Backtracking!

 Tuesday, September 24, 2024

We were up before the sun this morning. A quick mug of coffee and it was time to get everything ready to roll.  It is time to head back east. Before we point the nose of the Stinger "B" East we have one last stop to make at Schapps RV Traveland for what we are hoping solves the battery issue we are having with the Jeep when we are towing.

Our spot at the Red Barn RV Park in Tea, SD

The technician at Schapps was ready for us when we arrived and in no time at all the job was done. Tom paid the bill, we hooked up the "Jeep With No Name" and we were on our way.

Just 19 miles later we were pulling into the Minnesota
Welcome Center. 

This semi passed and left us in the dust.

Then we passed this guy.

We started the day under blue skies and just a few fluffy
white clouds. Then dark clouds were visible ahead.

Pictures of the scenery and sky as we made our way east on I-90.

The trees are starting show some color.

Tonight we are tucked in at the Walmart in Austin, MN. Walking up a short hill of grass on our way to dinner this evening I looked down and it was filled with wishes. I usually end our blog with a quote I have come across and saved but tonight I will just close with this picture and a wish.

May your wishes come true!

We are glad you stopped by!

If you have time to leave a comment we would enjoy hearing from you.

Day 7: We Reached Our Destination

 Tuesday, April 25, 2023

We slept in this morning and took our time before Tom started the Stinger "B" and we rolled out of the Walmart parking lot in Mitchell, SD. There really was no reason to rush we only had 72 miles to go and check in at the RV Park was not until 1 o'clock. More about that later. We left right around 11 o'clock and in a few minutes we were merging back on I-90 going East.

Our parking spot at the Mitchell, SD Walmart.

Going over the James River we can see it is over its banks.

We did see several instances of water along the highway.

Not sure what happened here but it looks like a lot of damage.

“Whitwam’s Wigwams"

When we saw a similar structure at the Dignity Rest Area I was curious as to what its significance was. I was going to do some research then but I got distracted, forgot, and published the post without doing so. Below is a short version of the information I found online about these structures which are called Tipis and are located at nine rest areas in South Dakota. 

Along South Dakota’s two interstate highways, I-90 (east-west) and I-29 (north-south), are nine concrete tipis built by Sioux Falls architect Ward Whitwam between 1968 and 1979. The tipis evoke the American Indian history and culture in South Dakota. The first two were built at rest areas on either side of I-90 near Wasta.

The tipis are constructed of eight prestressed concrete poles that represent the lodgepole framing structure of an American Indian tipi. The poles, each of which rises 56 feet and weighs 6.5 tons, are set into 35-foot-diameter concrete base. Each pole is notched and inlaid with a steel plate where it intersects with the others at the top in a spiral composition that results in a 3-foot-diameter opening at the top.

Whitwam's design is now on the National Register of Historic Places named by the S.D. State Historical Society. Unofficially, the rest stops opened 50 years ago on Interstate 90 were known as "Whitwam's wigwams." On a certificate designating their admittance to the National Register of Historic Places, on January 20, 2015, their title is more formal: "Ward Whitwam's concrete instate tipis."

We have left I-90 behind and are heading south on US-81.

We are now on SD-42 and this will bring us to the RV Park.

It all seems so rural yet we are just about
to Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

I hesitated to add this next section of the blog about the Tower Campground we had made reservations to stay at while in Sioux Falls. Everyone has different expectations of what a RV Park/Campground should be and reasons for picking a particular stop. We needed to stay somewhere that would verify that we did in fact spend at least one night in South Dakota in Minnehaha County. When we went online looking for a park that was open this is the only one that popped up. The price was steep, in our opinion, at $72 a night but it was the only place we could find open so we booked. (It was all about what was available to meet our criteria.) Tom did ask what the amenities were and she said a picnic table, a laundry room and clean bathrooms. My first thought when we pulled into the site was it would have to be a very small picnic table. 

