Sioux Falls, SD - South Dakotans

Today we became South Dakotans. Not that we wanted to since we’ve been Iowans for at least 39 of our 66 years and like Iowa. However, South Dakota has the facilities for full-time RV’ers. Other states do also but South Dakota is right on the way back to Iowa. But, we’re not all about sentimentality, as the former statement might imply: South Dakota also has cheaper insurance rates that some of the other states that we might choose. We awoke to the symphony of the road: jake brakes, commuter jet engines, motorcycles and cars in stereo and 1 hour earlier than we had planned. Who forgot to reset her alarm?

But we had an early start and by 2:00 we accomplished all that we had come to accomplish: we had new drivers licenses, new car and new RV license plates and were registered to vote.We are now South Dakotans and, as South Dakotans, we are going to spend what little time we have left here exploring this fine city.

I do believe that there is lots here to explore here. Museums, a sculpture walk through downtown, a 26-mile trail circling the city and a beautiful park called Falls Park. We squeezed in 3 out of the 4, we walked the sculpture walk,

(I’ll bet you didn’t know that Michaelangelo’s David was here, did you?) we visited Falls Park and we walked 5 miles along their trail. There also is lots of construction: bridges, highways, buildings, sidewalks, trails, etc. Everywhere we turned, there were orange traffic cones, tall cranes and barriers. I have never seen so much construction in such a concentrated area.

But back to Falls Park. It’s a beautiful park in downtown Sioux Falls. In fact, this was the beginning of the city since the water cascading over the falls provided the power for early industry. There’s a marvelous observations tower which is not only fun to climb (remember, we’re in training for the Grand Canyon and need to get all the climbing we can), the remnants of an old grain mill built near the falls, but I loved all the Sioux Quartzite tinged shades of red and pink from the iron oxide in it. Stone outcroppings popped up throughout the park, surrounded by green grass (it’s been a rainy year in Sioux Falls and the grass looks lush, in contrast to the drought we’ve had in Iowa.)

But the falls were the highlight. I couldn’t count all the falls in this section of the river, big ones, small ones, tall ones, short ones, but all rushing downstream over the hard reddish quartzite, shining it to a smooth finish. The shimmer of the water in the sun was almost blinding.

Here’s the 1st floor ruins of the 8-story mill which was in use for 2 years but closed because the supplies of water and wheat were both erratic.

Here’s one of the sculptures at the entrance to the park.

Back to the RV for another late dinner but a very nice day.