Epic Cross Country Road Trip 

August 5

Day 5  Thursday  After a nice breakfast with Susan of fruit with yogurt and almond coffee cake from Jaarsma, we head off for Sioux Falls.  Her table is beautifully set and all is elegant and special.  We stop at Mankato, MN for lunch.  There is a branch of the Mayo clinic there as well as a branch of the University of Minn.  We share a very nice lunch of short rib egg rolls and a three soup sampler.  There was a tomato  bisque, a corn chowder and a sausage one that we both thought was the best even though they were all really good. 

Lots of grain elevators but this one is unique!

The landscape is certainly flat.  More grazing and less crops. 

We check into the KOA in Sioux Falls and start setting up the tent.  Hmmmm.  One of the tips on one of the poles is missing and you really can’t set up the tent without it.  We look on Waze and it says there is a Coleman store just a few miles away!  What luck!  We drive to it to find that it isn’t the camping coleman but heating and air-conditioning Coleman.  They give us the name of a sporting goods store that is fairly close.  Oh yes, we carry those repair kits.  Oh no, we’re out of them.  Suggest Ace Hardware which is around the corner.  One of the ones they have is just too small, the next one is too big.  Goldilocks and the three bears without the one that was just right.  But they gave us the name of another store to try – Scheel’s.  Thank goodness for Waze!  It is a huge sporting goods store similar to Dick’s.  They have what we’re looking for!  Yeah!  Back to the campground.

We set up but don’t put the fly on the tent.  Not supposed to rain and would be cooler without it.  We make dinner of Pella Bologna, fresh corn, chips and dip.  I enjoy a glass of wine.  Then one of the other campers comes over and say’s,  “I think you’re going to need that fly.  Storm is rolling in.  Sure enough, the sky is looking dark and the forecast has changed.  Then the ranger comes by and tells us where we can shelter if the storm gets bad.   We get stuff put in the car so we can take some rain.

A young couple drives up to the campsite next to us.  It is getting really windy and dark by now.  We help them get their tent set up and it starts raining very soon after.  We hunker down in the tent.  What was that that hit the tent.  I think it’s hail!  We have the fan light hanging from the top of the tent.  It is swinging wildly.  Reminds me of the movies of ships in a storm and the light swing to show how much movement there is.  The wind, rain, thunder, lightening and hail last about 45 minutes.  The tent does great!  A little leakage at the seam of the back window but nothing bad.  When it calms down everyone emerges and checks to make sure everyone is ok.  Our young couple next door report that they had a river through the middle of their tent.  They were able to pile things on the air mattress and keep everything basically dry.  When we set the tent up, we put an extra tarp over the top because he said it wasn’t very waterproof.  We told them about Sheele’s and they planned to go by there and get a new tent.  We’re heading the same general direction so we might run into them again.

We are coming up on the week that thousands of motorcyclists converge in Sturgis, SD.  We’re seeing evidence of them in the campgrounds, gas stops, restaurants and on the road.  All very nice.  Kinda interesting seeing the tattoos, the beard and mustaches.  Some are quite impressive. 

Day 6: Friday  Sioux Falls to Badlands National Park

After breaking down camp, we head to Walmart to pick up some groceries and ice for the next couple of days.  We drove past the Falls Park and could see that the Falls were pretty dry because of the lack of rain. 

In Mitchell, we stop at the World's only Corn Palace.  I remember going to a corn palace when we were on vacation as a little girl.  I wanted to see it again as I was pretty impressed.  This wasn't how I remembered it but I guess that is often the case. The decoration is all made with corn cobs and is changed every year.  

The landscape is even more grazing and hay production.  Lots of fields with the big, round VerMeer bales.  Then there are big trucks on the road carrying about 50 of them to who knows where.  Also sunflower fields which are a nice spot of color in what is otherwise pretty monochromatic. 

We cross the Missouri river which is quite impressive at this point and the landscape changes dramatically. It goes from totally flat to hills. Distances are so vast here and there are so few people, the speed limit is 80.  That also means very few exits, gas stations.  There is a big stop “oasis” right after the river so we stop for gas and lunch.  The theme is all old West, complete with wagon wheels, buffalo heads and lots of souvenir opportunities.  I start to order the salad bar and then think better of it.  Don’t think I’m ready for that yet with COVID.  So I have soup and a chicken salad sandwich. 

Back on the road.  After about an hour there is the first scenic overlook.  Actually a bit disappointing but I think that is probably due to haze.  Don’t know if it is smoke from somewhere or just natural haze.  It is a bit surprising how suddenly the Badlands appear.  Everything is all the same and then suddenly, there they are.  Reminding me a bit of the Cappadocia area of Turkey.  When we landed at the airport in Cappadocia and everything looked really bland, I think everyone was wondering why we had left Istanbul for that.  Well, it didn’t take long before everyone knew exactly why we had gone there!

 

Now we’re at the campground of Badlands National Park.  The wind is continuous.  Each site has a little shade, wind cover.  No tree shade!  Our site has a wonderful view!  Nick is cooking up a pot roast in the pressure cooker for dinner tonight.  Life is good.

Update:  The dinner was wonderful and delicious.  Just as we finished eating, the wind really picked up, thunder and lightening.  Things started blowing off the table – big things like the kitchen bin!  A frantic throw everything that was loose into the car.  The pot roast leftovers still in the pressure cooker.  The rain is coming down heavy now and the wind is whipping.  We watch from the safety of the car.  OMG!  The tent is leaning!  The poles have cracked and ripped the fly!  Nothing to do about it now!  We hear later that the winds were gusting to 70 MPH!  Poor little tent.  About 45 minutes later, the weather is calming down.  I venture out to see the damage inside the tent.  Really not too bad!  Big puddle in one corner but otherwise quite dry.  I pack the quilts, pillows, etc into the “Tent” bin.  We fold up the cots and somehow push them into the back of the car and are able to get the rear gate closed.  We save the tent stakes and poles just in case we ever want them for parts.  The tent and fly go in the garbage.  No room for them in a disorganized trunk. 

Nick, miraculously found a B&B about an hour down the road that has space.  It’s $235 but we’re grateful for it!  I take a soaking bath before crawling into bed.