Heading East + GPS Review

Hi all, Dianne here.  Check out the "other" Falls Park in our adopted hometown -- (for the uninitiated, our former hometown (Pendleton, Indiana) also had a Falls Park and waterfall in town).  The park above can be identified by the beautiful pink granite that makes up Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  The falls are really gushing right now, due to all the rain that has occurred in this area.  


 In fact, the reason we went to Sioux Falls and not Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota is due to the flooding Missouri River.  Record snow melt and flooding rains have closed many roads and campgrounds where we had planned to go.  Guess we'll have to make that trip another year.

Once we drove east from the Badlands a bit, the terrain flattened out and, though still pretty, started to become monotonous.  

I got the brilliant idea to play our iPod playlist using the dock.  Good idea, but just as we were really getting into some of our new iTunes (James Durbin) the battery in the dock failed, and then we were back to monotony.  Gotta remember to charge it before we hit the road!  

Once the music was gone, I got out one of our favorite road games.  We bought this auto bingo game years ago, when we traveled with our girls.  They never wanted to play it, but Roger and I over the years have used it from coast to coast, trying to get through all five pictures of every cube in a trip. We've never played it as intended (Bingo).  One year, on a trip home from Idaho, we even drove around the block in Pendleton, Indiana (our former hometown) when we arrived, in order to turn the last square (a barber pole that we knew was there).

  The picture above shows some of the easier squares.  As the cubes turn over to different sides, the items get more and more difficult to find.  What can I say?  I still think it's fun!  We tried audio books on one trip, but it made Roger sleepy -- not a good thing when you're driving a huge motor home down the highway.  

We intentionally crossed the Missouri River on I-90, feeling that was the safest area to get across. We decided to stop in Sioux Falls to get our motor home title updated (it was paid off in 2009, but still had the bank's  name on it).  While in the court house, we even registered to vote.  Hopefully we won't get called for jury duty in South Dakota in the dead of winter!


Roger here...  The trip all the way across South Dakota was actually Plan C.  After abandoning Roosevelt National Park due to water, Plan B was to cross the Missouri River in the middle of South Dakota on I-90 (which we did), and then head straight north on local roads to Highway 2 in North Dakota.  The night before our departure from the Badlands area, I did some checking on the computer.  Every county going north from I-90 in SD and ND on the planned route was under a severe flood warning along the James River, and further rain was in the forecast.  Some of the roads were surrounded by water to the point that cars needed to take turns crossing the narrow stretches.  Not worth the risk.  Besides, there was the mundane paperwork to take care of in Sioux Falls. Nice to have that done.  Nice to be able to vote again.  Back to Dianne...

No trip to Sioux Falls is complete without visiting the lovely park and falls, so while there we walked through the park and stopped for lunch overlooking the falls.

From Sioux Falls we headed north on I-29 and spent a $10 overnight (with full hookups) at the Dakota Magic Casino in North Dakota.  (R:  Finally, a night in North Dakota, albeit only one.)  We've never overnighted at a casino before.  It's probably a cheaper choice for us than wineries, because we're not tempted by gaming. We've read that it's a good deal.  Some are free, and the buffets are usually cheap for an easy travel meal.  


We'll probably stay at a casino again sometime, but might skip the buffet.  The food was plentiful, and they were featuring snow crab legs (all you can eat), but the waiting in line, cramped dining room, smoky interior, and just-okay food wasn't worth the hassle or the $15 each.  (R: I did a lot of grumbling waiting in the line -- lots of empty tables, but no hurry to seat people.  Also, I ate way too much greasy fried seafood that was not on my diet and not really that good.  I must admit, though, that the soft-serve frozen yogurt at the end of the meal was a highlight.  Tasted soooo good.)


I'll let Roger finish the blog with his review of our new Rand McNally RV GPS (spoiler:  he LOVES it!)


Roger here, again....  What a difference!  Waldo rocks in so many ways!  He speaks clearly, thoroughly and logically.  We don't wonder about what he means to say.  There is a boatload of information on the display screen, including the current speed limit, our speed, miles to go, info about our next maneuver, and the ability to easily, look at the next three turns.  It is simple to program.  I have been using the POI (point of interest feature).  So far, all three of our camping destinations were POI's that were actually on the GPS, so programming involved only a few clicks. 


It is advertised to be programmed specifically for RV travel.  So far, that has been true.  When I made an adjustment to the route, Waldo recognized what I was doing, and immediately reprogrammed and did not insist that I make a u-turn.   Waldo verbally warned us of a speed zone ahead.  He also warned of some (not all) of the construction along the route.  I think this will be better after I update it on the Rand McNally website.  Oh, and the tether connecting Waldo to the 12 volt battery doesn't fall out and drop to the floor when we enter a heavily-congested area.  


