South Dakota

Our trip to South Dakota was very interesting. Starting out from Branson Missouri we started the morning with 80 mile an hour thunder storm passed through our Campground around 5 AM dropping several trees but thank goodness none on anyone RV. Although an RV had pulled out 2 days earlier and his camp site id where a really big tree fell. But by the time we left it was just raining so off we go. Then 5 minutes after we passed Clinton Missouri a tornado went through and The winds were so bad Leigh had to pull into a flying J Truck stop because the wind was so bad he couldn't keep RV on road and even in the lot it was rockin. And we were not making it rock. LOL

After a few hours we got back on the road and the winds were not as bad but we found out Kansas City just an hour from where we were another tornado had gone through causing great damage and deaths. We did not see the damage as we passed on Route 13. So on we go through Iowa and Nebraska Still there are winds but not as bad as in Missouri. Then we cross into South Dakota and it looked like it was going to be a beautiful trip. We stopped at the Corn Palace in Mitchell South Dakota.

The corn Palace is a unique place and if ever in South Dakota stop and see it. We stopped because a co-worker and friend from JP Morgan told me she married a guy from South Dakota in her younger days and he took her to the Corn Palace for their honeymoon. Her name is Ruth Beardsley. So I had to see it. Although that is not where I would like to go on a honeymoon it was well worth seeing. It has some history and I do love history.
They built the first corn palace in 1892 because they wanted to attract settlers to the area. The corn palace was built to showcase all the crops that could be grown in Dakota soil. Along with the new corn Palace they held a festival in late September to celebrate the harvest. Surrounding counties brought in and exhibited crops grown and goods manufactured in their county. The festival celebrated the fertility of the land and the productivity of its people. Another note is they wanted to disprove Lewis and Clark.

Lewis and Clark had written in their journal when passing through in 1805 that the Dakota was the great American desert suitable only for buffalo. "surely they wrote, no man could ever make a living farming there." wanting to disprove them the corn belt real estate association built the first Corn Palace.

As we traveled on we enjoyed the rolling hills and the cattle. I think maybe South Dakota gives America more beef than Texas. All you see for miles and miles is rolling hills and cattle and not even one farm house to be seems as you travel 90 west except occasionally as you come to a few small towns between Sioux Falls and Rapid City.

As we got closer to Rapid City we had to spend a night in a rest area as Interstate 90 was shut down all the way to Wyoming. But we did get to Rapid City and the snow is melting as fast as it came as it is 70 degrees today. So the adventure continues.

Our campground is not the best we have a view of I90 instead of the Buffalo and rolling hills. So we are only staying 2 days as we wait to hear from the campground manager in Montana to see if we can get in. Our money is running low as we only got 5.4 miles per gallon with our RV. So if you read this and want to help us traveling Pages send money. LOL