After getting our Jeep back we drove about 5 miles to the Central State Fairgrounds for the South Dakota Samboree. We arrived for early parking and were given a 50A space but no water. We had filled the tank, 100 gal, before we left Wyatts Hideaway Campground since the water there was quite good.
The Samboree only had about 50 rigs but was well run and had a lot of fun games and free food one night and a $10 catered meal another night and a free pancake and sausage breakfast. We didn't do very well in the games, a couple of 3rd place finishes but they only awarded 1st and 2nd..
On Sunday when the rally ended we drove to the Badlands and stayed at Badlands Interior Campground and Motel. The motel and campground are under new ownership and they are trying to get it in shape. They are very nice and helpful. The campground had a strange layout. Some sites are full hook-up some not so much. Sites may share water or have the hookup on the curb side and sewer on the road side of the RV.
We had a good 5 days there and drove most of the roads in the park as well as a tour of the Pine Ridge Reservation. It was a lonely ride through the reservation and we didn't see much but didn't stray far from the main roads. Even the visitors center was closed.As we left the reservation we stopped at the Badlands NP South Unit visitors center. They had some nice displays and information on the use of that section, south unit, as an Air Force, Army Air Corps, bombing and target range during WWII. It seems that many of the large fossils as bomb targets. A real loss of history.
We did find it quite interesting that the landscape of the Badlands seems to change with changes in direction, changes in light, it is just so fascinating. There are lots of pictures here.
While at the Badlands we toured the D1 Minuteman missile launch facility. The guide was a former commander of that facility. The other surprising thing was that he was stationed at Clinton Sherman AFB and helped close the base. That base was where I was stationed back in the day.
From there it was off to Mitchell SD and the Corn Palace. Yep we went inside and saw the presentation on the history of the placed. They are doing a lot of work so most of the outside murals were down. It will be the Next Gernetration Corn Palace when they are done.
Then on to Austin MN to visit the SPAM Museum. We camped at Crystal Springs RV Resort.
Next stop was Duluth area where we visited the Canal Park and took a tour of the Museum and watched an ore freighter exit the harbor. There is a lift bridge at the harbor entrance and that was interesting to watch raise and lower. There is a light on each side of the harbor breakwaters but we only visited one. You could not go up the tower on either since they are active lights.
We took a drive up the North Shore and visited the Two Harbors light and watched the freighter that we saw exit Duluth harbor dock at one of the ore docks in Two Harbors. From there we continued up the coast to Split Rock and took the guided tour to that lighthouse and the self guided tour of the buildings. Of course we climbed the stairs to the light. We also climbed part way down the to the shore so we could get a view of the lighthouse and cliff.
See the North Shore Pictures here.