Dianne again:  Here's a link to Amazon if you want to read reviews and learn more.  We bought ours directly from Rand McNally, because Amazon didn't carry them yet.  I think the price is similar.

We decided to continue to use Sacajawea in the car.  We may change our mind about that:  In Sioux Falls, she did not recognize the county courthouse as a POI, and she made several routing mistakes. She identified the destination on the wrong side of the street, told me to turn right when she meant left.  Ugh!  I was tempted to throw her into the falls, but that would be littering, wouldn't it?  

The pet photo of the day shows Bandido peeking out from under the driver's seat, where he had gone to spend quality time with Charlie (who was hiding under the driver's seat to get away from Bandido!)

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.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Roger here...  In the past, Sioux Falls was one of those places that I have driven through to get somewhere else - Badlands, Black Hills, Yellowstone, Wall Drug!  We really did not know too much about the city, other than there was a waterfall on the Big Sioux River and that it was the largest city in South Dakota.    I don't know what it was like in the past when we whizzed by, not getting off Interstate 90, but I must say that right now it is an impressive place.  

On the first full day of our visit, we crated the dogs and drove to Falls Park.  

(Ironically, there is also a Falls Park in my hometown of Pendleton, IN.  The waterfall in the Pendleton park is pretty nice, especially by Indiana standards.  However, it does not compare to the 

 Falls of Sioux Falls, which are actually a series of falls over an expansive area.)

  Dianne's comments:  I wish the sun had been out to really show how pretty the falls were.  The rock, unlike the limestone we have in Indiana, is pink quartzite and very pretty.  It is also called "jasper" (like our dog).   This pink quartzite was quarried and used to build the older buildings in town, giving them all a pink hue.  I can only imagine how lovely they are in bright sunlight.   They no longer use the stone to build buildings, but now crush it into a paving material that is used on roadways, which we noticed on the interstates as we drove into the area.  Back to Roger....

At the park, we hopped on one of the free, narrated trolleys that move people to the center of the city. We passed a magnificent church 

and departed the trolley at the furthest point from the park, intending to walk back.

It was a grey day and a little chilly, but that did not detract from the obvious improvements that have occurred in Sioux Falls.

  One of the most impressive features were the statues that

 artists have placed all along the town - 55 in all.  During the course of the year residents and visitors can vote for their favorite statue, which the city then purchases for permanent display.  At the end of the year, new statues take the place of the old. 

 There were literally statues of all kinds everywhere you looked.  My favorite was the high-fiving dog.  (Dianne here --  I think it looks like a whippet, don't you??)

 I couldn't resist acting a little silly while a lady on the sidewalk stared at me.  Oh well, I don't know her.

During the walk we stopped at an outdoor store where Dianne bought a new t-shirt.  We then spent a lot of time in the city museum, which is housed in the mammoth old former court house.  What a magnificent old stone building!  

There 

were several interesting exhibits.

  Dianne liked the Native American beading displays. 

 I liked the rooms that were dedicated to the Sioux Falls drive-in restaurants

 of the fifties and sixties. 

 The rooms dedicated to the trapping of

 beaver for gentlemen's top hats, the voyageurs, and trading during pioneer times were fascinating. 

In the gift shop Dianne bought a historical book and a couple of small gifts for our granddaughter. 

(Dianne here -- The book I purchased is a fascinating account of the Blizzard of 1888, also known as the "Children's Blizzard" [which is also the name of the book] by David Laskin.   It took place in this area, the Nebraska/Dakota Territory plains.   I'm reading it now, and it really gives me a vivid picture of the hardships the Northern European immigrants faced when they settled here; most not realizing what they were getting into, having believed the railroad companies' propaganda they had seen in Europe.   Now you know I'm a total nerd, with my birding and love of local history.  Maybe this will make up for being "outed" for watching Paris Hilton in the Simple Life! [see Arkansas blog....])

 We then took a short walk to the Phillips Street Diner

 for lunch - really good diner-type food.  (Dianne again:   I had the best egg salad sandwiches ever, served on homemade sourdough rolls.  Roger had a toasted cheese/roast beef sandwich and some really, really good french fries.  We split an order of chocolate cake for dessert.)

After lunch, we walked back to Falls Park, climbed the five-story observation tower to take more views and photos of the falls, and headed back to the car.  We were both very impressed by the architecture, the cleanliness, the civic pride, and the successful attempts to make Sioux Falls an outstanding city.