Today Isaiah and I started our trek across South Dakota. I am now exhausted. The drive was not as boring as I thought it would be. We started out on MN-23 heading west. Though it is mostly a two lane highway which passes through towns, we still made good time. Once we got on the interstate, I realized I actually enjoyed the state highways more. Sure you can drive faster on the interstate, but there isn't as much to see.
While we drove through MN, we passed many farms. At times it was flat farmland and other times rolling hills. In Pipestone county we saw a wind farm. The whole drive reminded me of the landscape in Denmark on the drive from Billund to Varde. Seeing the windmills made it even more so.
My favorite part of the drive in SD was as we came up this hill and then you could see the Missouri River. There is a rest stop there that has an exhibit about Lewis and Clark's expedition. Legend tells that a baby, Struck by the Ree, was born during the council with the Yankton Sioux. Lewis supposedly wrapped the baby in an American flag and called him an American. We took a little bit of time and explored there. I started thinking about what it must have been like traveling the river. Later as we drove, I thought about what it might have been like for the early settlers who came this way. It is a long enough drive by auto, I couldn't imagine doing it by covered wagon.
Just outside Rapid City the landscape changed again. The hills began to get larger and had a different shape to them. They were no longer rolling, but more jagged. It reminded me some of NM, but not quite as brown. Actually, I don't remember so much green, but I was only 13 last time we made this trip and I am quite sure my cousin, brother and I were busy occupying ourselves with games instead of noticing the landscape colors. We finally arrived in Rapid City after 10 hours on the road. I was exhausted, but we walked over to Outback for dinner. After a little rest, we hit the pool/hot tub. The hotel is fairly new and the pool area was nice with two hot tubs. BTW... one of the best things you can get for a 10 year old traveling without siblings/friends is a $1 wal-mart smiley beachball. Not only will he have something to play with, it makes finding new friends to play with very easy. :-) We have named him "Smiley"
More thumbnails ...
| 
1 vote 
