During my sporadic sleeping last night, I learned a bit more about Sioux Falls. (I like watching local cable access.) So in the wee hours I learned that SF is trying to develop it’s water front much like San Antonio has. The waterfront walk is almost all completed with spots where stairs go down to the water so visitors can touch the water.
Having spent the day in SD I understand why this could be an attraction, but the Northerner in me screams liability. We saw the walk way in our travels thru town, but I hadn’t actually got close enough to realize the stairs went down to the water. I was also distracted. As the river walk is done, but the other projects (large hotels, shops, major arena space) are not. As a result, if you view the project from one side of the river it looks pretty neat, But if you stand on the walk way and look at the opposite bank - you see empty lots, abandoned buildings, etc.
I was pleased to know all of this is in progress and according to the mayor they have money, etc, I wish them well and I hope it works for them. They are a town that is truly trying - sponsoring various festivals, they have a town funded band, all the sculpture down town. Who knows, maybe SF is the next hot spot?
Still, I was not sorry to leave them this morning. Today was one of our more usual days. The kind filled with adventure and weirdness that you all have come to expect from us. After getting coffee at a local place - Coffeea - we headed West and about 5 miles out of town stopped at Cowboy Town.
Cowboy Town was one of those places I found online listing the very odd places one should stop. It’s claim to fame being an old west town with animatronics - I.e. manikins that tell stories, You know, I could not resist that.
Upon arrival, I did have some hesitation. It didn’t really look like the place you wanted to walk into, On the other hand it was listed online - this did not assure me it was worth anything, but it did make me think at least we’d walk out of it. Because, after all, other people must have in order to post in their ramblings about it.
Still… it looked a little…scary. So we went in. When you enter there is a little general store-with-lots-of-fireworks-type-place that looks a little tired. A nice older gentlemen said hello and we asked for tickets to cowboy town ($7 a head, but it looked like they could use the funding,) I felt better when I saw a poster up by the cash register - that represented a political position that I share, but am hesitant to write here.
The gentlemen explained that the tour started in the gift shop, where two of the displays required quarters. There were the only coin op ones, so he took quarters and escorted us. The first was shabby but amusing.
The man was very nice and explained that there is a sweat lodge also on property (he pointed it out) where he ’allows’ the local Native Americans to come practice and walk the “Red Road“ - noting after all it was there land first, I noted the taxidermy jack-a-lope in the gift area.
Before we saw the next animated scene - a bar scene where a wooden legged man ‘dances’ as others play poker until a bad guy shoots the lights out - our elderly guide told us that given the expense and the number of mannequins in the town, they’d never be able to afford it now. They got a deal a long time ago. And it was pretty clear the mannequins were not recent.
We left the building to walk up the path to cowboy town, Funny we were the only people there - the entire time. Town consisted of some old tombstones (allegedly real ones from Ripley’s). A lot about Lincoln - who at least for Cowboy Town is a local hero for things such as Land grants, and of course the ‘normal’ cowboy town things: a saloon, a doctor’s office, gold mine, opera house, stable, sheriff’s office. Each of these consisted of a very tired wooden building, where three steps in you could press a button and watch a very scary mannequin’s mouth move while you heard the tale. Lincoln was the scariest - this Lincoln was NOT a vampire slayer - clearly he was a zombie.
About half way thru the smell of old dust and the frightening mannequins became a little overwhelming., But I’m still glad we went. On the way out we had the obligatory - where ya from conversation and long story a little shorter, turned out the older gentlemen has relatives in Plattsburgh, NY. Small world.
Heading further West, our next destination was Porter’s Sculptures. We didn’t realize we were seeing it when suddenly a large bull’s head appeared on the horizon. We HAD to investigate that - but it turned out it and our next destination were one and the same.
The Sculpture garden. I’m posting the pictures - after all they are worth 1000 words right?
The sculpture man was a character, perhaps I don’t need to mention that? While there one of those great little chipmunks came up to drink from the dog’s water dish. We asked him about the little guys, he told us that they were “13 striped spotted ground hog squirrels”. But he was a very nice man, even if he was a little crazy. And he knew about the other crazy sculpture guy (who’s name I can’t remember right now) whom we saw in Wis. I found it both wonderful and a frightening that he nade this obscure reference and we had been there… and here we were in another field of sculpture… How utterly cool AND extremely weird.
As we continued on our path west the landscape started to shift. Sometimes less flat, with interesting lumpy hills. The corn isn’t as high here, and the fields of it far less green. At this point it started to be a real mix of corn, hay and cows. Black Angus - not the good ol’ NE Holstein. I’ve not seen one Holstein out here and at this point, we’ve seen a fair amount of cows. (And baby buffalo at Cowboy Town.)
