October 4, 2016
More of South Dakota
Before leaving the Black Hills, we
stopped in Lead at the Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center to view
the large 'Open Cut' gold mine (no longer operational) and to learn
about the research being done underground there by Sanford Lab to
detect neutrinos. Then we drove through Spearfish Canyon – pretty
fall color and a lovely waterfall. Somehow we have never driven
through that part of the Black Hills.
Open Cut, Lead, SD
Spearfish Falls
Spearfish Canyon
Onward to Badlands National Park with
an obligatory stop at Wall Drug (no purchases other than the 5-cent
cups of coffee). Our camping at Badlands NP was shortened to one
night because of cold, damp and blustery weather. The Scenic Loop
Drive was beautiful and not too crowded late in September.
Before venturing east across SD, we
visited Minuteman Missile National Historic Site (National Park
Service). We were fortunate enough to take a tour of one of the
decommissioned launch control centers underground by a park volunteer
who served as an Air Force launch commander in the early 1970s so he
really knew 'his stuff.' We also drove out to one of the missile
silos to look down through the viewing window. Not exactly a 'fun'
attraction, but one the preserves part of our nation's history.
Minuteman Missile NHS Visitor Center
one of the deactivated silos 
rain on the viewing window makes is hard to see down in the silo
We resumed wandering around central SD,
crossing the Missouri River (again) at Fort Pierre and driving past
the capitol building in Pierre. A stop along I-90 near Chamberlain
to see the newly-installed sculpture named 'Dignity' that is 50 feet
tall. (We find it hard to pass up big things.) This was another
significant Lewis and Clark site.
Capitol - Pierre, SD
"Dignity"Can you see Kris at the bottom?
Mitchell, SD to see this year's design
made of different varieties of corn on the outside of the Corn Palace
– musicians including Willie Nelson.
Corny picture, isn't it?
Elvis portrayed in different colors of corn and millet
A four-day visit with relatives in
Sioux Falls – no sightseeing, just relaxing. We celebrated the
100th day of this trip by watching the first presidential
debate. . . we know how to party!
We found a free campground with showers
in a city park in Vermillion, SD and used it as our base of
operations while we completed the South Dakota State Star geoart
caches and others in the area. We spent 3 hours in the National
Music Museum on the campus of University of South Dakota where they
have a world-class collection of ancient and contemporary musical
instruments. We strolled through the galleries with Ipods to access
audio and video clips of the instruments being played.
NEBRASKA
More geocaching and Lewis and
Clark historic sites. We came across the 'No Toll Troll Stroll' in
the town of Oakland- a lovely wooded trail with painted trolls
scattered throughout and a well-designed geocache that we finally
found when we got. on the right side of the creek. Another fun cache
was in the library on a small college campus on the Winnebago Indian
Reservation. Soon we will do the Nebraska State Star geoart before
moving on to Kansas. As you can see, we are slowly making our way
back to Texas.
No comments:
Post a Comment