And we had a whopper of a blizzard today in the Hills. Even though it’s May, the Black Hills were hit with heavy, wet snow and more than a foot of snow in several areas.
Pushed by 60-mph winds, the snow shut down Intersate 90 and pretty much every other road in the region. The weather was not fit for man or beast — OK, I know one beast that was having a pretty good time this morning.
They call South Dakota “The Land of Infinite Variety.” I’ve always thought they were talking about the weather here.
All in all, this has been a good year for winter sports. Snowmobilers from throughout the the Midwest bring their sleds each year to the Northern Hills in search of snow. You see snowmobile trailers in motel parking lots in Deadwood all winter.  This year they certainly weren’t disappointed.
I’m not sure this latest storm will extend the snowmobiling season in the Black Hills. In fact at 3 p.m. Friday, the sun is shining, the temperature is above freezing and patches of bright green grass are emerging from between the snowbanks in my yard. Talk about infinite variety.
And speaking of green, this blizzard will likely give the Black Hills National Forest a good soaking. That’s good news for cattlemen, firefighters and tourists.
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