South Dakota

I started my South Dakota experience in Deadwood. It was not on my original list of places to go, but someone along the way talked me into it. The town is very glitzy in an old school way. It was a pretty quiet night – the one casino I went to only had 2 tables open. The town was quite a place back in the Wild West. Calamity Jane and Wild bill Hickok (saloon #10 is where he was shot) are buried there.

Saloon #10 where Wild Bill was shot

Everyone was from somewhere – I met a guy from North Dakota who was out shopping for old tractors for his collection, a woman who loved collective soul (the band) and could talk for hours about them, a woman from Texas who was husband shopping (more on that later!), and three fun Pennsylvanians who were on their way to Montana to hunt.

The next day I visited Mt. Rushmore. It is an amazing site to see but it seems too commercial. Compared to all the “raw” beauty I’ve seen in the last few weeks – this seemed too organized and structured. The actual carvings and the energy behind them though make it worth it. I ran into my Pennsylvania friends here. Hello to you – if you’re reading this.

I went from Mt. Rushmore to the Badlands of South Dakota. I drove the road less traveled (shocking I know) and went through the grasslands and Buffalo pastures – literally! At times the road was not even paved! Very quiet out there. I think I saw two cars in 85 miles. The badlands are really something to see. They are such an anomaly out in the middle of the grasslands. They have warnings about those little critters I so despise – so I did not venture too far out on the rocks.

South Dakota Bad Lands

From there to the Missouri river is like watching the same 10 minutes of a movie over and over and over. Nothing on the horizon or the terrain changes. I think they call it the Prairie. I’m still looking for Laura. J

The sheep are alongside the road all over SD and you know what they say about South Dakotan’s and sheep? J I’m just saying!!!

I did find it very cool to cross the Missouri river. First of all, I honestly did not know it ran through South Dakota. It is the river that is bigger than the Mississippi and you hear all about it elementary school. I took a run alongside it this morning.

Cheers