Did We Make the RIGHT Decision?? // Work Camping In South Dakota - RV Living in The Black Hills

although it was not without its drama and we were certain that the hail storm in Nebraska would result in totaling our Honda CRV our 2,000 mile commute to work was otherwise a pleasant experience par now to get set up and ready to start working but before that we had some heartwarming experiences from some incredible Wildlife to welcome us back to our favorite home on the road we are back hello hello and hello to our site our long lost site our our campsite for the summer here in kuster state park so we got in yesterday and we set up literally in the same place we were for the last two years we've got tracks in the in the campsite where our tires go our rear tires and we yeah so it takes it takes a little bit for us to get leveled out here but we have a trick to it because the past two years we've been here we kind of we dig holes out for our rear tires and then we pull up on blocks on our front this site is a little un level but we've got it figured out in a way that we can do it pretty quick now yeah um and then we stay put uh we've got it set up to where we really don't have to move this thing um we have like a the the extended stay for our propane so that's for our um stove and for our instant water heater MH um so we have that set up we got a full hookup so we've got water coming in we got sewer going out we've got 30 amp power so that's nice we don't have to worry about that uh um yeah we're we're comfortable we got the awning out and it's it's nice the outside it's it's a little bit different because this is the shortest amount of time that we will have been at this place um just the way it worked out this year we weren't supposed to be here yeah we originally were not coming here I kind of mentioned that in the last video we were planning on doing you know my 50 state or start my 50 state fishing trip with my dad um but just with money and the way things that have gone on with our motor home this year we just we really needed to to stop and work again so and if there was a place that I would want to work it would be yeah we love this place and we love our manager here she's become like family um really close with her and so we really can't think of any other place that we'd want to work or or spend our summer you know i' I've made a friend here too that I hope I I get to go see soon um and ride horses yeah that's there is a kicker yeah yeah and we're hoping you know we get our fishing licenses here and we do a little more fishing and I'm only working part-time this year probably just helping out driving the check wagon um and Chris will be serving instead of doing the um AGM position that he had the past been in management the last two summers this time I'm just a server which is going to be nice so it's going to be a little different this year for us um in a lot of ways in a lot of ways hopefully a little less stressful and uh more time to do videos for our YouTube channel and um and to explore the area and enjoy it this in the the Black Hills of South Dakota where we are right here in kuster state park is one of the most beautiful places in the whole country we have traveled a lot of the country there's still some places that we've not traveled thoroughly but of all the places we've traveled this is one of the top three or four it's definitely one of our favorites top yeah at least top three favorite places to be and there's so much to do that we've learned over Years and we're going to do it we're going to enjoy ourselves we are going to work hard um but like last year we both worked incredibly hard I had some client work that we did on the side we're trying to keep up with called to wander stuff we were hosting our first Meetup for in Baja like all this stuff was going on and we really we worked too hard and we didn't enjoy being here so this year for me personally and that's my goal is to really enjoy being here and to take you guys along and show you why this is such an awesome place and to show also like what work camper life is like too yeah yeah we're not the only ones work camping here we're in a small little there's uh one two three four three others there's two more RVs or three more RVs one next to us and two across from us over there that are also here um work camping so it's a small little work camping setup but we will walk you through that we don't even really know we know one of our neighbors from last year but we don't know the other two so we'll get to know them over time and and find out what they're doing and their jobs and where they came from and all that but this is just a really really good place for us to be right now we do have a setup when we're when we're long term um so we're going to be here for about three months just under three months and the setup for that is just to make it a little more comfortable because we're not having to pack up every day or every other day and go from one place to the next we do things like we pull our couch out and we set that up so y so we have more space for us and the dogs to hang out on the couch in the evenings really that's for