Today was an early start - I was meeting Kate in Rapid City and I wanted to get there as close to her flight arrival time as I could. There were a few stops I wanted to make along the way today, so I was fueled up and on the road by 0600. It was still pretty dark leaving Yankton, and as I traveled north I got to see the moon setting to the west as the sun was rising in the east - pretty neat.
About halfway between Yankton and Mitchell, I came across the first kitsch of the day. This big chicken next to a liquor store. no idea why it is there, but it was worth a photo.
The next stop was in Mitchel, South Dakota the World's Only Corn Palace. It wasn't open at the time, so I couldn't go in, but I got a few photos while walking around. All of the murals on the outside of the building are made from corn - cobs, husks, etc.
As I was leaving Mitchell, I saw this guy hanging out in front of a hotel - had to stop for a photo,
If you have never seen one of these, it is called a Jackalope - and I may need one. After the photo op, I turned and headed west - on the dreaded interstate. I have tried to avoid the interstates as much as possible on this trip, but going across South Dakota, there isn't really too much of an alternative... I also needed to cover some miles efficiently today. On I-90 in South Dakota, you can certainly do that; the speed limit on the interstate is 80 mph (128 kph)! I set the cruise control and plowed through the miles.
The next stop was to see the Dignity Statue on the bluff high above the Missouri River. This was well worth the stop - the statue is beautiful.
From here it was straight to the airport in Rapid City (still a few hours away). More interstate with not a whole lot to see but rolling hills and farmland. I was still seeing corn, but the soybeans had been replaced with sunflowers - as far as the eye could see. I didn't feel like stopping on the side of the interstate for a photo would be the safest thing, so you'll just have to take my word for it - pretty cool.
I got to the airport at almost the exact time Kate's flight landed. She got on the plane in Raleigh about the time I was leaving this morning. I thought it was neat that we arrived at the exact same time.
Kate got the rental car sorted (which took waaaaayyyy too long - one dirty, one damaged and with expired tags - Enterprise sucks) and get checked into the AirBnB, while I took the bike to drop at the local KTM dealer to get some new tires. Kate swung by to pick up me and the luggage, then off to find some food and drink. Firehouse Brewing was a fine choice! If you are ever in Rapid City, check them out!
The last stop of the day was Dinosaur Park, which sits at the top of a hill that overlooks the entire town. The last time I was here I was 6 years old - so Kate and I tried to re-create some of the photos taken here in 1976. We'll have to come back when the light is a bit better and try some of these again.
Even with all of the interstate miles, today was still a good day of riding with a huge bonus at the end!
Miles today - 376
Miles total - 1914
No new States today.
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