BIG day Wednesday!

Big blue sky, big puffy clouds, big farms with big silos, BIG open prairie land!

Clem cuts the pipestone.
The weather was spectacular after the flooding of the day before, and we went into the Pipestone National Monument before heading out, where we saw a very interesting film on the history of the pipes and Native Americans and spoke to a very knowledgeable park ranger who answered our questions about the Sioux Quartzite and pipestone beneath.  The quartzite is the second hardest rock, and it is amazing what they go through to get to the pipestone, which is softer and carveable.  We even got to try our hand at cutting some. The Native Americans are now the only ones allowed to quarry it there, and they still do, all by hand.  I was moved by the dedication to their heritage, even among the young.  I had to ponder what our children today would say if we told them we were going to go out and hammer and dig the earth and rock all day, to find this stone.    

We crossed into South Dakota and miles of flat open prairie.   The farms, when we saw them, were so huge, it was amazing.  Cattle looked like ants.  At one point there was a tractor that had cut two swaths, and was sitting there.  We estimated that it took us nearly 10 minutes  traveling at 65 mph to cover the length of one side of the circle!  Can't imagine how long it might take to cut the entire field!

Clem and Cornelius

Our first stop was in Mitchell, home of the world's only Corn Palace.  Now a basketball arena, decorated with real corn cobs, husks  and grasses in intricate designs that are reworked every year, it was first constructed in 1800's on a wooden structure.  Why, you may ask?  Well, it seems Lewis and Clark came thorough and said the land would never be any good for anything except buffalos and horses, and they wanted to prove the value of their agriculture.  I have to say the early designs were more elaborate, but it is still a sight.

We drove on along the prairie and  suddenly came to a steep downgrade, which I found surprising, since we had not climbed that I could remember, and there we were crossing the Missouri River!  Another gorgeous site that elicited "wows" from both of us.

Big state, and a long way yet to go, we booked a KOA in Belvidere, and were very surprised to find that the 1880 town, for which we had seen many bill boards ( oh yes.....lots of BIG BILLBOARDS), was actually very nice, and not the hokey tourist attraction we expected it to be.  A man  has actually collected authentic buildings from the 1800's and early 1900's, and moved them and assembled a town here, just like it would have been then.  Complete with furnishings and in some cases even photos of the families who had lived there.  In the old hotel, you can actually see the spur marks of the cowboys on the stairs from when they came down for breakfast.  Pretty fascinating stuff.

See more photos of 1880 town in albums.  

I have photos, but wifi here is very slow, and our hot spot not much better, so will add later.
Today we head into the Badlands, so it may be a few days!!!  Hopefully we will make it out safely! :-)

Moon over 1880 Town, shot from the motorhome at our campsite.

Had breakfast the next morning in the 1950's Dining Car of the train you see behind this unusual motorhome.  The old train car was original, and very neat.  The motorhome looks like converted bus, with the special touch of the horns!