We’re experiencing our annual “traffic jam” here in the Black Hills, when the number of motorcycles outnumber cars and we actually have to “wait in line” for gas, groceries and service. The Sturgis Rally and Races traffic seems pretty quiet from our perch here outside of Whitewood and on this first official day of the Rally we would venture to say it’s going to pass without too much impact. A quick trip to town did find bikes lined up at gas pumps and a pretty good crowd at the local restaurant.
Navigation this time of year is best done on alternative routes and we’ve lived long enough to know how to get just about anywhere using gravel roads (most motorcycle riders avoid them) and the best time to travel. It’s like living in the city, but we only have to apply it the month of August!
I told you we were getting a new computer program and it arrived last week.
First we’ll talk about the why of this program. The internet is a great place, but every time a service comes into demand it becomes a “pay” site. A good example of this would be that we used to have several sites where we could look at topographic maps, toggle to aerial photos, do some drawing and print them out for our use in finding a location, maybe staking a claim. As these sites become more popular, we are now prompted to pay for a service which was previously a free site. We don’t have a problem with someone making a buck, but know that subscribing is not always the best way to spend money.
We did a little studying of the subscription services and programs and found Terrain Navigator Pro looking as a good option. We had to play with it a little and managed to create a map or two that we were very pleased with. In fact, it measured up to most of the standards we wished for.
There is a nice assortment of lines to draw for various boundaries, markers to designate dig sites, old mine workings, whatever you might want to mark! We like the program. It’s pretty easy to use; I only had to resort to the help menu a couple of times to figure out what to do. The print quality is great with a number of options that we like.
One feature that is so fun to play with is the 3D toggle, taking a regulation topo from aerial to eye-point view. It really gives you a good feel for the terrain! Bob can do this from just looking at a topo, but I find this feature really brings it to life! I’m a little frustrated with the fact that the program often freezes with this feature.
We did find a flaw when printing out our maps and that is we can’t print a map key or legend, depending on the terminology you prefer. There is a nice option for labeling but no option of incorporating boundaries and markers into a map legend.
I did, with a lot of experimenting first, call support and they confirmed that it is not an option. The software support, I must say, was far superior to many I have encountered. Instead of starting with the basics of, “is your computer plugged in?” the support personnel answered my direct question with a direct answer! I like that.
So thumbs up on Terrain Navigator Pro with one suggestion for improvement! That would reflect the perfectionist streak in both of us!
We have another on-site inspection with Department of Environment and Natural Resources next week. We’ve promised (with fingers crossed) a snow-free inspection and are hoping these temps in the 80s carry through! We will be looking at the proposed mine and also those features we won’t disturb like the creek, historic mining activities and any structures or adjacent private property.
We've been staying busy, with one party seeking some Black Hills geology knowledge, two parties looking to obtain a claim, and our continued effort to secure a small-scale mining permit. Somewhere in between these we will try to take a little road trip to Nebraska so grandkids can visit their mom and introduce themselves to their new brother!
Bob says we’ve been saving money while waiting for the permit… every day the price of gold goes higher and the un-mined gold is worth more!
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