Still heading West our next stop was the Corn Palace, where we ate a corn dog and corn on the cob for lunch! M’s first corn dog ever. I’ve suggested it should also be his last as it was the lightest, fluffiest corn dog I’ve ever had/seen and I’m sure he won’t like the others that are, shall we say, more traditional?
The corn palace is pretty cool though = in a weird sort of way, They take the out side the town’s auditorium and on large sheets of plywood make a mural out of corn and husks. They been doing it for over a 100 years and they’re pretty impressive.
Driving another hour down the road we went into a town called Chamberlin. The landscape growing more hilly, this town was on the Missouri river and is the first place here I thought, I could actually be here - landscape wise.
I’m really loving the big sky. The view in all directions of farm or ranch land is impressive. It is humbling. I thought today - there are different kinds of nothing. We’ve seen several on this trip. This thought also prompted the realization that if one can say there are different kinds of nothing, then it’s not nothing, it’s something else. Nature I suppose is the obvious answer, but somehow it’s more than that.
In Chamberlin we stopped at a delightful quilt shop and had a nice conversation with one of the owners. We then went up the road hoping to visit the Lakota museum, but they are under construction and had no power - hence they were closed. That was unfortunate, but it was nice to see them expanding and prosperous.
We then decided to take the long way back to the highway and headed north along the Missouri and into the Crow Reservation. Clearly here was more hilly and much more ranch than farm - not so much corn but hay.
I expected a sign - entering Reservation or something, but there was nothing. There was poverty though. Not quite as striking as you imagine when you hear stories, but then this is also a small reservation not far from the highway and other “non rural” areas such as it is out here. Still, this is not to imply it was in anyway … upscale? At our major intersection in town - there was the convenience store / gas station, a couple of metal buildings housing some social services and a grocery store, and a casino.
The Missouri is gorgeous though.
At this point the green is almost gone, the land is gold. There are miles of fields with hay bales scattered like we have trees. There are few trees here, isolated ones or a little clump standing about like school girls. Mostly there’s fields, gold, the remnants of cut hay.
We had a great meal tonight at a 1960’s diner - no, not 50’s the kind they recreate for nostalgia. This was the real deal - nothing changed since the 60’s but it was good. My buffalo burger tasted like the hamburgers of my youth and the pie was real - as was the lemon aid. Tomorrow we’ll continue West! Badlands here we come.
During my sporadic sleeping last night, I learned a bit more about Sioux Falls. (I like watching local cable access.) So in the wee hours I learned that SF is trying to develop it’s water front much like San Antonio has. The waterfront walk is almost all completed with spots where stairs go down to the water so visitors can touch the water.
Having spent the day in SD I understand why this could be an attraction, but the Northerner in me screams liability. We saw the walk way in our travels thru town, but I hadn’t actually got close enough to realize the stairs went down to the water. I was also distracted. As the river walk is done, but the other projects (large hotels, shops, major arena space) are not. As a result, if you view the project from one side of the river it looks pretty neat, But if you stand on the walk way and look at the opposite bank - you see empty lots, abandoned buildings, etc.
I was pleased to know all of this is in progress and according to the mayor they have money, etc, I wish them well and I hope it works for them. They are a town that is truly trying - sponsoring various festivals, they have a town funded band, all the sculpture down town. Who knows, maybe SF is the next hot spot?
Still, I was not sorry to leave them this morning. Today was one of our more usual days. The kind filled with adventure and weirdness that you all have come to expect from us. After getting coffee at a local place - Coffeea - we headed West and about 5 miles out of town stopped at Cowboy Town.
Cowboy Town was one of those places I found online listing the very odd places one should stop. It’s claim to fame being an old west town with animatronics - I.e. manikins that tell stories, You know, I could not resist that.
Upon arrival, I did have some hesitation. It didn’t really look like the place you wanted to walk into, On the other hand it was listed online - this did not assure me it was worth anything, but it did make me think at least we’d walk out of it. Because, after all, other people must have in order to post in their ramblings about it.
Still… it looked a little…scary. So we went in. When you enter there is a little general store-with-lots-of-fireworks-type-place that looks a little tired. A nice older gentlemen said hello and we asked for tickets to cowboy town ($7 a head, but it looked like they could use the funding,) I felt better when I saw a poster up by the cash register - that represented a political position that I share, but am hesitant to write here.
The gentlemen explained that the tour started in the gift shop, where two of the displays required quarters. There were the only coin op ones, so he took quarters and escorted us. The first was shabby but amusing.
The man was very nice and explained that there is a sweat lodge also on property (he pointed it out) where he ’allows’ the local Native Americans to come practice and walk the “Red Road“ - noting after all it was there land first, I noted the taxidermy jack-a-lope in the gift area.
