I wanted to stay in Minnesota; I did not have the time I wanted to explore the area … plus, there are 10,000 lakes, no, actually 11,842 officially recognized by MN Department of Natural Resources … more if they count even the smaller bodies of water covering 2.5 acres. As I drove through Minnesota my neck craned to see if there were any birds … swans, great blue herons, ducks were obvious … was the red-headed woodpecker around? I will not know. Then the landscape changed as I went across about 40 miles of North Dakota corner and entered South Dakota. From that point to my destination was another 260 miles. What a mind-numbing drive today was! Fields of grain for miles and miles, an area with windmills, and very few towns of substantial size to break-up the monotony of today’s 450 mile drive. My concern was the speed we were all traveling. The speed limit was 80 mph which means many were traveling faster than that and when you see huge trucks barreling up right behind you it gets a bit crazy.
I started with a full tank of gas, filled up again before leaving MN and decided to get gas when in Sioux Falls, SD area … but drove right past the area! Yes, I need gas since I burned through plenty at 80mph! Definitely need it to get to my destination since stranded out on this highway would be no picnic. Decision, decision. Do I turn back ten miles or go forward and hope some small town ahead has a gas station? The yellow warning light had not lit yet, indicating gas needed soon, so I drove on. Twelve miles ahead I found a station and paid more per gallon; my own fault and did I say today was a mind-numbing drive? I meant it!
I arrived at my campsite at North Sioux City, South Dakota. To get here was an eight hour drive. The weather: no smoke, no rain … who could ask for more? It was a sunny 90 degrees. A strong wind was blowing so I put my stove on the tailgate of my car to boil up water for dinner with the car blocking some of the wind. My site is next to a teepee. I wonder if anyone is staying in it tonight. I would love to see the inside. Years ago when I worked at a Girl Scout camp in upstate NY we actually built a teepee. Quite the challenge! My dinner tonight was rice noodles, salmon and green peas. I am a fan of simple meals on the road. These campgrounds are truly interesting with our world of technology. I just received a text from campground staff letting me know I can order a pizza from them and they will deliver. They didn’t say ice cream was an option, so forget it!
