Aug 19 - Creepy Eerie Vampirella**

Saturday, August 19, 1972 - Page 232
LOCATION: Rapid City & Bethlehem, South Dakota

10:00 AM
I just woke up. Last night I went into Rapid again (it's about half a mile away) to pass the time. It was beginning to get cloudy, though it was still warm. I went into Becker's Drugstore and found -- forsooth -- a Creepy Magazine! Haven't seen one of those in years. I had to buy it of course. Along with Eerie there is another illustrated monster mag -- Vampirella. I bought that too. I also bought the new If that was there.

Creepy Issue 7 -- February 1966

Eerie Issue 81 - February 1977

Vampirella Issue 18 -- August 1972

Wandered around the town some more (one out-of-towner asked me where he could get some acid -- good grief). Got back as the light was fading -- read a few stories, then tried to get to sleep but it was only 9:00. So I wandered around some more. I cut my hands on the broken glass of the door, and I had a hamburger at Snow White's a few blocks away.

As I was walking back the rain started -- since 8:30 lightning had been flashing around, but now it was right above us. It was a good storm for a while -- the streetlights went out, thunder shook the house, rain came down in torrents. It lasted less than a half-hour though. The lightning persisted, but the rain was gone.

I read some more stories in my mags, and finally got to sleep around 12:30. It is now 10:25 A.M. and the skies are clear and warm. Soon I'll start hiking to Beth.

10:10 PM
I started my way to Beth at 11:30 -- I arrived at 2:00. I hitched, and four rides got me here (the last one was a group that was coming to Beth too, so I got the driver all the way up). Of the group that was here before, Bruce, Brad, Tom Shearing, Father Henry, Sr. Sylvester & M.R. are left. There are [end of page: continued in next entry]

TOMORROW: Scrabble plus a new hat & boots

Jul 16 - Swimming holes in the wilderness

Sunday, July 16, 1972 - Page 198
LOCATION: Bethlehem, South Dakota

7:30 PM
I got up around 10:30. Just about everybody was at mass, so I wandered off on my own, in search of the legendary swimming hole everyone's been talking about. I walked to the creek barefooted over rough terrain. I'm trying to develop a thick sole on my feet so I can go barefoot painlessly. Ouch. I'm still working on it.

Anyway, I found Lion's Head where me, John & Bruce had been before, and I followed the creek to search for the other one, reputed to be a 12-foot deep pool with a diving rock. I came upon an adequate swimming area where I decided to stop. I call it White Stream because there's an area in the creek where the current is stronger creating a white streak. There was a pool about 6 feet deep, and I went swimming. My heart wasn't too content because the water was so cold, so I didn't swim long. I tanned most of the time. I tired of that soon and wandered off down the creek, tripping merrily over the stones barefooted.

I found the pool they were talking about. So I returned to White Stream and prepared to leave. Half way up the cliff I noticed several people going to Deep Drop (that name is tentative). They were Jim, Tim, Bruce, Mike, John and Greg. I joined them after a treacherous descent down the cliff. We left at 3:30 and went up to eat dinner. It was a fairly sunny day. -- Fr. Henry beat me in 3 games of chess today, they were good games tho.

9:00 PM
Mom called at 8:30. It may rain tonight -- clouds fill the sky thickly. (And I call myself a riter.)

TOMORROW: Pranking McGovern's Secret Service on my 18th Birthday