Lindsay because me and the dogs always fit on the couch but Lindsay didn't and she wanted she wanted to have spot for would like to be able to fit on the couch thank you so we do um you know we do spend time decompressing and binging on on our various shows and it's that's family time for us and the dogs will crawl up there whether we're up there or not so it's nice for us to do that we also Lindsay's got all of our plants that are out of the shower when we're traveling they go in the shower that's the safest place for them but when we are settled down in a spot long term you know I I spread them out around the camper I have a few outside I have one on the desk and you're growing I have one in the window more I noticed an egg crate which has 12 little holes so at least 12 C 12 new plants in our family they make the other plants full and I have other ideas for the rest so so that's how it goes we do other things like I will be hanging up my work clothes um where we would normally hang things and um um the guitar doesn't have to get moved back and forth in we just spread out more you know we got our mat outside our chair set up outside hopefully we get my my griddle set up at some point so I can cook bacon outside today is Sunday and so we've watched church and that's the best we can do to watch it while we're here and I I did miss our church family this morning it was like it was like we were there last week yeah I mean we were it's crazy that traveled so far in just a couple days and we're starting this new life but the outside's nice was able to go and have quiet time and a cup of coffee and sit there and the dogs are outside and we've got their Halo collars on and Lindsay did a great job of giving them got their fence a nice fenced area their you know portable whatever you want to call it GPS GPS it's amazing we love our halo collar so we got that all set up so the dogs have their boundary area of where they can and cannot go and that's new for us this year compared to last year because the dogs got into stuff last year and they were just missing in the morning which I like to let our dogs be dogs we're in the middle of the woods like we are in the forest and the dogs wander off but this year they're not going to wander off this year they're going to stay in our yard um as if we had a home and we were using our H cers for that so that's been nice just to be outside to rest and relax and have quiet time cup of coffee let the dogs out oh my gosh Sweater Weather Sweater Weather I had the sweater on yesterday it is the end of June from 100° and 100% humidity 65 7s and no humidity well lower humidity lower humidity substantially lower under 30% so oh man it's amazing I was wearing a sweatshirt and and sweatpants this morning and last last night we actually turned our space heater on last night Elric sper which was nice just to keep things a little bit comfortable for us but this is um this is cool it's good to it's good to be back things are different and they're the same and so we're going to make the best of what's the same and we're going to make the best of what's different and this is just going to be a cool time of being here it is going to be exciting we are going to be doing things we're going to be getting out and enjoying our time in this place yep and taking you along with us we are definitely going to be making YouTube videos um this summer yeah definitely uh I'll probably be learning how to edit and making those videos so if they're better Lindsay gets the credit yeah let us know if they're better we are um we're definitely going to be taking along with us and on that note right now um we're going to run into town the closest town to where we are is the town of kuster it's about a 25 minute drive or so beautiful beautiful drive into town town and yeah it's a it's kind of a tourist trap to some degree but it is a cute little town we have our favorites there and some of those favorites we're learning have are changing um yeah one place closed down that was really sad to learn yeah our favorite burger restaurant um no sense even mentioning it because it's gone but there's a good pizza place that's out there and there's all kinds of Custer Beacon is still there yeah the beacon which is one of our favorite some of our date nights date nights the dogs are very dog friendly but we'll we'll share all that the idea is we're just going to run into town and stock up on a couple things yep got to do some grocery shopping there's one grocery store in town uh L's Dakota Mart um there is a Walmart but that's 45 minute drive Rapid City Rapid City so we are only going to do that probably once a month once every other week once a month because there are some things to do out that way um that we combine with and Rapid City is a big city I mean terms of here South Dakota South Dakota big yeah so it has pretty much everything but a Chick-fil-A we figured out and a Dunkin Donuts and a Dunkin Donuts for Lindsay so if you are in the franchising opportunities uh if you working for Dunkin Donuts or looking for an opportunity to franchise Dunkin Donuts or Chick-fil-A Lindsay would be grateful and there's an opportunity