Day 21 – Black Hills Backroads



Do you know the difference between ATV and UTV? Well, we had seen the reference, but didn’t know until we rented a UTV that it meant “Utility Terrain Vehicle”, as compared to an ATV which means “All Terrain Vehicle”. The UTV is sometimes called a side-by-side for two to four people and an ATV is usually a single rider quad. Our plan was to do some exploring of the back road in the Black Hills.

We started out in the morning with our lunch a paper map, and an app on my phone to track us in case we got lost on the miles and miles of roads. All went well for the first couple of miles. Then we came to an intersection that didn’t have the Forest Service road number on it… well, it turned out we went down the wrong road and although we wound through some pretty draws and saw quite a few deer, it was a pretty rocky road. 

Once we figured out the missed turn, we back tracked and got our little dot on the phone  app to match the map! Off we went through the mountains. It is such pretty country with pine trees and rock outcrops. We climbed over ridges and down through gulleys. At times we went through high open meadows and then through clear cut areas.

However, not long after we stopped for lunch, my phone died! The charger wasn’t working. No more little blue dot to show us our track and whether or not it matched the map! Now, as Scout leaders for years we were used to good quality contour maps to help us navigate the back country. The paper map we had was a photocopy and a less than perfect aid for our travels.

Although we put our navigation skills to the test, we were able to get to our destination of the Pactola Reservoir. It is a very pretty lake that has some camping along it’s banks that would be great to check out in the future. Also, on our way back to base camp, we passed Sheridan Lake which also had a campground on the south shore. It turned out that we went back there the next day to camp. 

**Note to self, when planning to do one of these backcountry exploration activities – ATV or UTV – be sure to schedule an RV camp with a shower that night. We were covered in dust! Not as bad as Healy, Alaska, but dusty enough to blacken the handi-wipes we had in the camper**

The map shows our travel until my phone died...

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