I headed out of the Wind Cave National Park this morning and began my drive across South Dakota's southern route. This two lane road meanders thru some beautiful rolling prairie land. Since 1913, this park has been instrumental in reintroducing bison to their native lands. They started with only fourteen bison and now are thriving in several preserves in the area. As I went around one curve, I had to slow to a crawl as a bison lumbered along the road's edge.
I stopped as he passed alongside the passenger window and was able to get a close up shot. He was a very stoic looking animal, sort of in his on world, with his head lowered and in no particular hurry. Of course, I was reminded of the great scene in the movie Dances With Wolves, when they were trying to learn each others language and Kevin Costner was learning the word for buffalo -Tatanka.
This area along state highway 18 is mostly agricultural land and I was astounded by the acres and acres of Sunflowers. Their big round heads bursting in yellow, balancing on top of thick green stem, all leaning their faces southeast as they tracked the suns path across the sky.
A little further down the road a movement in the sky caught my eye. Flashes of yellow, swooping and diving over sections of land. I pulled off onto a gravel road and watched for ten minutes as the crop duster weaved his path back and forth across the land. There is something magical about flight and this IFO -Identified Flying Object- left me mesmerized until he made a final pass and headed off in low flight towards the northwest.
I felt good, with energy to spare, so I pushed on and crossed the Missouri River by driving across the Fort Randall Dam as the clouds lowered and rain began pelting my windshield. By 9pm I was ready to call it a night. I really didn't want to stay in a motel, so I called the nearest KOA, which happened to be in Yankton, SD. The man was very nice and said to come on into the campsite, park anywhere I wanted, and the showers were open. So I drove in under a light drizzle and configured my car into a quarterberth, had a nice hot shower and called it a night.
Tomorrow I will follow the Missouri River along Iowa and then make the turn across Missouri towards St. Louis.
signing off for now.
Sounds like another great day! Should I plan to have you set up your tent in the yard, sleep in your car or make up the bed in the guest room!
ReplyDeletelove ya
Brad
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