here in Rapid City did not get paid by the way to say that it sounds like it but um yeah Rapid City has pretty much everything we need if we can't get it and you know here and and Custer is expensive um it's small town and it's tourist town so everything is is pricier so we try not to be dependent upon this little trip that we're going to go on but we're going to go do that and grab some groceries and finish meal prepping I go to work tomorrow um which is exciting and already I'm a little bit nervous because I I know some of the people that are going to be there but I'm not a boss I'm not a yeah be much more relaxed it be yeah and I've got online work to do Lindsay is going to get started with the online work that she's going to be doing to keep us moving so we have started and stopped a bunch of different times and we're committed right now to continuing on this journey of sharing our life the good the bad the ugly and the pretty stuff that we get to enjoy and uh and we're going to be authentic that's our goal moving forward is I personally want to be the most authentic YouTube travel brand out there I want people to look at us and not ask questions is like well why didn't you show this like we're showing you life not going to show you when I shower unless I shower be a little weird outside that'd be a little strange that would be a little strange um but yeah not that authentic but we're going to be authentic and and show you even though we're here for three months and we're not running around doing all kinds of crazy exploring of moving the RV there's so much to do here and there's so much to share and so we're going to be doing that with you um Good the Bad the Ugly so on that note I say we go pack up and head to the grocery store head to town head to town let's do it [Music] [Music] 379 each yeah wow that's expensive so got a head of lettuce which is really like a half a head of lettuce 37 $9 each and the strawberries were $5 for a little container yeah one little container yeah groceries in town here in kuster they're expensive um so yeah like Chris said we just got what we needed for this week and uh we'll probably be going to Wally World next week you know hate to do it but we can't afford uh $4 for a head of lettuce and $5 for a box of almond milk and uh stuff like that $2 per avocado um it's a little pricey but you know such it is in tourist tourist town um but yeah next week will definitely be a trip to [Music] Walmart rocks in your backyard [Music] one of my favorite things about Bole people there's a Horse Campground just right down the road and people will ride their horses up and then tie them in the in the trees there next to the restaurant and then go eat lunch so I'm always eyeing the horses when they leave them there I absolutely love to cook and Chris is hitting me in the face with asparagus and I have no freaking idea why what it's not funny I'm trying to talk it's still good it's on it's is that good great then eat it instead of throwing it at me so good you'll hit your wife in the face with all right so back to my original whatever I was talking about I love to cook but the one thing about RV life is is that I do not like is the lack of counter space and I showed a little bit of me cooking and you could see like my kitchen counter I have like stuff just set on the edges of of everything and and trying to balance it all and it can be a pain and a little bit annoying um but I get it done and I make some really good meals this is one of our favorites it's uh Al Springs Chicken copycat recipe um from Outback Steakhouse and uh side of asparagus put your foot in it I always put my foot in it you know that it's delicious so now we are going to eat Mornings in kuster State Park mean take the dogs out into the forest and go for a walk so we're going to go and do that I think Lindsay's coming too you come yes I'm coming all right when's going for a walk it's beautiful out there this is the same walk that we've done most mornings for the past two summers we walk up a dirt Gravel Road that's called lame Johnny and uh takes us to the horse camp if we go that far sometimes we see bison sometimes we see big horn sheep maybe we'll see some too he okay okay go go onun she says Nope come on NE it's nice cuz we're in the forest and uh we can take them off leash buckberry will be running around getting all his energy out ever to see him and get jealous and she'll run a little bit there are with me H with me good boy he's already gone oh man he's so happy we've had all kinds of encounters out here all kinds of wildlife encounters the bison are rare um but that's where you turn around as soon as you see him but they're just out um Freer ranging all way over the the state park and then there's deer and elk and we've seen coyote Huckleberry actually chased the coyote that was stalking a deer a little baby deer so all kinds of stuff out here turkeys so this dirt road is it's a little busy right now it's an offshoot of the wildlife Loop which will take you on at some point um lots of people like to drive it because it's hard packed dirt road but you can go out and you can see all kinds of stuff and uh usually