Sioux Falls, Day Two and Beresford, South Dakota

Roger here -- We started the day by driving ten miles to visit the EROS project of the US Geological Survey.  This facility is responsible for using satellite technology to map all areas of the Earth.  It is especially valuable to researchers who study changes over time - climate shifts, population expansions/declines, geological changes, melting ice caps, etc.  After passing through security we watched a short video and then spent about an hour viewing the interesting exhibits.  If you have ever visited Google Earth, you probably have an appreciation for the sophistication of what our satellites can observe.

The rest of the day was dedicated to activities that our animals could enjoy. 

 (Well, not the cat.  It's just not easy walking a cat.  It would be more like dragging the poor animal).

We drove about fifteen miles to 

Beresford, SD.  The town was supposedly named after the great uncle of one of my colleagues from my former working life - still a good friend.  We walked around the town 

with the dogs, taking pictures of this interesting town to send back to my friend.   We really enjoyed looking at a large

 mural painted on the side of one of the buildings and especially the verbiage

 written underneath the mural by residents of the town.  

After walking the town, we visited Knutson's Western Store.  The owner of the store, Mrs. Knutson (pronounced Ka noot sen) spent quite a bit of time helping us pick out the new cowboy hats that you probably saw in a previous post.  (Dianne here -- she may have looked innocent, but Mrs. Knutson knew how to sell Roger a more expensive hat by telling him it was the "Tim McGraw" hat, alluding that he would look like Tim McGraw if he wore it!)  

  The main reason I wanted cowboy hats is that I think they'll look swell in the front windshield of our motorhome after we get our South Dakota license plates on it!!   We might just have occasion to wear them next winter when we become "Winter Texans."  Back to Roger's narrative....

Two rat-terrier-mix dogs had the run of the store.  After the purchase, Mrs. Knutson came out to the parking lot to meet "the boys", who were waiting in the car.

Leaving Beresford, we took a short drive back to Falls Park in Sioux Falls. 

 The city park system erected a hard surfaced, 43-mile hiking and bicycle trail that circumnavigates the city.  Jasper and Chaplin love to take long walks.  Jasper, especially, enjoys dragging us along the trails.  We walk a lot faster when we take Jasper - probably good for us.  We entered the trail at the park and followed the portion next to the Big Sioux River into the city.  We certainly did not walk 43 miles, but we did walk quite awhile before turning back.  Dianne was able to get a picture of me and the boys next to the buffalo 

statue in the park (part of the city's statue project).

The day ended

 with photos of the dogs next to Yogi

 at the campground and a colorful sunset.

(Last note from Dianne:  As you can see from the final photo, my cowboy 

was "plumb tuckered out" from the day's activities!) 

We will share our trip through Minnesota and some exciting weather in Iowa on our way back to Indiana in our next posts.