Joe, Diane, & Mallery's Big Adventure - Modern Day Gypsies: South Dakota

Showing posts with label South Dakota. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Day 5 & 6 - Driving Toward Iowa / Stopping in Chamberlain, SD and Welcome, MN

Tuesday 10/16/2012

We left Sundance, Wyoming and continued east on I-90.

It didn't take long before we crossed the state border into South Dakota.

At first we continued to see spotty evergreen areas and deciduous trees along rivers.

But soon we entered into the rolling treeless landscape of South Dakota.

I took a picture of the T-Rex that we had seen a few years prior, when we drove on I-90 but going west.

We crossed the Missouri River

Just across the river we stopped in Chamberlain at a truck stop for the night. After 285 miles we ended at an elevation of 1663 ft. from 4,738 in Sundance. The wind and rain caught up with us that night and rocked our Nest mightily.

The next day as we continued east on I-90, we drove pass the 60 ft/ 25 ton bull's head near Montrose, SD.

I thought this hay field had a very neat and clean look to it!

South Dakota off I-90 has a large wind turbine area with their wide open spaces.

If you have time you can visit the Little Town on the Prairie, where Laura Ingalls Wilder once lived, just north of I-90 in De Smet, SD.

We stopped at a rest stop at the border of South dakota and Minnesota. I missed the Minnesota sign as we drove into the rest stop. It was just to cold and windy to even think about walking to the entrance to get a picture of the sign, so I took a picture of the shape of the sign from inside our Nest. Good enough for me when I was facing the coldest weather we had felt in 4 years!

Our drive was a bit shorter at 244 miles that day, as we turn south off I-90 to Welcome, MN.

Welcome, MN has a population of 686 people.

Welcome campground was just a few miles off of I-90. We could have stayed at a Wal-Mart, but we have found that when you are boondocking in cold weather, you can spend just about the same amount of money using propane to keep warm and diesel to run your TV, verse staying in a campground. We used our Passport America membership and paid $16 for the night.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Panning for Gold

8/18/09

Custer State Park has a panning for gold demonstration daily at 1:00 for free. After the demo, they hand out pans and let everyone try their hand at finding gold. I told Joe I wanted to go and pan for gold.

Heading to the stream for the demo.

They handed out the pans after the demo. The demonstator told us that if we found any gold we had to give it to her, as all gold found in the park stays in the park. There were not enough pans to go around, so I had to wait.

See that bridge? That is where I took pictures of buffalo last week. Some buffalo were in this stream last week. " Hurry up kids, I want a turn." Joe asked if I would be disappointed if time ran out and I didn't get a turn. I thought ( just kidding- need to say this just in case someone thinks I'm being serious) those kids are young, they have all their lives to get to do this! My life is half over, and I wasn't a spoiled child who got to do everything when I was kid. I'm just getting to do this at 54.

Finally it's my turn.

Some kids finally got bored with it and some parents got bored watching and said, Come on Tommy and Betty it's time to go.

It took about 7 minutes of being bent over, doing the fill, swirl and pour out action, before I got a stomach ache and called it quits. Joe timed me. Oh well, if I found gold, I just have to give it back anyway. What fun is that.

Sylvan lake.

After panning for gold, we drove to Sylvan Lake to walk on one of their trails. We have been site seeing so much in the car, that we haven't gotten much exercise lately and my pants are getting tight.

As we walk on the trail around the lake I noticed the two rock on top large rocks formations. I sure don't want to be under foothills when those little rock decide to come down.

On the trail we had to walk under the boulders that a stuck between the other two rock formations. I ran through.

Peak a boo. I told you I'm a nana. I have done and do this a lot. Get use to it.
( can you see me in the hole in the wall- you may have to double click on the picture)

Half way around the lake, we found a sign for the trail that said it was a 3 mile hike and it was moderate to strenuous, and would take 2-3 hour depending on each person. We admit it, we are out of shape and said forget it. We found the short path that took us around the lake and went that way.

When we got to the other side of the small lake, we climbed on this rock to take this picture. There was another route on a much higher rock above this one. A lot of younger people were up there, and I wanted to go up, but then I remember the stair climb I took in the Badlands and how I messed up my leg for 5 days. I said to Joe," I don't think I will go up that one, because I don't know if I could get back down." He said, " Good choice."

As we fheaded the rest of the way back to our car, Joe said," I just figured out when you know you are getting old. When you see other younger people doing something and you question yourself if you have the ability to do it."

We finish the walk around the short path around the lake and called it a day. We got maybe 30 to 40 minutes in. That's good for out of shape people like us. You need to know your limitations, so you don't hurt yourself.

That night we said good bye to a neat couple we met, from Sioux City, Iowa. They came to the Broken Arrow Campground about the same day as we did, and are leaving a day before us. They have a tree farm in Sioux City and a winter home in Arkansas. Their 2 children are taking over their tree farm business, so they can so south for the winter.

Sue and Dusty her horse.

Sue and Dusty again.

Terry, Sue, and Joe

Thanks Terry for sharing your movies with Joe this last week. He was going stir crazy without cable. And Thanks Terry and Sue for the great fires you provided. We really enjoyed your company.

Riding Callie & Frank

8/17/09

We had reservations for horseback riding at the Bluebell Campground in Custer State Park at 3:30. After arriving and signing our life away on documents that we wouldn't hold them liable for any accidents, they asked if we wanted helmets to wear. We both turned them down.They told us it would probably be at least another 30 minutes. They told us they had a few problems this morning and they were a little behind. An hour later as we finally started to saddle up, a man who just got off his horse said, " You might want to wear helmets, my son and I fell off our horse's!" I said to Joe jokingly and seriously at the same time, " Maybe we should get helmets." We went ahead and saddled up and headed out with our guide and 4 other people. Right off the bat, my horse stumbled a couple of times. I asked the guide if this was OK. She said, " Oh the horse's get lazy sometimes, and they just don't pick up their feet." OK I though, as we headed down the hill.

The guide lead myself and the rest of our group along a stream.

As we were riding, our guide told us that a tatanka (buffalo) charged a guide's horse that morning, causing the guide to fall off her horse. Three other horse's took off running causing three other people to fall off their horse. Three people were air lifted to Sioux Falls, SD. I guess we should have taken the helmet. We did go up one very steep hill that was very rocky that made Joe and I very nervous, as I heard Frank, Joe's Horse stumble also.

Our guide also told us they have seen mountain lions at the top of the rocks. They have been finding mountain lion tracks in the horse fields in the morning.

As we rode past the deer, he just stood there and ate the plant. I guess he is use to riders.

Joe's horse's head. Joe is riding Frank.

My horse Callie who took good care of me, even though she was tired.

Back at the stable, safe and sound, as I give Callie a kiss on her nose for being a good horse.

On the way home we saw this big tatanka. As they get old, they stop running with herds. The biggest ones you see alone.

Good night.

Bear Country USA

8/16/09

Off to Bear Country USA, which is a drive through a wildlife park. We went through Custer State Park's wildlife loop the other day, but we had a neighbor who said they really enjoyed this park also. As we entered we were told to keep all windows, doors, moon roofs closed and we were entering at our on risk as well as our property (car). Once again it was in the afternoon as we as we entered the park.