A quick note before starting this post. I have not reached the limit of my cellphone service so post will be more infrequent. So I'll be at the mercy of local wifi. Connor's phone still works so I'll try to make a short post here in there, but photos will take a little more time.
I'm currently writing this at Pier 347 in Pierre, SD. We just made the journey from Mitchell, SD home of the Corn Palace. A giant building covered in murals made of corn. It was kind of interesting. Last night was very relaxing. We camped for the night at Lake Mitchell. Our camp ground was right on the coast of the small lake. I was able to forage for some dry wood and built a nice fire to keep us warm. As we've moved north the temperatures have dropped. The only downside to the camp site was there wasn't any flat ground to pitch a tent. This left us with a gentle slope inside. Combine that with a nylon sleeping bad and pad and you've got yourself a slip and slide. It made the sleeping experience interesting. We also had about a half inch of rainfall while we slept. None of it made it's way into the tent.
We also had our first canoeing experience in Yunkton on Lake Yunkton. The weather was perfect and we were able to see some unique wildlife. Check the pictures below to see some examples. We also got some footage with the GoPro, but it will take a day or two for me to skim the footage and edit it down. I'll try and do that tonight.
We've been spending a lot of time on the road and I can't help by notice the impact that Lewis and Clark have left on the region. Every five or so minutes we've been reminded of their journey. Every city has a Lewis and Clark road, school, bridge, stores and lakes. It's kind of impressive to think about their legacy and importance to the growing nation. Now the we are in Pierre we're going to break from their route and head to the Badlands. I'll almost feel sad to lose their presence on the trip.
Tonight we are planning on setting up camp at Fort Pierre National Grasslands. Tonight might be my first night to experience an unpolluted night sky and see an open star field. The only thing that might hinder the view is the almost full moon.
In general the scenery has been fantastic. Today everything opened up as we entered big sky territory. It's nothing by long straight roads, lush green rolling grasslands and big open sky. There are time when you can see for at least 15 miles or more. It's an experience I've only been able to achieve while on a plane.
I'm currently writing this at Pier 347 in Pierre, SD. We just made the journey from Mitchell, SD home of the Corn Palace. A giant building covered in murals made of corn. It was kind of interesting. Last night was very relaxing. We camped for the night at Lake Mitchell. Our camp ground was right on the coast of the small lake. I was able to forage for some dry wood and built a nice fire to keep us warm. As we've moved north the temperatures have dropped. The only downside to the camp site was there wasn't any flat ground to pitch a tent. This left us with a gentle slope inside. Combine that with a nylon sleeping bad and pad and you've got yourself a slip and slide. It made the sleeping experience interesting. We also had about a half inch of rainfall while we slept. None of it made it's way into the tent.
We also had our first canoeing experience in Yunkton on Lake Yunkton. The weather was perfect and we were able to see some unique wildlife. Check the pictures below to see some examples. We also got some footage with the GoPro, but it will take a day or two for me to skim the footage and edit it down. I'll try and do that tonight.
We've been spending a lot of time on the road and I can't help by notice the impact that Lewis and Clark have left on the region. Every five or so minutes we've been reminded of their journey. Every city has a Lewis and Clark road, school, bridge, stores and lakes. It's kind of impressive to think about their legacy and importance to the growing nation. Now the we are in Pierre we're going to break from their route and head to the Badlands. I'll almost feel sad to lose their presence on the trip.
Tonight we are planning on setting up camp at Fort Pierre National Grasslands. Tonight might be my first night to experience an unpolluted night sky and see an open star field. The only thing that might hinder the view is the almost full moon.
In general the scenery has been fantastic. Today everything opened up as we entered big sky territory. It's nothing by long straight roads, lush green rolling grasslands and big open sky. There are time when you can see for at least 15 miles or more. It's an experience I've only been able to achieve while on a plane.