The Great Around-the-USA Adventure
South Dakota
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15 Jun 08: Our visit to northeast Wyoming was brief - only 24 hours. Nw it was time to move on to South Dakota. For pictures and comments of all the campgrounds we visited, click on "Campground Reviews" in Top Menu or on the links in the journal. |
| South Dakota has its share of wide open ranges. |  |
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I was taken by this once-lovely little stone farmhouse we spotted along the highway. |
| 16 Jun 08: We left Spearfish SD this morning and headed down to the Black Hills. Of course we made the obligatory stop at Mount Rushmore. Click here for more photos. |  |
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Some of the fascinating rock formations in the Black Hills. |
| An interesting variant of a pine cone we found at Bismarck Lake USFS Campground east of Custer, where we stopped for the night. |  |
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17 Jun 08: As we were leaving this morning, we found a mirror surface on Stockade Lake in Custer State Park. |
| We decided to pay the $5/person day-use fee for Custer SP so we could drive the Wildlife Loop. We did find some, including a herd of donkeys who were pros at begging. |  |
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Here is a group of pronghorns. |
| What we were really hoping to see was some buffalo - this was the best we could do. |  |
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Our route took us through Badlands National Park, where the name fit the terrain. Back in the mid-1800's homesteading settlers tried to farm the valleys. It was not an area conducive to farming and most moved on after just a few years. More Badlands pictures. |
| We spent the night at Cedar Pass CG at the east end of the park. The next morning, before leaving the park, we drove back in along Badlands Loop Road, in hopes of getting a few more pictures in the morning light. |  |
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21 Jun 08: We decided to take a couple of days off, and spent the past three nights at the Left Tail Race COE campground at Big Bend Dam near Fort Thompson. Back on the road today - drove to Mitchell SD, where at long last, we were able to get the cruise-control recall completed on our Lazy Daze. Stocked up the larder and found a very nice little city campground - Lake Mitchell CG. |
| 22 Jun 08: On our way out of Mitchell this morning, we stopped by the Corn Palace. Built in 1921 this is the third Corn Palace, and is a multi-use facility. Its claim to fame is the annual decorating of the building's exterior in native corn and other grains in a chosen theme. About 275,000 ears of corn are sliced in half and nailed in place. |  |
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The Mitchell High School Kernels call the Corn Palace home. It is also used for trade shows, proms and graduations, and even the Shrine Circus. It is open (free) for the public to tour. Simply a-maize-ing! |