journal. Click to see the article

New Location!!!

2011-11-30T17:37:00.000-08:00

We have officially been open at our new location (512 Main) for 2 weeks now. Time sure does fly when you are busy! We want to thank all those that helped with the move and also those supporters of the move, we really appreciate it! It has been wonderful to see all the familiar faces as well as new faces. We have the best customers in town!

So far we are loving the new store, even with the adjustments and kinks to work out :) We have expanded our brand and inventory selection--Patagonia is the big one--and we still have room to grow. We continue to receive new items almost daily, so next time you are down town, stop in and check 'em out!

Next time you stop by the store, don't forget to check out the lower level--that is where "Birdie's Bargain Cave" lives!

We also wanted to let you know that we have started a registry service, so we can keep your sizes and/or desired items on file so when your loved one comes to shop, there will be no question that what they choose will be the right gift. Just fill out a card with your information the next time you stop by the store.

We hope to see you soon!

Your Travelin' Friends @ Roam'n Around

P.S. Don't forget to find us on Facebook & Twitter for exclusive deals and product information!

Moving Soon!

2011-11-11T13:26:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the Official Day - Moving Day. We will be closed Saturday, Sunday & Monday as we pack mule the inventory over to the new location. Stop in on Tuesday to see the new store!! 512 Main St.

Welcome to Roam'n Around

2011-10-22T21:10:00.000-07:00

Hello!

We wanted to say hi and welcome to Roam'n Around! We're glad you found us and hope you will join us for many adventures.

We'll be using our new blog to introduce you to new products that we LOVE! Like our new lines of Smartwool, Ibex, Life Is Good, and to our other products that we couldn't live without. You'll also find tales of recent adventures from our crew and places that we want to share with you. Who know's maybe you'll even find your pictures and stories here, if you feel like sharing them.

We look forward to sharing with you and can't wait to see you again!

~The Crew @ Roam'n Around