usually the herd is tucked away somewhere part of the herd is sucked away somewhere off one of these back roads and so that's why people spend a lot of time out here you also notice these cabins these are private cabins that were built before this became a state park and they were allowed to I guess stay here um and the people that own them are part of the family that that originally owned and built the cabins and um they come here for the summer and they stay in them um I don't think they can rent them out or anything like that but it's pretty cool history there's a lot of these cute little cabins around on these dirt roads and this guy's feeling the altitude the elevation oh I am now I'm already breathing hard yeah and all we've done is gone up one little Hill yep we haven't been at this elevation in a while since October Baja is zero on the beach FLorida is 20 Inland and now we're at about I think 4500 ft oh he got a squirrel well he found a squirrel that's actually kind of rare usually it's rabbits and Chipmunks yeah 40 4900 ft yeah I about to say I'm pretty sure we're close to 5,000 someone just someone just stopped us and told us that there is a coyote running down by the creek and we just spotted him but he's a ways down there so I don't know if he's going to show up on camera or not we're up on a hill oh wow oh yeah he's behind this dead trees and he stopped he's sitting down he's right right there probably looking for that Nest huh I still don't see him yeah I saw the black bir oh there he is he's laying down how was laying down he's right right there pretty cool he got up again now he's [Music] moving the bird is still chasing him that Bird's not happy I think hu no Huck's looking at the Rocks so pretty well our walk to just got cut short cuz we have a big bull bison straight ahead and he's on the road um sometimes if they're back in the woods we can sneak by him but this guy's literally like he's on the road in fact I'll Pan the camera here and you can get a look at him pretty big boy looking right at me but he's just eating there he goes he's crossing the [Music] road I've missed them can't wait to go find the herd and now he's on this side behind the trees maybe he'll walk up the hill and then we can walk by but they usually move pretty slow they're never in a hurry yeah he just stopped oh there he goes he's walking away yeah so he's just hanging out in the woods and I'm afraid if we walk past him and keep going if we turn around and come back and he's by the road then we're basically stuck down here so and look you don't mess around with bison you don't mess don't mess they they can get up to 40 miles an hour like that um and your only defense is trying to get behind one of these trees so um you hear about all the time these idiots in Yellowstone and it hasn't happened here he's walking towards us now yeah so we're going to we're not messing around we're going to go ahead and go up over the hill there he goes pretty boy is getting ready for his first day of work yeah first day not managing work feels strange already just a yes man now yep get to meet your new boss got to meet my new boss my new old me excited what' you say how many how many shifts do you have three months worth three months worth so got a pack of lunch and all that fun stuff we still have our name tags uh no we got rid of them oh cuz we weren't supposed to come back dang it really not in a bad way but yeah I got rid of them they were done and then suddenly we worked done you got snacks packed look at that cheese strawberries that's my dinner right here salad did you take a piece of chicken no okay better mess Huckleberry saw me getting dressed and he always got anxious but I'm not leaving because Lindsay always left before me last year mhm and that's not the case I would go to work at 10: so when I was getting ready that meant he was about to get left behind and he does not like that knows where we are but yep get used to it all right I'm I'm running late all righty so I will be back when I get back I'm supposed to close tonight they figured what the heck let me know when if it's slow and we'll come say hi yeah what the heck let's just throw them into closing on this first night that's but you're experienced you know how things go that was goodbye love you have a good day thank you no hat today looking good bye if I could whistle I would well it's like deja vu all over again here I am dressed for work came home last night I was too tired I was going to tell you how it went um but I was too tired it was exhausted eight and a half hours on my feet haven't been on my feet for eight and a half hours straight in a while so um it is what it is that's that's the date and nature of being a server um but it was a good night it felt a little strange to be back um so I was the assistant general manager at this place for the last two years and I basically ran of many responsibilities ran the restaurant and so I was the one who came up with the schedules and the server rotations and all the stuff that I am now subject to so it's really cool because um I am in a season of life where I think humility is something I need to learn