Thursday, June 30, 2022

June 28th, 2022 - 1880 TOWN (Quick stop on our journey.)


View from the 2nd floor of this two story saloon, that was once a bank from late 1800's, transformed into a saloon for 1880 town. 
We stopped in the saloon for a sasparilla and orange cream sodas. 
WANTED - The Wìld Bunch. 
A new Sheriff in town! 
Stella and Foster found a new friend, a baby kitten. 

South Dakota's Original 1880 TOWN has more than 30 buildings from the 1880 to 1920 era, authentically furnished with thousands of relics, historical accounts and photographs.

Set props from the movie - Dances with Wolves on display. 
Spur of the moment stop on our travel day turned out to be a fun and enjoyable experience! 

TWO WEEKS IN (our trip) - June 28th, 2022

This statue was gifted to the State in 2016, in honor of the 125th anniversary of South Dakota statehood. The statue measures 50 feet high, and 32 feet wide. The star quilt held by the woman has more than 100 blue diamond shapes that move in the wind "like an Aspen leaf".
Nice view of the Missouri River from the rest stop!
DIGNITY - is a scuplture on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River near Chamberlain, South Dakota. The 50-foot high, stainless steel statue by South Dakota artist laureate Dale Claude Lamphere depicts an Indigenois woman receiving a star quilt. 
Quick rest stop on the highway was a special treat. 

Wednesday, June 29, 2022

Harvest Host - June 27th DIAMOND A RANCH.

Horses burning off some energy in the evening. Nice stay at this location. Next stop Hill City, South Dakota. 
Had to show and explain to Foster what the  dunce hat meant. 
Stella and Foster checking out the one room school house. 
Our spot was next to an old school house and the horse run. 
One night stop at Diamond A Cattle Company. Had 50 amp service which was nice.

Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village - June 27th, 2022

The discovery of food processing tools and carbonized seeds suggest that these natives were growing much of their food.
The Boehnen Memorial Museum features a reconstructed lodge and many of the artifacts found at the site
Active dig site.
Stella and Foster successfully found plastic arrowheads in the dig site (below) that they were able to trade in for real arrowheads. 
Located on the shores of Lake Mitchell, the Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village is a 1,000 year-old Native American village and the only archaeological site in South Dakota that is open to the public. Guests can watch as archaeologists uncover artifacts in the comfort of the Thomsen Center Archeodome and tour the Boehnen Memorial Museum to see the reconstructed lodge and many of the 1.5 million artifacts.

Sunday, June 26, 2022

June 26th - South Dakota - Porter Sculpture Pzrk (Harvest Host)


The largest sculpture in the park is a 60-foot-tall (18 m) bull head. This sculpture took three years to build, weighs 25 tons, and is equal in size to one of the heads on Mount Rushmore 
"Magic Dragon" 1983 - This was Wayne's first large sculpture that sat outside his Dad's blacksmith shop 110 miles from where it currently sits. 
This horse took Wayne the longest to complete. 
Every sculpture in the park was made by Sculptor, Wayne Porter.
Ahhhh.....
As you can see our rig overlooks the sculptures just below us. Very cool to see from the spot we set up! 
This was a fun stop for our one night stay! 
Awesome views of the art right next to our rig. 
Porter Sculpture Park is located just off interstate 90 in Montrose, South Dakota (about 25 miles west of Sioux Falls, only 1/4 of a mile off of the interstate. There are over 50 sculptures in the Park which is situated on 10 acres. Many of the sculptures, in the style of industrial art, were made with scrap metal, old farm equipment, or railroad tie plates. 
We drove 231 miles from Owantana, Minnesota to Montrose, South Dakota to Porter Sculpture Park for our one night stop.