Made it to Minnesota, and Split Rock Creek State Park.
The park was again, about 15 miles from the closest town.
Checking with AccuWeather, they showed it was supposed
to rain the next 2 days. No surprise there!
I got a bit of a surprise when checking in, to find that the
cost of a tent site was $26 PLUS a $5 a day fee for your car.
I told the Ranger I was having bad luck with rain following me
across the U.S., and since they were calling for rain the next 2
days, I would only be staying one night.
She explained that they hadn't had rain in a good while, and if
it rained while I was there, she wanted me to stay a week or two.
I decided one day in Minnesota may be enough, although it was tempting
to stay a bit longer, only because of the nice little lake and the ease of
getting the kayak in to it.
I unloaded and put up my tent, unpacked the items I might need, and
headed towards town to see what may be available.
Pipestone National Monument was so close to town I decided to visit
while I was out.
I have a Senior Pass for all National Parks and Recreation Areas,
and when the female ranger asked to see I.D. to verify who I was,
she asked, "What part of Pennsylvania are you from?"
I explained and she told me she was from Scranton.
She works at this park during the summer, and heads back home for the winter.
That is quite the commute!!
Headed back to the campground, walked around the lake and explored,
and decided to call it a day around 9:00 pm central time.
Got comfy in my tent and watched a movie on my laptop (with headphones
since I can't hear the laptop speakers very well)
Around 10:30 the movie was over, I was tired, so off with the headphones
and some shut eye. That was the plan........
Someone was having a party. Yelling, laughing, and the F word being thrown
around like sailors on leave.
This continued until.... well, last I checked the time was 12:20.
Woke up around 8:00, made my coffee, and it started to rain.
It didn't last long, but the sky still looked menacing, so I decided
between the possible rain, and another night of inconsiderate campers,
it was time to pack up.
Shortly after crossing over in to South Dakota, I saw this off in the distance.
It was huge!!
Almost 4 hours later, I arrived in Oacoma, South Dakota. Pulled in to
where my GPS told me a campground was located, and saw what I thought
could be the camp office. The GPS was off by about half a mile, but I did
get an interesting photo. LOL
The first campsite had no tent sites with electricity, so I went to check another.
It didn't have electric either, so I phoned my travel agent, (thanks Jenn)
and found another nearby.
"Al's Oasis". Tent sites, RV, grocery, gas, dining, everything you could possibly
need and more. The tent site has electric, water AND wifi. Flush toilets, laundry
showers, and ice are all within a hundred yards.
Unfortunately, so is Interstate 90, and this being Sturgis week, I probably got
less sleep than the night before with the party going on. Harleys rumbling
throughout the camp all night, and between them and the trucks on the Interstate,
today will be a "cat napping" kind of day.
Went to take a shower and noticed this in the restroom/shower house.
They just don't tolerate unruly children in South Dakota!!
Headed to Badlands Interior Campground ( http://badlandsinteriorcampground.com/ )
Wednesday morning where I have a single room cabin reserved for a week at just slightly
more than I paid for tent sites the past 4 days. A full sized bed, bunk beds, AC and heat.
I'm willing to take on any boarders for free that want to join me for the week.
I plan on doing as much exploring as my knees will allow while there.
Hopefully I'll have some nice photo's to post.
OK, lunch time, and then a nap I think. More to come!!
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