I have a couple of pictures of this campground below and you will have to judge for yourself as to what you think including if we are being to judgmental about this park considering the price.  I will say the staff was helpful and the laundry room was very nice and clean. I believe it also doubled as the "clubhouse", We never went in the bathrooms so I cannot comment on there condition. Though I would guess like the laundry they were clean. Honestly, if you look online, the reviews for this place are mostly excellent. 

The sign is our first impression of the Tower Campground.
Click on it and will open larger in a new window.

Our site was behind the RV on the left.
We pulled in and Tom went into register. Sitting there waiting

I knew we had just paid $72 a night for three nights for one
of the sites in front of me.

I knew it was not one of these because they were back ins.

This was our site.
Nothing like sitting out next to your home looking at 
your neighbors sewer hook up.

This was our view out the front window of the pull thrus
on the black top. They paid the same price we did $72.

I am guessing this is one of the Deluxe sites.
They mention a larger site, a firepit, and
a picnic table in the description. 

We have stayed at several RV Parks over these last 9 years. Actually we have been camping together since Memorial Day Weekend 1971 and that was in a tent we set up in the rain at Corner Lake, a National Forest Campground, very rustic but we had a firepit and picnic table. We would not rate this campgrounds as the worse one we have stayed at but it would not be in the top half.  We have paid less for RV Parks/Campgrounds with actual amenities. I will say this it did serve its purpose for us but the price was ridiculous and in our opinion their website and what we found when we got there were somewhat different. Except for two picture, one of the front of motorhomes on blacktop and a back up site, all the pictures look like a park filled with trees. Plus, they mention, "Large shade trees make you feel like you're in the woods". Lesson learned really study the pictures and read all the reviews, if we had we would have had a better idea of what to expect.

If you need to stay in Sioux Falls, SD in Minnehaha County it meets that criteria. We would suggest a back-in site which is a little cheaper and those sites seemed to be roomier. The campground did seem to be kept up, except for the road around the area with trees that needs help. Winters can be hard on roads so they could still be going to take care of the several holes and rough areas. We needed to circle this road to get into our site which is why I make this comment. If we would have had nice weather while we were there the area for sitting out would have been a big disappointment. Full disclosure: when all is said and done, though we would not be happy paying the price, if we needed to stay in Sioux Falls again we would consider staying here a second time but we would choose a back-in. We did take a ride through the campground area at the fairgrounds, opening date May 1st, and it is one large parking lot of grass with some full hookups. We, at this time of the year, would worry about sinking right in we could see where someone had done so. They charge $40 a night.  

All and all we enjoyed out time in Sioux Falls. We were able to take care of why we came this way and we even did a little site seeing which I will share in the next blog.

National Autism Awareness Month
April 1, 2023 -- April 30, 2023

We are glad you stopped by!

If you have time to leave a comment we would enjoy hearing from you.

Dignity of Earth and Sky

 Tuesday, April 24, 2023

Our trip to South Dakota was not exclusively to see this statue called Dignity of Earth and Sky but when we realized it was a trip we were going to need to take stopping here became a priority. My sister's mother-in-law had told her about this statue and told her to let me know about it or maybe she had asked if we had seen it, it has been awhile and my memory is not real clear on the details. Regardless, after hearing about it and doing some research I told Tom the next time we are in South Dakota we need to make it part of our travel plans to stop here. 

We always say things happen for a reason well in March things happened. First we started having major problems with the Jeep and as a result we knew making any long rides to explore the area we are stopped in was not going to be possible. So we regrouped and made another plan. Then March turned into April and after some checking on the South Dakota DMV site Tom found out we could not renew our Driver's License online. As fulltime RVer's who use a Mail Forwarding Service we needed to renew our license in person. Again we regrouped and made another plan. So I am pretty sure this trip was plan C or it may have been D. It does not really matter what matters is the final result. Our decision to make our way to US-83 and take it North until we reached I-90 in South Dakota was overall a wonderful one. I am going to be honest and say there were some moments along the way when the scenery never changed, especially in the beginning, and it was a little boring but then Tom or I would spot something in the distance and that over took any feelings of boredom that we could have let in. Amazingly the time and miles just flew by. Warmer weather and less wind would have been nice but it is what it is and if you are going to travel in your home on wheels you learn to make adjustments and enjoy the journey. That in fact is what we did, we enjoyed the journey. 

