Althouse: South Dakota.

August 27, 2012

South Dakota.

The video....

16 comments:

caplight45 said...: twenty-two teens from my church spent a week at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota a few weeks ago. I was going to surprise them after I left Wisconsin but had a death that I had to attend to. Still haven't made it to the Dakotas.; 8/27/12, 9:56 PM
edutcher said...: The Blonde loved the Badlands when she was there, but she has 2 pieces of advice:

1. Don't open the door to get a better look at the buffalo. The buffalo may want a better look at you, too.

2. The prairie dogs will happily share your goldfish with you.

PS Should have looped in the main title to "The Big Country" on the intro.; 8/27/12, 10:06 PM
Richard Dolan said...: Big country, so varied it's hard to see it as one nation.; 8/27/12, 10:06 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "The prairie dogs will happily share your goldfish with you."

1. You're not supposed to feed the animals in the national parks.

2. Prairie dogs carry bubonic plague.; 8/27/12, 10:14 PM
edutcher said...: That may be, but it's one of her fondest memories.; 8/27/12, 10:19 PM
Mark Nielsen said...: In my family, a child gets to choose the summer vacation destination on the year they graduate from high school. The two oldest (both boys) chose Banff and Vegas, respectively -- you can see we have some contrasting personalities.

It was my oldest daughter's turn this year, and she chose Badlands (because she loved it so much when we passed through there about five years ago). So we were at those places in the video earlier this summer -- I recognize every spot. It is really a remarkable place, with an enchantment that can only be felt by being there.

Western South Dakota is, like the northwest corner of Wyoming, one of those places that God did a little extra work on.; 8/27/12, 10:43 PM
jimdooger said...: What were General George Custer's last words at the Battle of the Little Big Horn?

"Thank God I don't have to go back home through South Dakota"; 8/28/12, 12:13 AM
Lewis Wetzel said...: When I was a much younger person (back in the 80's),I traveled through South Dakota with a couple of buddies. We were all on motorcycles.
That is one heck of a long state with not much in it. We started from Minneapolis at 7AM and pulled into Sturges at 11PM. Took 212 the whole way. Lots of reservations. Stopped for lunch in some res town called Eagle Butte or Mud Butte. We were the only non-Indians in the diner. It was actually quite a friendly atmosphere.
While we ate our burgers the res cop zipped back & forth on Main Street busting the cruisers in their hot rod cars and motorcycles.
For dinner we stopped at an A&W somewhere off the res near the Missouri river. The A&W was full of whites. Looked like a Romney family photo. Then back on the road again. Rain set in and of course we had no helmets. Sun went down. Going 70 MPH on a motorcycle at night through heavy rain with no eye protection other than sunglasses is not fun. Especially when a truck hauling beehives passes you going the other way. We pulled into Sturges just before midnight and ate three pizzas (one each, to take the chill off) followed with couple of shots.
Then we hit a seedy hotel for the night. I think we were the first customers they had had since Eisenhower was in the White House.
Ah! Youth!; 8/28/12, 2:56 AM
OldSarg said...: Living here is not much different but, you see more views, climb the different hills, stumble upon the old ghost town, fly fish the un-fished streams and get lonely snow skiing and sleding on our uncrowded trails.

Makes ya miss states with a lot of people to share it with. . . :); 8/28/12, 5:23 AM
Scott said...: I didn't bring Jon with me, so I can't drive and take pics at the same time. :(

The camera I bought is a Lumix DMC-SZ02 at Walmart for $149.00. Smaller than my old Olympus, takes regular SD memory cards, has more pixels. And they redesigned the zoom control so it's not likely to snap off in my pocket. Yay.

Just taking family pics so far. Today, departing from my motel room in Hot Springs SD to visit more family on the rez, and maybe gamble a little if there are blackjack tables open on a Tuesday morning. :); 8/28/12, 8:28 AM
JBRDDS said...: You missed Spearfish Canyon . . . love living here!; 8/28/12, 8:30 AM
rhhardin said...: Ohio; 8/28/12, 9:11 AM
edutcher said...: Ann Althouse said...

The prairie dogs will happily share your goldfish with you.

1. You're not supposed to feed the animals in the national parks.

2. Prairie dogs carry bubonic plague.

Talked to The Blonde about this.

Back when she was there, no prohibitions, no signs; also, she didn't get close enough to them to be in that kind of danger ("I've worked Communicable Disease and I've had exposure to plague").; 8/28/12, 10:52 AM
SeanF said...: Lived in Sioux Falls my whole life (so far, anyway) - We took family vacations to the Black Hills almost every year. That video makes me nostalgic.

OldSarg: Makes ya miss states with a lot of people to share it with. . . :)

No, no, it doesn't :); 8/28/12, 2:13 PM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 8/28/12, 4:20 PM
Anonymous said...: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=474682899208657&set=a.474682855875328.116502.100000008531608&type=3&theater

My buddy from the badlands...; 8/28/12, 4:20 PM