July 4, 2012 -- Badlands* National Park

Words cannot express. Just look:


The night was gorgeous and QUIET. (No fireworks allowed in the park, because of dry conditions and fire danger.) We sat out late, watching first the sunset, then the stars.

*"Badlands" is the name given to the area in the days before things like paved roads and mass transport of drinking water. While it's understandable to keep the name for historical purposes, we just want to point out that if the area were being named today, it would more likely earn the name The Fabulous Lands.

July 4, 2012 -- Akaska, SD to Badlands National Park (with a little help from Santa)

Our overnight stop in Akaska showed us just how much South Dakotans love their rockets' red glare for Independence Day. It was only July 3rd, but you would never have known it: there was a parade, a barbecue, and LOTS of fireworks, from dark until about 11:00 p.m. Not just firecrackers either ... we're talking real, jump-out-of-your-skin explosives.

In spite of the noise we did end up having a good night's sleep, which prepared us for our first RV tire change. Yep, we wore a hole right through the tread of one of our trailer tires. Figuring that driving on the tire into a place called The Badlands would be pushing our luck just a little too much for comfort, we dragged out the lug wrench and pulled the cover off the spare. Tire pressure? Check. Lug wrench the right size? Check. Jack operational? Check! It was easier than we thought, although Theresa did struggle for a couple minutes lifting the spare onto the lug nuts.

Enter Santa Claus.


No, really!

Okay, not exactly this guy, but he looked pretty much just like this, and when we thanked him for his kindness, he said, “Santa Claus got to be good for something.” The guy never told us his actual name. In the time we talked with him we did learn that he is a retired farmer from Iowa and spends his summers in South Dakota; also that he is going to play Santa Claus in next year's July 4th parade. He will be perfect. Thanks, Santa!

July 3, 2012 -- Jamestown, ND to Akaska, SD

One step closer to the much-awaited Black Hills, we stopped over in Akaska, SD, population 52. (No kidding, we personally increased the population of the town by one percent by staying over.) The highlight of today's travel was our visit to the Sitting Bull and Sakakawea monuments near Mobridge, South Dakota.


(panoramic view from the hill where both monuments are located)

The Sitting Bull Monument was carved by the late Korczak Ziolkowski, the same sculptor who spent most of his career designing and carving the Crazy Horse Monument, and is actually made from a chunk of stone that was removed from Crazy Horse Mountain. Here is the text from the plaque beside the monument, and (of course) photos:

1834-1890

SITTING BULL
TATANKA IYOTAKE

Sitting Bull was born in Grand River a few miles west of Mobridge (SD). His tragic end came at the very place he was born. He was shot when being arrested because of his alleged involvement with the Ghost Dance Craze.

Sitting Bull was originally buried at Fort Yates, ND. On April 8, 1953, surviving relatives with the aid of the Dakota Memorial Association moved his remains to the present location and dedicated the Memorial Burial Site April 11, 1953.

1876 - Victorious at the Battle of Little Big Horn.
1877 - Sought asylum in Canada.
1881 - Returned to the United States.
1885 - Toured with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.


Near the Sitting Bull Monument is an obelisk and plaque dedicated to Sakakawea (aka Sacagawea), who accompanied (and saved the butts of) Lewis and Clark on their explorations westward. Here is the text that appears on the plaque, followed by some photos of the monument itself:

SAKAKAWEA

Sakakawea won her place in history as the indomitable guide of Lewis and Clark on their trip to the Pacific in 1805. She was a member of the Shoshoni tribe dwelling near the Big Horn mountains in Montana. In one of the frequent tribal conflicts she was captured and taken to North Dakota as a war captive. Here she was purchased by a fur trader named Tousant Charbonneau, who, according to custom, made her his wife. Lewis and Clark, in search of an interpreter for their trip west, tried to hire Charbonneau, but he would not go unless his wife was permitted to accompany him. The explorers reluctantly gave their permission. This was a fortunate decision for Lewis and Clark. By her courage, endurance and unerring instinct, she guided the expedition over seemingly insuperable obstacles. The leaders frequently gave her credit for the success of the venture. After returning east, Charbonneau and Sakakawea settled down at Fort Manuel, about 30 miles north of here near Kenel, South Dakota. On December 20, 1812, it was recorded in the daily journal of events at the fort that Sakakawea died of a putrid fever. There is no further record of her but it is safe to assume that this remarkable woman's grave is somewhere near the site of old Fort Manuel. Sakakawea is, beyond question, the most illustrious feminine representative of the Indian race.

July 2, 2012 -- Fargo, ND to Jamestown, ND

Yep, we did something we never do and packed it in as soon as Scott finished working for the afternoon. We COULD NOT WAIT to get into the cool A/C of the truck and make tracks westward. It was an easy trip -- just a couple of hours -- and we slept like happy babies in the cool of our A/C and woke up to hot showers. We did not go outside to take pictures, see the sights, or anything. So we don't have much to say about Jamestown.

June 23-July 2, 2012 -- Fargo, ND

Fargo is known as “The City of Parks” for good reason. The campground where we stayed is part of a huge green space with ballfields, picnic areas, and several miles of bike paths. About a mile from the campground, there is even a bike path over the Red River into Moorhead, Minnesota.

We're both re-discovering our bike legs, so Fargo was the perfect place to get pedaling. The paths are mostly flat with some gentle hills and (very importantly) no overcrowding. This is all very good for two out of shape 49-year-olds who are riding one-speed bikes! Scott snapped this photo in Moorhead on Saturday afternoon:

That bike ride turned out to be our last for awhile, because that day was when the heat wave hit. Prior to Saturday, we hadn't been using our A/C much, because we didn't really need it. So we were quite surprised when we turned it on and it blew a little lukewarm air, sputtered, and went out.

Fortunately the problem was not with our A/C unit. Whew! UNfortunately, there was a major problem with the campground's wiring. Everyone wanted their A/C on at the same time (go figure) but the system was just not equipped. We toughed it out for a couple more days -- Monday and Tuesday saw many fewer guests so we were actually able to cool things off reasonably well for most of the day. But by the end of Tuesday, we were finished dealing with the constant brownout conditions. Onward!

June 23, 2012 -- Woodbury, MN, to Fargo, ND

We were raring to go today in spite of having spent most of the afternoon at Camping World while our RV was having a spa treatment (i.e., wash and wax). So, instead of staying overnight in a roadside rest area we motored right on through to Fargo. This was all well and good, except that the campground where we'd reserved a place were not expecting us until the 24th. Well, thank goodness the people of North Dakota are as nice as their reputation says, because they could not have been more accommodating. We ended up with the next-to-the-last campsite on a long row, instead of being in the middle of the action as originally planned. This turned out to be (mostly) for the best.

June 21, 2012 -- Minneapolis, MN

Yep, you know who.



This week has been hot and muggy, then dark and stormy (scary wind gusts and thunder/lightning in the middle of the night Monday, and part of the day Tuesday), but today was perfect. Probably because it's our second wedding anniversary! Time flies, doesn't it?

For those of you who are confused, and are wondering why we are celebrating our anniversary on June 21st when you SAW us get married on August 21st, we can explain. The legal wedding (which lasted all of 30 seconds) took place in a pub on June 21st, and was followed by dinner with immediate family members only. It was kind of a rush thing. No shotguns involved, but there was a matter of health insurance coverage ... such is life in America in the twenty-first century. Hope you are not excessively disappointed to find out that we were already legal when we tied the knot and jumped the broom in August.