Sunday, June 2, 2024
Today, we broke camp and drove back through Badlands National Park, then crossed I-90 hoping to visit the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site located just on the other side of the interstate. Jane was looking forward to sticking her head into a missile silo, however, it was Sunday morning and the site was closed (duh!). So, we turned around and started our day’s 270-mile slog eastward across South Dakota on I-90.
Minuteman Missile National Historic Site
The route was long and as we progressed, the winds across the plains increased so that it was tiring keeping the RV between the lines as we swayed along. We crossed the wide Missouri River enroute.
—— Along I-90 East ——
After crossing most of the state, we finally exited I-90 and drove less than a mile to Sioux Falls KOA Journey. Our back-in full-hook-ups site had a patio with a gas grill so we grilled some meatless burgers and enjoyed a nice meal at our motorhome’s dinette cooled by a refreshing breeze.
After our early dinner, we drove the toad downton to Falls Park along Big Sioux River. Although Sioux Falls is South Dakota’s most populous city (2K+ inhabitants), traffic was light on this Sunday evening. After parking the car, we started our tour by taking an elevator to the top of a tower for a panaromic view of the 128-acre park and the city’s namesake falls. We then walked around the park viewing the falls, which drop about 100 feet, from different perspectives. At one overlook, a couple of local men arrived on e-bikes and reminisced about how the falls have changed. As boys, they had floated through downtown and down the falls. Now, the public is not allowed to swim in the river, and due to nearby waterfront constuction, the water level has intentionally been lowered. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the views of the falls and our relaxing stroll around the attractive park.
—— Falls Park ——
Afterwards, in search of a grocery store, the GPS took us through downtown not far from the waterfront. Jane bought a few items in a Sunshine Grocery before we headed back to our motorhome where we witnessed a nice campground sunset.
Downtown Souix Falls
Sunset at the Campground