better and uh this is definitely teaching me just to go underneath the the authority of somebody else who is not going to do things the way that I would do it or as good as I would do them um and some ways probably do some things better than I would do them so there's things that I can learn from that um but I'm learning just to um put my head down and do what I'm asked to do and do the best that I can do and that's something that's um just another trait of of the work ethic that I'm hoping on I'm developing U life I am 42 years old not a spring chicken lots of these lessons I'm learning now or relearning I should say um but it was a good productive night I enjoy the people that I work with different kitchen different weight staff um a couple of the same friends that I've had over the last couple years and it's just fun to uh to be around them and this is uh for us it's a three-month work season so only so many shifts I'm going to be working and only so much I'm going to be able to do do so I'm going to enjoy getting out there meeting people had some great tables and got to to meet a family from Indiana another one from Minnesota they were so excited this Minnesota family had just gone to yellowston Lindsay I didn't tell you this no they just gone to Yellowstone uh and they're making their way here and they're like yeah we saw like 18 Bears I'm like grizzly bears like yeah grizzly bears they everywhere we saw so many and I'm like Lindsay and I have been to Yellowstone 18 times and we've seen zero bears but uh they were so excited and they got here in in kuster state park now like we just planed to stop here on our way back to Minnesota it was like a you know breaking up the drive thing and we got here and we realize there's so much to do and it's so beautiful we decided to stay a couple extra days that's why we keep coming back here but anyway I got to go to work I'm going to be late we had a lovely dinner watched a movie and I put up my hummingbird theater [Music] today and I thought it was going to take a couple of days to have the hummingbird and I already have a hummingbird I have a cute little female I had about three females last year and it looks like one is already here maybe more will show up don't know oh Chris is playing the guitar we're enjoying this wonderful weather feels amazing outside right now's that you and your wife Peter yeah my wife work clothes my work clothes not that other thing that you said that you shouldn't say we're going to get call we're going to get cancelled now on YouTube's going to ding me for playing Hotel California which is an original song not your original that I did not write and an original song and then we're going to get canell for you calling this a beater I had to bleep it out Lindsay [Music] I can't remember the cords I don't know so I just got a dog in my lap stinky breath ever [Music] get I don't know how they got they got their Halo collars on she definitely left the boundary but she's like right on the edge oh there there it goes it's yelling at her oh she's coming back she's making her way back there she is it works well that's an original [Music] [Music] know [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] know that it gets long [Music] when you think nobody cares so you seek some consolation in be ofd she don't know your heart she likes sit what you long to and when sing is the ends you tri up in the means will it don't you all love yourself out there on the road to alone got to find a way get back [Music] home don't you know the way your sons feel just way to everybody loves you but you I forgot the words and chords to moon song I'm a one hit wonder not like Justin Bieber he should have been a one hit wonder he should have been if you're watching Justin Bieber I can't tell you one song that you ever either sang or written or played on the radio um but you know it's all about YouTube yeah I mean that's what made him famous post Malone I like post it's one of my main crushes Crush huh what what he's a crush huh man crush him and Matthew MCC and Marky Mark it's okay to have man crushes it's not okay to act on them so Matthew if you're out there Mark posty if you're watching I doubt you are there's nothing that's going to happen between us I just got to let you know right now you can't act on a man crush uncle but there's nothing wrong with having one I'm sure they you think they have man crushes too I'm sure they do they're probably friends with their man crushes though yeah Matthew Mark oh wow and posty is almost the gospels who who are your man crushes this is a serious question that the entire internet World wants to know if you're my man crush who is yours mine is Huckleberry obviously who wants to be on camera so bad hi buddy [Music] okay don't need a li me it up Al don't need to breathe your breath okay off love [Music] you got a kilo of carrot cake we transported this across state lines happy birthday to me it was more than just you carrot cake I got a last little bit in my hand too come on you like it we live in the most beautiful State Park in the country it's good for a drive or we could just eat car cake in the car while we drive