Friday, July 6, 2018, New Driver's License, Sioux Falls, SD

I started the day resolved to get my hands on a fresh, new driver's license. I tried to renew online but was unaware renewal required a receipt for at least one overnight stay in the state within the past year. I found that out in January when we were in Florida and we had not been in South Dakota for several years. The DMV said I would need to take the written exam since it was expired for more than 30 days (36 days to be exact) so I studied the manual and took a few sample tests last night. I was ready.

We went to the DMV in Sioux Falls five years ago and spent many, many hours waiting before we received our original licenses. Afterward, a fellow camper suggested I should have gone to the DMV in Brookings, SD where there was very little wait time. Somehow I had retained that nugget of information for the past five years, so we headed to Brookings.

All I can say is WOW! We arrived around 10 am and found no line at all. The staff was extremely helpful and went out of their way to get me a new license. When they entered my name in the computer they said it looked like I had already applied for renewal. I said I tried to do it through the mail but it was not completed because of the lack of an overnight stay receipt. They said since I had tried before my birthday I didn't have to take the test.

Mine went so smoothly we asked if Joani could get her renewal as well (hers would expire at the end of August). No problem - she even passed the eye test without her glasses, so she has no more restrictions on her shiny new license.

We were almost giddy - the whole experience could not have been smoother. We finished in less than an hour, so we thought maybe we could drive to Sioux Falls and renew our vehicle tags as well. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? On the way, we were able to check in at DakotaPost and get our mail that had been accumulating for a while. It was the first time we had seen the new building on Potsdam Ave.

Our route to the tag office took us by Falls Park and since it was around 12:30 I thought we should look around a bit and let the tag office folks finish up lunch. An observation tower provided a panoramic view of the falls that gave Sioux Falls its name. Eighty-two steps up we were treated to the beautiful view below.

This is a dog-friendly park and we were a little sad Sam missed the opportunity to romp in the lush lawn, but he would have been miserable waiting for us in the car at all of our other stops.

We only spent 20 minutes or so in the park and then continued to the tag office. Here in the big city, we were confronted with a pretty long line. We were told the line would move quickly (8 out of 12 windows were open) so we stayed. Probably 45 minutes later, it was our turn. Joani had everything we needed, including enough cash for our registrations. We left with new stickers for our plates. With so much progress it was time for us to have some lunch.

David and our clerk were having a serious discussion about ghost peppers. He recommended Paqui Carolina Reaper and Da Bomb Ghost Pepper Nuts. I think they are both crazy!

We found a Panera Bread Company and split a Fuji Apple Salad. Panera was just a short distance from a Costco, so we indulged in some "store d'oeuvres" and somehow managed to leave with more than $70 worth of stuff. I guess that's why I bought Costco stock and its doing so well.

We headed back to the coach much earlier than I would have ever imagined after achieving everything we needed to do for the day. I wasn't sure how the day could have been any better until we noticed all of the campers with kids and fireworks had packed up and left. The quiet was nice. Sam was happy to see us even though I suspect he was probably pretty content to lounge around the house all day in air conditioned comfort too.