"Welcome to the Land of Infinite Variety." We have to admit to laughing out loud at the sign. After traveling across the state from east to west on I-90 in the past, our first impression had been that the prairie was far from varied. Of course, there was a beautiful valley where the Missouri River crossed the interstate. The western part of the state, with the Badlands and the Black Hills, was a break in the prairie, but three kinds of terrain were far from infinite. Boy, was The Ample Traveler© wrong about this one, we are happy to report.
The Ample Traveler©'s first stop, Vermillion, marked the first time we stayed at a city park campground. City campgrounds offer a great opportunity to visit a small town for little or no money. We now look for city campgrounds whenever we consider a new destination. Vermillion was lush and green, fed by the Missouri River, which flows along the eastern part of the Nebraska/South Dakota border.
It rained a lot while we were there, and that hampered our ability to enjoy the local culture as much as we would have liked. We did get to visit the National Music Museum on the University of South Dakota campus. We also enjoyed a great little movie theater downtown, called the Coyote Theater, which served some the best lemonade we've ever had, especially at a movie theater. The museum was user-friendly to almost everyone. The movie theater was not as user-friendly, though the wonderful staff did make efforts to provide a chair without arms.
We drove back and forth several times to Sioux Falls while we were in Vermillion. Sioux Falls is the largest city in South Dakota, though it is still a small city and has a small-city feel. Most of our time there was spent dealing with bureaucrats and businesspeople. We wrote about our experiences in Sioux Falls establishing a home base in this month's Life in the 'Unit'.
We did, however, visit the library and a great place called Oscar's Cafe. Both were worth the visit. The thing that struck us most about the city was how friendly the people were. Even in the most tense and stressful situations, we found people treated us with respect and kindness. It was refreshing when dealing with bureaucratic matters. Sioux Falls is definitely RV-friendly. The fact that we were full-time RVers was a mundane occurrence there. Little of our lifestyle had to be explained in that area, and that made life much easier. But unlike the small town feel of Vermillion, Sioux Falls was definitely urban.
From Vermillion/Sioux Falls The Ample Traveler© took a scenic route to Pierre before heading to the Badlands. We drove from Sioux Falls to Wessington Springs the first night. Of course, we had to stop at Mitchell along the way for a glimpse at the Corn Palace. We arrived at night, so we were pleased to see how it looked all lit up.
At Wessington Springs, The Ample Traveler© discovered yet another free (by donation) city park. We also discovered a beautiful place called Shakespeare's Garden. It was one of those odd serendipitous discoveries, making for a nice morning of smelling the flowers and watching the birds in the confines of a Tudor setting. Not at all what we expected to find in a prairie farm community.
From Wessington Springs we drove into Pierre, the state capital. A small city, Pierre would have almost a small town feel to it if it weren't for the big domed building on the north side of town. Again the people were extremely friendly. We decided to stay an extra night at their city park even though we encountered an unexpected fee of $10 per night (imposed since 31 July 2004). The city park was gorgeous and peaceful. The setting was along an accessible path that paralleled an inlet, which backwashes from the Missouri River
We worked for a day and a half at the Pier 347 Cafe downtown. The free wireless Internet connection and the friendly tolerance of letting us camp out for a day or so allowed us to use the cafe as an office to catch up on our online activities. We were treated like regulars in a place that had a lot of regulars. Clearly this was hub for the locals. The place had a great community feeling. It was clearly helpful that both the park and the cafe were very user-friendly, offering access for nearly everyone.
We did take a few hours out to explore the rolling hills around Pierre, including an up-close look at Oahe Dam. Hints of the Bandlands can be found in the oddly-shaped hills, but so could hints of the prairies that make up the eastern part of the state. The geography seemed transitional: coming from one place, leading to another. The waters made for some beautiful shorelines. While the town and area were modern in one sense, the history of the place seeped through. Pierre has its roots in trading posts, furriers and hunting. The downtown area has that western feel to it.
Finally, it was time to go back to the Badlands, a place we had visited before, but not for long enough. We chose to stay a week at a campground called Badlands Ranch and Resort, located four miles from the National Park entrance, just outside a town called Interior. It was a nice campground with good warm and semi-accessible showers. But we had come to explore the surrounding territory and we didn't really spend much time at the campground. We had the feeling that the campground was a buzz of activity in the summer months, but it was nearly abandoned in September.
The Badlands were amazing. We spent nearly three full days exploring the park. We lucked out with a great deal of sunshine and little rain, though it did rain at night some. We toured in a convertible most of the time, which allowed for a great panoramic view wherever we went. The Badlands were the complete opposite of the area around Vermillion. Browns, pinks and yellows dominated the scenery. Little patches of green grass and some trees served to intensify the dominant colors of the landscape. Jagged edges and towering hills stratified by ash and corrosion gave the place an otherworldly feel.
We also spent some time in Rapid City. Though RC is smaller than Sioux Falls, it actually has a more urban feel to it. The downtown area is dotted with public art pieces and historic markers. The library was excellent, rivaling those of many larger cities. Of course, crime was a little higher as well. We had a camera stolen in RC. But don't let us mislead you: we did not have a sense of danger or fear.
RC sits at the foot of the Black Hills. Like few places in the United States, the Black Hills and its vicinity are the site of a considerable amount of American historic events. Unlike Philadelphia, Washington, DC, or the civil war reenactments of the eastern states, the history of this part of the world is often contested and still has its tensions. Chief Red Cloud, Crazy Horse (and his memorial), Wounded Knee, Deadwood, Sitting Bull, the battle of the Little Big Horn, Custer, the Ghost Dances, and Mount Rushmore are the characters and settings of these American stories. Visiting these places and learning these stories is a way of understanding America both historically and culturally.
We chose to visit Mount Rushmore this time. We spent most of a day in the park and experienced a lot in spite of it being a drizzly, rainy day. We enjoyed the Presidential Trail, the museum, the cafeteria and the mall of state flags. We found both Badlands National Park and Mount Rushmore National Monument to be accessible and user-friendly for nearly everyone. Our disappointment at Rushmore was that that theaters in the museum were too small and fixed and that no alternatives were available to folks who needed wider seating or seating without arms. We write about this in this month's column, Accommodations.
So, infinite variety? Well, we would have to say probably not, but certainly a great deal of variety. South Dakota was a wonderful experience from east to west, and we are proud to consider it a home base.