Our July 4th rocked, and we mean that literally. The weather forecast predicted wind; sustained wind of 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph beginning at 12 a.m. and going until 12 noon on July 4. We awoke in the early morning hours to wind howling and the motorhome gently rocking. We were very glad we were not in the popup camper across the way.
Our plan was to leave by 8 a.m. in order to reach our destination of Sioux Falls, South Dakota (363 miles) by early evening. The winds seemed to be somewhat calmer as we made our way onto I-90 East. Little did we know this was only a lull in the action. After reaching the eastern edge of Rapid City and moving out onto the plain, we encountered a very strong crosswind. Again, we learned another valuable lesson about motorhome travel.
The slide out has an awning that rolls out when the room is extended. This awning serves as a covering, like a roof. When not extended, the awning is rolled up by a tension spring. There is no way to lock it in place. Can you guess what happened? When one of the gusts hit we heard a bang. It sounded exactly like something hit the roof of the coach. From the rearview mirror Byron could see the awning unroll with each wind gust and retreat as the gust subsided. We actually think it sounded a lot worse than it was, but we didn’t really want to risk having the awning torn from the side of the motor home. We pulled off at an exit to check the situation. Another motorhome pulled off after us. Since we had no rope or duct tape there did not seem to be much of a solution. We didn’t know what the other couple was doing; we just saw the man crawling around on the roof. We decided to continue on at a slower rate of speed hoping that would help. However, with the north wind hitting us with hard gusts as we travelled directly east continued to make for a problem. Fortunately, I-90 turns southward and goes into some hills. This changed the situation so we could continue with less fear.
As stated above, we learned to carry rope or duct tape with us and when strong winds are predicted, tie the slide out awning in place so can’t flap wildly in the wind.
We reached Wall, South Dakota about 10:30 a.m. and decided to stop as we had been seeing billboard advertisements for Wall Drug for miles. We had developed quite a hunger as every billboard announced food items such as donuts, homemade pies, fudge, coffee for a nickel, and the one item that made Wall Drug famous, the offer of free ice water.
The main entrance to Wall Drug.
Byron was ready to have something to eat.
The story is told that Ted and Dorothy Hustead purchased Wall Drug in 1931. After making the decision to give the store five years to become profitable, they were very discouraged at the lack of business. Within a few months of the five years and business not having improved at all, they were about ready to give up. One Sunday afternoon Dorothy attempted to take a nap but returned to the store within the hour. It was not too hot to sleep. It was too noisy with the jalopy car traffic on 16A. Dorothy suggested that they advertise free ice water to travelers passing by who were hot and thirsty after having driven across the prairie. The next week they advertised the free ice water and gave away free ice water and sold ice cream cones all weekend. Now the store draws up to 20,000 people on a good summer day. Of course, the store has expanded while making use of a western theme. In fact, the store is arranged like a boutique mall with each department being a distinctly separate area complete with a separate store front.
Upon entering the store immediately the smells of fresh baked donuts and pies makes ones mouth water. We enjoyed a piece of cherry pie and cup of coffee before purchasing some rope to tie the awning in place in the event we encountered more strong gusts.
After leaving Wall but before getting to Mitchell we stopped at a rest stop and overlook at Chamberlain. The “wide” Missouri River can be seen in the distance. The elevation of the overlook is about 1700 feet. The elevation at the river is about 1400 feet. The stop also had some information on the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
When we were pulling out the motorhome that had stopped behind us at the exit was pulling into the lot. We saw duct tape on the awning. Smart folks.
Upon leaving the Badlands and protected grasslands area of South Dakota, we were truly amidst fields of amber waves of grain pretty much as far as we could see. After several more miles we encountered large cornfields along with soybean fields. The green was a welcome site compared to all the brown and dust we have seen. We enjoyed several patriotic programs on the radio throughout the day, and the tunes of “God Bless America” and “America the Beautiful” wove themselves through our minds as we traveled across this beautiful state.
An unexpected but pleasurable stop was in Mitchell, South Dakota. Mitchell is home of the world’s only Corn Palace. The first Corn Palace was built in 1892 as a place where settlers could display their agricultural bounty on the exterior of the building to prove the fertility of the soil and attract immigrant farmers to settle in the area. Each fall the settlers conducted a festival to celebrate the agriculture and productivity of the people.
In keeping with tradition, each year a new decorating theme is chosen and the outside of the Corn Palace is stripped and redecorated with using corn cobs, shucks, and other elements of the crops. Throughout the summer, 3,000 bushels of rye, oat heads, and sour dock (corn) are tied in bundles and attached to the sides of the building to form murals. When the corn crop is ready, approximately 275,000 ears of corn are sawed in half lengthwise and nailed to the building following corn-by-number patterns created by local artists.
The present Corn Palace is the third Corn Palace that was built and has become known as “a folk art wonder on the prairie of South Dakota.” The interior of the building is used as a center of community activity hosting basketball games, stage shows, trade shows, and other activities. The decoration on the interior remains the same because it is some of the original artwork done.
We don’t recall seeing any photos of the inside of the Corn Palace so felt it was appropriate to insert one here. The murals over the stage and to either side are halves of corn cobs dyed to various shades in color. Exhibits by local vendors were set up on the basketball floor.
The Mitchell Corn Palace decorated in the 2012 theme. Each year a different theme is utilized.
Of course we could not leave without a couple of caramel popcorn-shaped into ears of corn. They also have other flavors of popcorn and popcorn balls as well as the usual gift items for sale.
We arrived at the KOA in Sioux Falls in time to set up the television and watch “A Capitol Fourth” on PBS. This has become a tradition with us and a good one at that.
From the foothills of the Black Hills to the prairies of eastern South Dakota — we’ve see changes in the landscape from conifers to deciduous trees. We have seen a log of beauty we have in the United States. We have been blessed.
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