around the most beautiful State Park in the country that we happen to live in okay me a carrot cake let's go y ready to go for a ride ready to go for a ride yeah getting up here okay yeah they're ready they're ready I'm ready I I got my camera got my little lens and I got big ones yeah let's do this and I got my sweater cuz we're in Sweater Weather hey baby I got I got one question for you what did you get mad and punch the hood of our car about 1,700 times I did why would you do that cuz I was mad about what about everything what do you have to be mad about I was mad at you mad at mad at me who could be mad at me can't be mad at me somebody punched our car times about 1,700 times with pieces of rock the size of pingpong balls yep only one person to blame for that and I'm not going to say it out loud Nebraska no I'm not going to be Blasphemous there's a reason for it I think it's because we have to meet this adjuster oh that could be the whole purpose like oh yeah maybe we're supposed the whole reason that happens because we have to meet yeah the person that's gonna fix our car the deductible and all that stuff we have to pay that had to go through the craziness of you screaming and thinking we're going to die we going to die all that just so we can meet the adjuster and total our car hopefully not hopefully not we'll find out on Tuesday every time I look at those dents uh it's a fresh sight mm so I was just wondering if you know [Music] [Music] [Music] Maybe here they are the big herd oh I missed my bison that's a probably two years ago baby there they are no Maes with them yet it's almost breathing season starts in July Huckleberry huh look what they doing look at them babies little cinnamons they're not so little in anymore most of them are probably born in May pretty wild that we just drove what 10 or 15 minutes down the road 10 or 15 minutes two yeah five minutes down the road from our campsite and Bam huge her of Bison it's what this place is for it's pretty cool it's amazing this is probably a third of the the herd yeah this is just a a few of them yeah and these are just all all females and babies right now um the males will they're all kicked out they're all kicked out until breeding season and then they'll make their way back in or the females will allow them to come in and then after breeding season they kicked back out again what a life guys what do you think is that fair life except for what's going on over there I guess there's a young male in the her still this little baby's itching it's so cute Lindsay I just realized something what there's chinchillas out there chinchillas there are chinchillas chinchillas they've been running around in between all the B have one as a pet yeah if you can go catch it oh just don't pet the fluffy cows don't get the flu and don't get the plague cuz they're not chinchillas what are they they're prairie dogs prairie dogs like you got a prairie dog poking out this is why because they have little holes and then they poke out but you know where what my favorite are the Badgers that eat the prairie dogs oh yeah that's kind they're my favorite that's really kind Lindsay you like things that cause death I like the Badgers you like things that wreak havoc in the world they have to eat okay they have to eat and they help control the population that's why I'm going vegan circle of life that's why I'm going vegan cuz your attitude right there is just circle of life that hamburger you cooked today was pretty good it was awesome one yeah and it was just slightly not done in the middle it was great was it bison no it wasn't it was but it was grass-fed South Dakota beef the fluffy cow I mean yeah an actual fluffy cow I guess I'm not going vegan me either I couldn't go vegan my body was rejected if there was any doubt that we made the right decision to return to kuster State Park well the Bison put that to rest by welcoming us back to Camp we're all settled in and ready to get started with work so now just to figure out how to celebrate my birthday how cool is it to live with these guys as your neighbors how cool is that freaking love it I can't get over this place there's us right there there's our camper bison is coming up right here and their dogs barking they see him now there he is oh my gosh he's making a straight line for wouldn't that be our fortune that he goes and like smashes right into our camper and ruins our camper right hey I get a free camper out of it I don't know that that our insurance covers that doesn't cover bison attacks probably not oh my gosh this is so cool really is well what a great drive and what a way to wrap up this introductory video to our life here in kuster State Park this is going to be a pretty cool next three months or so lots to see lots to do we're already in the thick of it and uh yeah and tomorrow is something special but what's tomorrow not going to tell you not going to tell you because by the time you're watching it will have passed what's tomorrow tomorrow I'm not What's tomorrow a surprise no it's not a surprise everybody surprise everybody knows everybody knows but we'll talk about it tomorrow thanks for being part of a wander