Before we saw the next animated scene - a bar scene where a wooden legged man ‘dances’ as others play poker until a bad guy shoots the lights out - our elderly guide told us that given the expense and the number of mannequins in the town, they’d never be able to afford it now. They got a deal a long time ago. And it was pretty clear the mannequins were not recent.
We left the building to walk up the path to cowboy town, Funny we were the only people there - the entire time. Town consisted of some old tombstones (allegedly real ones from Ripley’s). A lot about Lincoln - who at least for Cowboy Town is a local hero for things such as Land grants, and of course the ‘normal’ cowboy town things: a saloon, a doctor’s office, gold mine, opera house, stable, sheriff’s office. Each of these consisted of a very tired wooden building, where three steps in you could press a button and watch a very scary mannequin’s mouth move while you heard the tale. Lincoln was the scariest - this Lincoln was NOT a vampire slayer - clearly he was a zombie.
About half way thru the smell of old dust and the frightening mannequins became a little overwhelming., But I’m still glad we went. On the way out we had the obligatory - where ya from conversation and long story a little shorter, turned out the older gentlemen has relatives in Plattsburgh, NY. Small world.
Heading further West, our next destination was Porter’s Sculptures. We didn’t realize we were seeing it when suddenly a large bull’s head appeared on the horizon. We HAD to investigate that - but it turned out it and our next destination were one and the same.
The Sculpture garden. I’m posting the pictures - after all they are worth 1000 words right?
The sculpture man was a character, perhaps I don’t need to mention that? While there one of those great little chipmunks came up to drink from the dog’s water dish. We asked him about the little guys, he told us that they were “13 striped spotted ground hog squirrels”. But he was a very nice man, even if he was a little crazy. And he knew about the other crazy sculpture guy (who’s name I can’t remember right now) whom we saw in Wis. I found it both wonderful and a frightening that he nade this obscure reference and we had been there… and here we were in another field of sculpture… How utterly cool AND extremely weird.
As we continued on our path west the landscape started to shift. Sometimes less flat, with interesting lumpy hills. The corn isn’t as high here, and the fields of it far less green. At this point it started to be a real mix of corn, hay and cows. Black Angus - not the good ol’ NE Holstein. I’ve not seen one Holstein out here and at this point, we’ve seen a fair amount of cows. (And baby buffalo at Cowboy Town.)
Still heading West our next stop was the Corn Palace, where we ate a corn dog and corn on the cob for lunch! M’s first corn dog ever. I’ve suggested it should also be his last as it was the lightest, fluffiest corn dog I’ve ever had/seen and I’m sure he won’t like the others that are, shall we say, more traditional?
The corn palace is pretty cool though = in a weird sort of way, They take the out side the town’s auditorium and on large sheets of plywood make a mural out of corn and husks. They been doing it for over a 100 years and they’re pretty impressive.
Driving another hour down the road we went into a town called Chamberlin. The landscape growing more hilly, this town was on the Missouri river and is the first place here I thought, I could actually be here - landscape wise.
I’m really loving the big sky. The view in all directions of farm or ranch land is impressive. It is humbling. I thought today - there are different kinds of nothing. We’ve seen several on this trip. This thought also prompted the realization that if one can say there are different kinds of nothing, then it’s not nothing, it’s something else. Nature I suppose is the obvious answer, but somehow it’s more than that.
In Chamberlin we stopped at a delightful quilt shop and had a nice conversation with one of the owners. We then went up the road hoping to visit the Lakota museum, but they are under construction and had no power - hence they were closed. That was unfortunate, but it was nice to see them expanding and prosperous.
We then decided to take the long way back to the highway and headed north along the Missouri and into the Crow Reservation. Clearly here was more hilly and much more ranch than farm - not so much corn but hay.
I expected a sign - entering Reservation or something, but there was nothing. There was poverty though. Not quite as striking as you imagine when you hear stories, but then this is also a small reservation not far from the highway and other “non rural” areas such as it is out here. Still, this is not to imply it was in anyway … upscale? At our major intersection in town - there was the convenience store / gas station, a couple of metal buildings housing some social services and a grocery store, and a casino.
The Missouri is gorgeous though.
At this point the green is almost gone, the land is gold. There are miles of fields with hay bales scattered like we have trees. There are few trees here, isolated ones or a little clump standing about like school girls. Mostly there’s fields, gold, the remnants of cut hay.
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You darn near tuckered me out! I'm really looking forward to the Badlands cause, well, they're bad!
ReplyDeleteYou are so brave! I never would have even attempted the mannequins. Lincoln was scary!!!
ReplyDeleteOh, that Lincoln is more than a zombie! You sure it's not the real thing? oh, that's what a zombie is, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteLOL