Friday, July 13 and Saturday, July 14, 2018, Move to Gillette, WY

To avoid another marathon travel day, Joani planned a stop at a convenient campground with level, pull-through sites with 50 amp electric service located in Wasta, SD. That meant we only traveled 171.6 miles (88,656.0 total) before relaxing for the evening. We parked next to some nice folks from Virginia named Donna and Lowell. They sold it all and had been full-timing for 8 months. I always love to compare notes on places visited and things to see.

Wall Drug was only 13 miles before our destination. We stopped in 2013 and didn't feel the need to do it again. (Everyone should do it at least once!)

24 Express had 8 pull-thrus with 50 amp service (and a dump station) behind the Mobile Gas Station just off I-90 (exit 98). Drop $10 in the box and you are good to go.  No reservations, but sometimes we like to live on the edge!

Early Saturday morning we hit the road (around 9:00) and covered another 179.6 miles (88,835.6 total) to reach the Cam-Plex in Gillette, WY where we were scheduled to attend the 98th Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA) National Rally. We were arriving early to join friends at the American Coach Chapter (ACC) of the FMCA. There are so many chapters in FMCA where RV'ers with common interests get together there is something for everyone!

I know we gained some altitude on the drive to Gillette, but I did not expect the engine would overheat. It was also the first time I ever noticed the transmission temperature much higher than normal. Fortunately, there was a very wide shoulder where we could stop and let everything cool down a bit. I checked the radiator - still full, and the fan - still turning. After 20 minutes or so we continued, keeping our fingers crossed, and made it to the Gillette Cam-Plex with no further issues.

After a wait in the will-call area for everyone in our ACC group to arrive, and of course, some confusion over just where they were going to park us we headed over to Lot B.

The American Coach Chapter only had 10 coaches attend our pre-rally, but what a fun group. We were located in a tight little knot which made it a short walk for gatherings. Almost as soon as we were settled in we gathered for our first "happy hour." I completely forgot to record our site so the pictures below were actually from the next day, after some overnight rain.

Wednesday, July 11, 2018, South Dakota Capitol, Pierre

The first thing you learn about the capital of South Dakota is that the "re" at the end of Pierre is just for show. It is pronounced "Pier" or "peer" (yes, those sound the same) - just one syllable. 

With only 14,000 people living in Pierre, the city was very relaxed. We parked on the curb in front of the capitol building just like we lived there. The only US Capital with fewer residents is Montpelier, Vermont. Pierre is, however, one of only two capitals not accessible directly from the Interstate Highway system.

There was no guided tour available, so we enjoyed exploring the entire building at our own pace. There was no state business pending and we were almost the only visitors, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves.

The terrazzo tile floors were laid by Italian craftsmen. Each of the 66 workers was given a distinctive blue tile to place randomly somewhere in the floor as a kind of signature of their work.

At 96 feet above the rotunda floor, the inner stained glass dome was less than half as high as the Wisconsin capital we had just visited. Everything about the South Dakota capitol seemed more intimate than others we have visited, but still impressive in its own way.

The craftsmen, not wanting to be "perfect," in deference to God, purposefully included flaws in the architecture. Below, Joani spotted an upside down baluster on the main staircase.

I appreciated the faux painting throughout the capitol.

Joani was the first to find one of the blue signature tiles. I think we found maybe four of the tiles - it was like searching for Waldo - you could go crazy looking for all of them.

Time for a break on a very comfortable leather couch just outside of the Senate Cloak Room on the second floor. 

A small park adjacent to the capitol building grounds included some interesting statuary in remembrance of a tragic airplane accident that claimed the lives of several South Dakota politicians.

Fighting Stallions Memorial

A nice monument honored the 65,000 South Dakotan men and women who fought and died in World War II.

Along the lakeshore, a new brood of ducklings posed for their picture and I couldn't just ignore them. It was good we didn't have Sam with us - they might have been too nervous for a picture.

We spent more time walking through the capitol and grounds than we had expected, so we decided to just head back home for a late lunch and some quality time with Sammy. 

Sunday, July 8, 2018, Move to Fort Thompson, SD

Today's drive was back to a much more reasonable 149.7 miles (88,484.4 total) from Flandreau, SD to Fort Thompson, SD. Joani found us accommodations at a very nice US Army Corps of Engineers park by the name of Left Tailrace Campground below the Big Bend Dam on the Missouri River.

I never really thought about how large South Dakota was until we started driving across it this time. Today's drive didn't even get us halfway across the state. Our drive was all on secondary roads that were very nice. We loved seeing the grasses ripple in the blowing winds across the plains.

I thought it was a bit unusual for the water below the dam to be as wide as the lake above the dam, but then it was an unusual dam. There were spillways on both ends of an earthen dam that was nearly a mile long. Below, it looks like our campground was on the lake instead of the river.

We are on the little spit, right on the water.

The COE website indicated tours of the dam were available, but there was no answer when we called so I missed my opportunity to ogle some grand scale engineering.

Wow, what a nice campground! It only had electricity (no water or sewer) but at just $9/night (w/geezer discount) it was a steal.

When I checked in on RVillage, I saw there was another full-time couple in the park. It looked like we had a five-day overlap in our stays, so I thought we could get together sometime. The horrendous heat - daytime highs hovering around 100 degrees - kept everyone inside (including us most of the time), so there was not a lot of socializing. I finally did meet Eileen and Doug (and their dog, Miles) on the morning we were scheduled to leave. They had been full-timing for around two years and seemed to have figured things out pretty well. I would have liked more time to discuss the full-time life, but it will have to wait. We did find we will both be in Arizona for four months this fall/winter so maybe we will meet again down the road.

Saturday, July 7, 2018, Pipe Stone National Monument

As if we hadn't had enough good fortune yesterday with licenses and registrations already, we found a national monument was located just across the state line in Minnesota. It was named Pipe Stone National Monument. I had never heard of it before and had no idea what we would find there. Joani saw the park's trails were pet-friendly, so Sam jumped at the chance for a "drive" even if it was only 19 miles.

Pipestone could not have been more aptly named. Buried in the area was a layer of clay sandwiched between quartzite. Over the eons, heat and pressure transformed the clay into a uniquely durable but relatively soft rock that could be carved with hand tools into vessels for burning tobacco. Add a hollow stem to the bowl and, you guessed it, you have a pipe. This was the place where Native Americans have quarried the stone to make pipes for 2,000 years. The pipes and smoking of tobacco were an important part of many Native American rituals.

In the visitor's center, we watched carvers working some of the pipestone and saw some amazing craftsmanship in the pipes and totems on display. We also learned there were more than 50 active quarries in operation by Native Americans from different tribes across the country.

Outside, the circle trail, a short, three-quarter mile paved pathway, took us by several interesting features of the monument. The colors in the quartzite stone were beautiful even if it was no good for pipes.

The area was considered sacred so we saw the occasional tribute to the spirits hanging from trees.

I did not notice the feature below until I was directed to sight through a small aperture to locate the "Oracle." Once seen, the face was obvious - a profile looking to the left.

Pipestone Creek passes through the area creating the impressive Winnewissa Falls. Recent rains gave the falls a lot of energy and the cooling mist was a welcome respite from the day's heat. I should have had my tripod with me to capture the full dynamic range of this scene, but I'm too lazy to carry it everywhere and I had no idea we would be seeing such a beautiful waterfall.

Without the water to carve through the rock to reveal the layers beneath the landscape would have all been the same grassy plains that would probably have attracted little or no attention.

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.

Thursday, July 5, 2018, Move to Royal River Casino, Flandreau, SD

As much as I hated to leave Ho-Chunk, it was time to continue our trek west. Joani gave me the option of driving straight through from Wisconsin to South Dakota or splitting the drive up with an overnight in a Walmart parking lot. I thought it was too hot to boondock in a Walmart, so we drove all the way to the Royal River Casino in Flandreau, SD - a whopping 402.8 miles (88,334.7 total) not quite a record for us, but the longest driving day in recent memory.

Below, the welcome to Minnesota sign carved out of a slab of granite greeted us as we crossed the border from Wisconsin and below that the welcome to South Dakota sign signaled we had left Minnesota. I don't remember much else in between except a really long stretch of Interstate 90.

We settled in somewhat late for us after the long drive and cranked up the air conditioning. After just staying in an amazing casino campground, Royal River Casino was a significant step down, but still quite nice considering it was only $10/night (30 amp/no water).

Inside the casino, we registered, signed up for our Player's Cards (with free play money) and took advantage of the dinner buffet special. At $5 each, we didn't even feel the need to overeat. Of course, I smuggled a few samples out of the dining room for Sam. We turned our combined $10 of free play into $6.55 of our money.

When we returned to our coach we realized we were surrounded by a large family with firecracker crazy kids (3 or 4 campsites seemed to be related, all from Minnesota). They lit fireworks of all kinds for the next several hours. Around 11 pm, I started to wonder if there were any quiet hour restrictions. They finally ran out of energy (or ammo) and fell asleep. At least that's what I assumed - I was out like a light myself.