SD Trip Stats (8/08):
Counties visited:
30
Best county:
Pennington Co.
Town visited most:
Mitchell
Places slept in:
Mitchell, West Bend SRA (tent), Angostora SRA (tent), Badlands NP (tent)
Most impressive town:
Hot Springs
Least impressive town:
Sioux Falls
Biggest town:
Sioux Falls
Most scenic area:
Peter Norbeck Wilderness
Most scenic spot:
Cedar Pass in
Badlands NP
Highest Elevation:
Black Hills
Three words:
sunflower, prairie, Native
State Animal: prairie
dog
State Tree:
ponderosa pine
Tourist Traps:
Wall Drug in Wall and the "casinos" in every gas station, prairie dog
ranch near Cedar Pass
Best Food: buffalo
meat at Cowboy Jack's in Mitchell was not so bad
Road Trips: Cowboy
Trip (7/05), High Plains (8/08)
Neighboring States:
MN, ND, IA,
NE,
WY
Major Passes:
In 7/2005 passed east to west from Garretson to Spearfish along
I-90 corridor
(except for interruption at the Missouri River.) In 8/2008 also passed
the state from north to south from Bowman to Hot Springs.
Heroes: In
Mitchell, heroes include native son and former presidential candidate George
McGovern and corn, although coen has not done
much for South Dakota. Most local heroes were gold seekers and the stuff of western films. A notable
hero is Wild Bill Hickock, who stayed in Deadwood for two weeks, before
being shot dead while playing poker. He is buried in an honored spot beside another local
hero Calamity Jane, who claimed (probably falsely) to be Hickock's lover.
Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse are remembered for their
stand against federal incursions during the gold rushes. |
 |
First Contact:
I first made headway into South Dakota on the afternoon of July 28, 2005. I was driving
Jessica's car on SD-11 at Garretson, southwest of Pipestone, MN, during the Cowboy Road
Trip. At this point, the car was struggling a bit, but managed to get to Devil's Gulch,
site of Jesse James' supposed death-defying jump. We then headed west to Mitchell where
"Jonah's whale" swallowed us up. |
Minnehaha
Co. (7/2005)
Garretson. The
soft rock cliffs along the Big Sioux River here are home to Devil's Gulch, another
legendary Jesse James site bumped into. The wooded site is the setting for a pleasant city
park. Sioux Falls. Passed through despite intentions to hang around. The
Big Sioux valley seems an intriguing place surrounded by red
rock.
McCook Co. (7/2005)
Passed through once along
I-90 on the way to Mitchell.
Hanson Co. (7/2005)
Passed through once along
I-90 on the way to Mitchell.
Davison Co. (7/2005)
Mitchell. A
disaster caused a longer stay than anticipated in this small city that lost the competition
to be the state capital. The competition sparked the building of the Corn Palace, a
small convention center covered annually with a different facade
of corn husks and cobs. (All of this has to be shipped in. There
is little corn in SD. Despite the lack of corn, the high school
team still calls itself the 'Kernals.') A bunch of tourist trap businesses
surround the Palace and are worth a look at. (Although the hot dog pouring ketchup on
itself looks like a suicide scene to a Chicagoan like me.) The main drag includes some
great antique stores. The neighborhoods bear testament to the benefits of clean, relaxed,
Midwestern living, and the people are the friendliest (maybe
corniest) around. Thanks to TMA.
Aurora Co. (7/2005)
Passed through this mix of
windmills, sunflower fields, and range along I-90 on the way to Pierre.
Brule Co. (7/2005)
Chamberlain. The
flatness gives way to bald hills and bluffs surrounding either side of the Missouri River
at this truck stop town. I'm sure Lewis & Clark would've enjoyed a Whopper if that
Burger King was built 200 years ago.
.Lyman
Co. (7/2005)
Oacoma. The
sister city to Chamberlain on the banks of the Missouri. Big native population.
Fort Pierre NG. Open, hilly range-land south of Pierre. Vivian.
Buffalo Co. (7/2005)
Fort Thompson. Crow Creek
Res. Small Crow towns see to it that travelers keep moving along the east bank of
the Missouri. There was a carnival here with people camped all over the prairie.
Hughes Co. (7/2005)
West Bend SP. Camped
all alone here in a small prairie grove that surrounds the wide Missouri River. Heard
frogs and other strange animal sounds all night, including the eerie howls of coyote.
Large flies rule the beach front where many natives came to swim during the weekend. Pierre.
This unassuming town houses a large capitol dome.
Stanley Co. (7/2005)
Fort Pierre. Across
the river from the capital are a few historic areas, but they are overshadowed by modern
light industry and dumps. The prairie eventually takes over south of here.
Jones Co. (7/2005)
Passed through once along
I-90 while heading for the Hills.
Jackson Co. (7/2005)
Buffalo Gap NG. Visited
with some prairie dogs here who enjoy their "prairie dog food" (aka peanuts). Cactus
Flat.
Pennington Co. (7/2005)
Bandlands NP. You
can see the walls and spires of the dried volcanic ash from miles away. They stand in
stark contrast to the prairie around them. The park is populated by pronghorn. Especially
beautiful is the ride along SD-240. Wall. The motorcycle-lined street is
dominated by the biggest tourist trap I have ever witnessed: the mega-mall known as
Wall Drug. The free ice
water tastes like dirt. Rapid City. Keystone. Mount Rushmore NM. Saw mountain goats here.
It is quite a site to see and did not disappoint. Could've done without the big deal
leading up to the mountain. Hill City. Silver City. Not far from the
beautiful Pactola Reservoir, surrounded by the dense ponderosa forests of the Black Hills.
Hughes Co. (7/2005)
Deadwood. You can
feel the spirit of the "wild west" here. On top of a steep
hill is the Wild Bill Hickock burial place, Mt. Moriah. At
the bottom of the hills is what remains of the town he
called home for the last week of his life.The
hills are covered with dead ponderosa, hence the name. Lead. Spearfish. |
Driving through the
Badlands is like driving through an ash tray... only dreadfully beautiful.
(7/05)
A prairie dog guards his
"prairie dog food" near Cactus Flat. (7/05)
A big piece of folk art,
changed annually, and made entirely of corn adorns the convention hall of the friendly
city of Mitchell. (7/05)
A classic
shot of Mount Rushmore.(7/05)
Mountain goat we spotted feasting on grass in the Black
Hills near Keystone. (7/05)
all photos (c) 2005 J.
Bezold, all rights reserved |
|
|