Surprised to hear from me so soon? I am on the move, and when that happens, a lot happens in my world. Time is getting short, and I have so much to do! I can’t believe this adventure is nearing an end …… only to lead to different adventures in the future!

So, South Dakota – nothing much in the middle of this state, but I did my best to explore it. I stayed in Sioux Falls, and heard about this place called The Falls Park. Cliff insisted he knew the way, but I couldn’t believe it was in the dead center of town. My strong-willed, untrusting head lead me about 20 miles out of my way, and guess what? It was right where Cliff said it was. I should’ve listened.

The Falls Park is very nice and I strongly suggest walking through it if you happened to be there.

It was originally a prison quarry – that’s what the signs say.

Now, I mentioned that South Dakota is pretty darn boring, but I have to admit, they try to make the drive interesting (and it’s a long drive across that state!).

Rest areas have fancy artwork.

I didn’t stop for pictures, but you’ll see advertising for the “World’s Largest Buffalo Head” and the “World’s Largest Candy Store”(I saw this one since it is just off the highway, but since I’m not a big candy person, I didn’t stop. It’s HUGE!), and of course you have the famous Wall Drug.

You really should read the story about how the original owners turned this drug store, in a sleepy little tiny town in the middle of nowhere, into a tourist trap by offering free ice water! You can’t miss it – you will see signs starting about 100 miles outside of town. Not to be outdone – I took these pictures while I was driving, so I apologize for the quality

I think these are for Firehouse Sports Bar and you start seeing these signs about the same time Wall Drug signs start. The cool thing is that with every sign, and there are a lot, they have placed an antique fire truck. I thought it was cool!

They also celebrate the Louis and Clark Expedition. This is the ‘Louis and Clark bridge’ in the distance.

That’s about it until ……..

Yes, I had to go there and be a tourist. It’s always impressive. Can you name all of them without Google’s help? It took me a while, but I remembered that guy who is next to Lincoln. I learned something new that day too – did you know that this wasn’t the original design? The presidents were going to have torsos (see below). Sorry about the sideways pic – it wouldn’t let me rotate.

Oh, and this was fun.

I saw Crazy Horse 37 years ago, and it looked like a mound of rock – no definition. Kinda neat to see progress – check out the face!

Here’s another question for you. Do you know why the Black Hills are called ‘Black’?

Because the distant hills covered by the deep green of Ponderosa Pines look dark so the Sioux Indians called this area ‘Paha Sapa’ or Black Hills (in case you can’t read the picture).

While in the Black Hills, I stayed at a nece Harvest Host location in Hot Springs, SD – here’s a little insight on how I often spend my evenings

There’s a prize for anyone who can name that show! Just kidding.

The one place I didn’t explore, and wish I did, is Wind Cave

I was staying in ‘Hot Springs’, so it was a choice of exploring the cave or visiting the springs – water will always win with me, but it may have been a mistake this time. It was suggested that I go to Evans Plunge for a dip. Much to my surprise, the nice hot water I thought I was about to soak in was actually mayhem!!! Evans Plunge is a huge mineral pool (warmish but not hot) with slides, volleyball, toys and hundreds of kids! Thank goodness there were a few lap lanes for us old folks, and I did discover a sauna and hot tub, so it was probably the best $16.50 I spent in a long time. Someday I may go back to Wind Cave to see what I missed.

As you can see, I made the most out of SD that I could. I also saw a rig smaller than mine and stayed at a winery in Nebraska (I know, a Nebraska winery?) – Papa Moon Winery and Cider House in Scottsbluff, NE.

I’m getting back into familiar territory, and I will share that next time. Thanks again for reading!

Tip of the day: There’s actually two today. Remember how I always forgot to unplug and wasted a car battery? My tip: Remember to plug back in! Also, when you see a random washer in your kitchen, don’t lose it. I either need to find a replacement or buy a new water filter. Ugh