|
Date: 19 January 2025 Review: Tauering
Pines/Custer Cut-off; Custer, South Dakota 57730
I wish to offer a slightly different viewpoint in
this review. I spent several months on this property in 2024. I had
the pleasure of working with the owner/operator of this marvelous place
for several months.
For all who visit the Tauering Pines, they will
immediately be taken by the beautiful location of this property.
Bordered by the eye pleasing French Creek on two-plus sides and a
commanding view of a Forest Service meadow replete with a spring-fed,
trout-inhabited creek meandering beneath a mountain backdrop. That
alone will capture one’s attention with awe, but then there are the
details!
Sure, the Dome house, inside and out, will make
your jaw drop. The Studio is marvelous. The outbuildings efficient,
quaint, and multi-use. Camping options cover the gamut: stay inside the
Dome, rent a room; pull in your RV and hook up; or just park your
vehicle and pitch a tent, shoot, you can even bring your horses and
pasture them…. it’s all there!
But the real detail—the real story--is in the
operator/owner: Catherine. You would think a place of this magnificence
would have required a workforce of at least 6-8 men to build and then to
maintain and with an unlimited budget. But I can personally assure you
that the primary visionary, the person who bore the brunt of the
planning, execution, and work-your-fingers-to-the-bone construction of
this “work of art” (and to maintain it) really falls mostly on
Catherine. Indeed, a second dome (the Meadow View) now in construction
was planned and is now being executed by
Catherine and her daughter, Sonia.
Beyond the awe-inspiring structural paragon,
Catherine aims to please all her guests and works hard to ensure all who
use this property will leave it with fond memories, whether it be taking
outdoor tubs to watch a gorgeous sunset, cook great food in the
indoor/outdoor fireplace (and it is well known that Catherine is a
marvelous cook—I mean chef—really, that good; just give her enough time
to whip up something good). I can sum all this up by quoting a young
girl who, with her family, camped at Tauering Pines this summer past.
The young lady after spending a day and a night at Tauering Pines with
her family, turned to Catherine and said (this after being on the road
for two weeks and staying at several places): “This is the best place we
stayed on our entire trip!”
I guarantee you will like/love this place. I know
I loved it and the owner! If it wasn’t for family calling me back home
to take care of loved ones, I would still be there.
Robert (Bob) Hrabik - Louisville, Nebraska |