The real bonus in all of this for me was we now had the opportunity to stop and see the Dignity of Earth and Sky Statue. What a beautiful work of art she is. The only disappointment was that the Lewis and Clark Welcome Center was closed for renovations. 

I have included information below that I found online other then that there is not much I can add; the pictures speak for themselves. I was thrilled that we had a lovely blue sky as a backdrop for the pictures.

Dignity of Earth and Sky (shortened to Dignity for brevity) is a sculpture on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River near Chamberlain, South Dakota. The 50-foot (15.24 meter) high stainless steel statue by South Dakota artist laureate Dale Claude Lamphere depicts an Indigenous woman in Plains-style dress receiving a star quilt. According to Lamphere, the sculpture honors the culture of the Lakota and Dakota peoples who are indigenous to South Dakota. Assisting Lamphere were sculptors Tom Trople, Jim Maher, Andy Roltgen, and Grant Standard. Automotive paint expert Brook Loobey assisted with the colors for the quilt, and Albertson Engineering of Rapid City, South Dakota, ensured the sculpture would endure the strong winds common in the area.

Norm and Eunabel McKie of Rapid City, South Dakota, announced their gift of Dignity to the State of South Dakota in 2014, in honor of the 125th anniversary of South Dakota statehood. The statue was erected in September 2016 at a site near Interstate 90, where it overlooks the river. It is situated in the Chamberlain Interstate Welcome Center located at mile post 264 and is accessible by both directions of travel.

The statue measures 50 feet (15 m) high, 16 feet (4.9 m) deep and 32 feet (9.8 m) wide. The star quilt held by the woman has more than 100 blue diamond shapes that move in the wind "like an Aspen leaf".

Three Native American women from Rapid City, SD served as the models for the sculpture. The artist began by first drawing the form and then sculpting a one-eighth-scale model. The sculpture was created in an isolated area near the Cheyenne River, east of Rapid City, SD, and later moved to the installation site. The statue boldly proclaims that South Dakota's Native cultures are alive, standing with dignity.

These were at the start of the trail to the scenic view
point. We did take the walk down the path. I took the
picture below and the one of
the Lewis and Clark Memorial Bridge along hear.

Chamberlain-Oacoma Bridge

Located in both Chamberlain and Oacoma (hence the name!), the Chamberlain-Oacoma is a nearly one-mile-long man-made marvel, dedicated in 1925, that connects the two towns via sturdy steel. Today, this National Register of Historic Places attraction can still be visited and offers one of the most scenic and unique drives in all South Dakota!

I took this as we were coming back up the path.

We even remembered to take a selfie.

“Whitwam’s Wigwams"

The Lewis and Clark Memorial Bridge

These two sets of panels

were outside the welcome center.

This was inside near the bathrooms.
We could see the workers inside through here.

In a 2017 column published in the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, Susan Claussen Bunger, instructor of Native American social systems, wrote:

As is evident through history, humans will ultimately disillusion and betray. As is such, I have a new role model who is solid and sturdy. She literally owns a spine of steel and reminds me of the injustice in the world, but also of strength, perseverance and survival. She signifies people who have prevailed through the centuries. She represents all who resist and strive forward. She portrays a rallying cry for those who wish to be heard and valued. She stands strong and proud, meeting the morning sun and bracing against the nighttime cold. She contemplates the world through a poise of conviction and fearlessness. 

Her name is "Dignity".

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If you have time to leave a comment we would enjoy hearing from you.