South Dakota and Minnesota - STR-2021-38
Wednesday, 22 September
After saying our goodbyes to the caravan group, we headed east to Falls Park, Sioux Falls, IA to ride the 20-mile Sioux Falls Loop bike trail.
The trail was very nice, despite having to detour on a gravel section due to repairs on one of the levees. When we got back to Falls Park, we spent some time enjoying the waterfalls in Falls Park.
While we were enjoying the waterfalls, the park staff was winterizing the sprinkler system. And when they opened up one of the zones, a slug of high pressure water came flying out right at Darrell's head. It took quick reaction to keep from getting blasted by a big slug of water. Nearby witnesses seemed impressed.
After the bike ride, we went to Good Earth State Park located on the Big Sioux River southeast of Sioux Falls. Good Earth State Park site is one of the oldest sites of long-term human habitation in the United States. In the early 1600s, they estimate over 5,000 people lived here - compared to around 2,000 in Boston and 1,000 in New York at the time.
The river, abundant wildlife, fertile flood plains, availability of pipestone (catlinite) and protection from winds made the area an important gathering place for seasonal ceremonies and a significant trading center for many tribal peoples from 1300-1700 A.D. During this time, occupants were primarily Oneota Tradition Peoples, including Omaha, Ponca, Ioway and Otoe, but many other tribes were attracted and participated in trading agricultural product as well as hides, pelts and pipestone (catlinite).
The occupants moved on before white settlers came to the area. The specific reason for abandoning the area is not known - the likely cause seems to be disease.
One of the more interesting exhibits was about pipestone. Millions of years ago in the Pipestone, Minnesota area, heat and pressure combined to transform a seam of mud into a reddish stone. Called pipestone, it is soft enough to be carved with simple handtools. Pipestone is usually found beneath layers of Sioux Quartzite. For 3,000 years, regional tribes have quarried pipestone to create sacred artifacts.
Sprinty spent the night at Split Rock Creek State Park in Jasper, MN. In true Sprinty style, he just showed up, looked for a vacant site, then booked it online. The campground was nearly empty - out of 28 sites, there were only two other campers plus the host.
Thursday, 23 September
With Sprinty's night in Minnesota, he earned another sticker for the map - his 43rd state since February 2017.
Our first stop of the day was Pipestone National Monument, just northeast of Sioux Falls. For countless generations, American Indians have quarried the red pipestone found at this site. These grounds are sacred to many people because the pipestone quarried here is carved into pipes used for prayer. Many believe that the pipe's smoke carries one's prayer to the Great Spirit.
For centuries, tribes across North America traveled to this site to quarry red pipestone for making pipes and effigies. Today, they still travel long distances to quarry this sacred stone, a valuable spiritual resource, and continue the tradition of pipemaking.
Along the trail, we saw former quarry pits,
Then off to play golf at the Tyler Golf Club in Tyler, MN. When we arrived, there were only a couple of cars in the parking lot. We got to go right off, and pretty much had the course to ourselves. While we both were hitting good tee shots, it was our short game that came up short. Darrell managed to pick up a stroke here and there to lead at the turn. Darrell's shots started to wander on the back nine, and Kris started picking up strokes to tie it up after 17 holes. Darrell managed to eek out honors on the final hole.
We managed to find a Starbucks in Marshall, MN, not too far out of the way. We turned east to cross southern Minnesota, driving past huge corn farms as we made our way to Sakatah Lake State Park Campground in Waterville, MN. Like last night, Sprinty just showed up, picked a vacant campsite, and then booked it online. While there were more campers in the campground than last night, there were still plenty of spots to choose from. The campground reviews on Campendium said it was a mosquito haven - and it was. We stayed closed up all evening.
Friday, 24 September
Our first stop of the day was at the National Eagle Center (nationaleaglecenter.org) in Wabasha-Kellogg, MN, about 90 miles east. Our route was on blue highways past corn field after corn field after corn field. And more corn fields. The further east we went, we started to see more dairy operations.
We started our visit at the Eagle Center in the room where there were three Ambassadors (eagles) were perched and a naturalist was answering questions.
All three of the bald eagles were rescued.
Columbia, an adult female bald eagle, hatched in 2001. She was injured in a vehicle collision that fractured her right shoulder. During treatment for her injuries, Columbia was found to have nearly twice the lethal dose of lead in her blood. Lead is extremely dangerous for eagles. Just a tiny amount of lead can be lethal in 4-5 days. Columbia was able to be treated for lead poisoning, but any damage already incurred would be irreversible.
Angel came to the National Eagle Center in 2000. She had been found on the ground with a broken wing near Grantsburg, WI in 1999. She was just a fledgling and had been surviving on scraps of fish from nearby herons' nests. It is believed she broke her wing leaving the nest too early.
Was'aka, hatched in 2006, arrived from Florida, where he was discovered as a fledgling with a tumor over his left eye. Even after surgery to remove the tumor, Was'aka remains blind in the left eye and is unable to hunt for himself (lacks depth perception).
The enclosure has windows looking out over the river to provide metal stimulation for the eagles. The naturalist talked about the amazing eyesight of the eagles - they could see a mouse out the window of the building on the other side of the Mississippi.
The Eagle Center is focused on educating people about raptors, especially eagles, and the risks from humans. The naturalist said eagles are found here in the winter because the river does not freeze and they can hunt for fish and other game. Fish, their primary food, are available where the turbulence below the dam keeps the water from freezing.
One of the displays also answered the question "Why is the Bald Eagle the National Emblem of the United States."
As we were leaving, a group arrived wearing Fantasy RV Tour name tags. They were part of the 34-day Mississippi River Road caravan that started a few days ago in Bemidji, MN. The Eagle Center was an optional stop enroute for them today.
After visiting the Eagle Center, we rechecked the weather for being able to ride bikes. The weather apps indicated the rain from the approaching front would not start until at 3:30.
We headed for Houston, MN to ride the 12.5 mile Houston to Rushford section of the 42-mile Root River State Trail. We started off at 12:30 headed upriver and into the wind. Within a couple of miles, we were already looking forward to the tailwind on the way back.
At the turnaround in Rushford about 1:40pm, we rechecked the weather apps - we still looked good for no rain until 3:30. As we headed back to Houston, the wind shifted to the north, making it more of a cross breeze than a tailwind. As we approached Houston about 3pm, it started to sprinkle. We packed up quickly and just as we pulled out of the parking lot, the skies opened up - so much for the 3:30 projection.
As we were planning the day last night, our just-show-up approach for getting a campsite for the night ran smack into the weekend and some research found that approach was not going to work for Friday and Saturday nights. So we faced the music and made reservations for the weekend.
Tonight, we camped at Blackhawk Park Campground located at the Corps of Engineers Pool 9 in De Soto, WI. We crossed into Wisconsin at La Crosse, turned south and had a rainy drive along the Mississippi River. Pulling into our campsite, our neighbor looked familiar - a Lance pickup camper on a red pickup truck. Somewhat like Darrell and Brenda's setup. Only a different model Lance (smaller), different make of truck (Ford instead of Dodge), and different campers. Still gave us quite a chuckle.
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