We allowed ourselves a week to get all of our life business taken care of and spend some time in our new “hometown”.
There was a Cultural Festival we attended that was very interesting. (forgot our camera though). There was ethnic food, crafts, and shows. Our favorites were the Indian dancing and the Chinese Lion Dance.
It was also the first time we were able to have a campfire since we left PA in December, due to drought conditions in the areas where we had been staying.
A winery called the Strawbale was holding our favorite kind of event, “music on the lawn”. We didn’t really like their wines but we did get some strawberry rhubarb wine and jelly to share when we get back home.
The Palisades State Park, just outside of Sioux Falls, was a nice afternoon trip.
It is said to be one of the most unique areas in South Dakota.
Split Rock Creek over the course of millions, ok maybe billions of years carved its bed out of Sioux quartzite.
Leaving behind towering walls and unique formations.
It was peaceful and quiet allowing us to just relax and enjoy the beauty of the park. (see the “gumbo” still stuck to my boots?)
Sophie on the other hand just wanted to go swimming.
Just up the road from the park was Devils Gulch, the place where Jesse James and his horse supposedly jumped a 20 foot gap to evade the law following a botched bank robbery in Minnesota, 1876.
Many stories for and against the folklore tail exist. Some say his horse was a fine Tennessee jumper mare, others claim it was a half broken down nag that couldn’t have made the jump. In some scenarios his Tennessee jumper is shot during her flight across the gultch, in others he and his old nag just went around the half mile long gulch.
Whatever the truth, when looking at the span from above and below, it looks like it might be possible with just enough improbability to keep the legend and the speculation going.
That wraps up our trip through South Dakota, now it is time to head to Iowa and get our leveling system checked out. This has the potential to hurt our wallet, ugh!
