South Dakota Dreamin'

Our week began with a drive through three states. We left Gretna, NE, after a wet and relaxing week. The drive was an easy three-hour journey along the Missouri Rover in Nebraska and Iowa and then into South Dakota. The winds stayed low, and the countryside was rolling plains. But several hills were long enough for Koko to downshift! We arrived at Sioux City KOA Journey and were set up very quickly.

Pioneer Monument

Sioux Falls, SD, sits in a quiet valley on the Big Sioux River. The area was initially inhabited by the Sioux's ancestors, now called the Lakota and Dakota. Settlers from Northern Europe arrived in the mid-19th Century. The land reminded them of their German, Sweden, and Denmark homelands. Early struggles with the Sioux led to the settlers abandoning the City until Fort Dakota was built in 1865. Industry moved in and constructed a vast four mill on the river in time. The mining of Sioux quartzite at the river site changed the City forever. The railroad soon followed. An industrial center with over 213,000 residents now sits below the bluff where the Pioneer Memorial pays homage to this City's history. Today, it is the largest City in South Dakota and an industrial and commercial hub for the Upper Midwest.

Butterfly House and Aquarium

On Tuesday, we laced up our wandering shoes and set out for the  Sioux Falls Butterfly House and Aquarium. This is a beautiful part of Sertoma Park in South Sioux Falls. The aquarium was small and filled with schoolchildren, so we moved on to the butterfly house. This large glass space was home to hundreds of butterflies and moths in free flight. There were also painted quails to keep the bug population down, and a couple of turtle species were in the ponds along with the koi. The butterflies were so numerous, I had to watch my step lest I crush one. I pulled out my 100 Macro lens and fired away for two hours. After taking over 500 images, my trigger finger was worn out, and it was time to head to the gift shop, pick up our magnet for Koko, and start back. It was a great afternoon, and I spent the next day wading through all those shots.

First of many, many beauties

Painted Turtle

Owl Butterfly

Doris Longwing

Chinese Panted Quail Chick

Montezuma Cattleheart

Tiger Longwing

Owl Butterfly

Malachite Buttfly

Clysonymus Longwing

Painted Quail

Painted Quail Adult

Brown Peacock

Julia Heliconian

Postman Butterfly

Wing Detail

Color Grains in the wing

Red Ear Turtle and Goldfish

BLue

Blue Morpho

Red Cracker

Head Shot

Androgeus Swallowtail

Wild Orange Julia

Common Sailor

Bushveld Purple Tip & Citrus Swallowtail

Blue-banded Morpho

Blue Morpho Head shot

 

Park Pathways are very easy.

On Thursday, we went downtown and, after a good lunch, spent the afternoon at Falls Park. This Park is set along the Big Sioux River, where industrialization occurred in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Before the Mill, the beautiful river cascaded into the valley at the base of the bluff. A nearby Prison quarried the stone for their building on top of the bluff. The Queen Bee Flour Mill diverted most of the water flow to run their mills, producing 800 HP and 1,200 barrels of flour per day from South Dakota wheat. This all ended abruptly in the mid-20^th Century, and the City has been working to make the area a place of civic pride. They have done well and continue to tell the whole story of the area.

 

The Tower and Visitor Center

Thirteen Striped Ground Squirrel

Ruins of the Queen Bee Flour Mill

American Robin

Turbine House

The Ubiquitous Canada Geese

The Park Before Industrialization

Turbine Raceway

One Last Look at a Beautiful PArk

 

Not far from the Park is the Old Courthouse Museum. This old Courthouse houses the local history museum. It tells of dreams that came true and dreams that have been lost to reality. There is the story of the nuclear power plant that was built and closed within a few years because of significant safety concerns. There were displays of grandiose downtown designs that proved to be untenable. The people of this community have been and continue to be dreamers. The Arc of Dreams Sculpture straddles the river not far from the museum. It keeps the City's eyes looking up. (Check out how many “historical items” on display are things you grew up with in your home or received at wedding gifts!)

 

Sioux Warrior and Horse

Quillwork

Seriously! Museum Pieces?

Recognize any of this from your wedding gifts?

The Infamous Copper Mold

More Wedding Gifts?

Yep, it was a thing!

Arc of Dreams

Well-mannered Geese

Where dreams reach for the sky!

 

Not far from Sioux City is the old Samuelson Homestead, established in 1869. The state purchased the Homestead from the family in 1967, and it is now called  Beaver Creek Nature Area. This area gives some indication of how the land looked when the Sioux lived here, and before flour mills, massive fields, cattle yards, and quartzite mining took their toll. This was a lovely way to imagine South Dakota as it was and as it could be!

The Samuelson Cabin

They raised 8 children in this three room cabin!

Beaver Creek

Only evidence we saw of beavers.

House Wren singing in the trees.

WE had to go down these steps, twice!

A Midwest Springtime

Marlene in her element

A Suspension Bridge

Lichen in the Sunshine

 

Considering Corn Pie for Breakfast

One of our favorite things about travel is to explore the local Farmer's Markets that have grown in popularity over the last decade. Some remain farmer's markets where actual farmers bring their produce, crafts, and hand-made treats and sell them at reasonable prices. But these markets are being overrun by lavishly prepared and marketed goods sold under expensive awnings at prices that are difficult to justify. But these new Farmer's Markets offer an enjoyable time to sample local fare and produce. Today, we enjoyed breakfast at a food truck and a slice of corn pie from a vendor. We took home a pan of rhubarb Crisp to enjoy for the next few days. The produce available was a variety of mushrooms, micro greens, kale, all kinds of greens, rhubarb, and other early Spring garden products. It was an excellent way to spend a morning, but I hope we can find some old-style farmer's markets as we head out of the urban areas for the next month.

 

As we prepare to leave South Dakota on Sunday, we also prepare to leave the vast open plains of the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Our next stop will be three hours North in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. We will be camping on the edge  of “The Land of a Thousand Lakes.” We will say goodbye to the vast, flat landscapes of the Great Plains and enter an area neither of us has ever seen. This next drive feels like a real adventure. I have only secondhand information, and I look forward to seeing it for myself.

 

I am glad you are along for the ride, and I hope you enjoy the adventure that awaits as we enter the next chapter in our 2024 wandering through the Midwest!

 

Bob