We moved West into South Dakota last night. Just barely across the Big Sioux River that divides Iowa and South Dakota, however. Such a difference there has been between Illinois and this corner of Iowa and South Dakota. In Illinois the corn was seven foot tall and tastling. Over here the corn is perhaps 15 inches tall and it is a week later. The local newspaper talks about the terrible season the farmers are having. They have had an extra six inches of rain in June. (We believe it) Many farmers have replanted once or twice because the crop is rotting in the soil it is so wet. Last night is the first time all week that we did not get rained on. We stopped of in Forest City and toured our fourth Motorhome Factory. This time it was the Winnebago factory. We are developing a strong bias toward the Alpine Coach, but we still have to find that super deal.

We are finding that this is a rather flat part of the country. Last night, however, we went for a ride around the Newton Hills State Park, and soon found ourselves at the bottom of a substantial hill. Judy and I are able to ride up a 12 percent hill in short stages, We didn’t even try this hill. We walked. So we can verify that even in the flat areas there can be deep woods and steep hills. The state park was beautiful. All across Iowa we were watching the shoulders for their riding potential. Almost without fail the shoulders are gravel and the pavement ends at the fog line. Not a fun place to ride. Now this morning in South Dakota as we close in on Sioux Falls it is heartening to note that the shoulders of the secondary road we are on are paved and about 6 feet wide.

Didn’t get this sent on Friday, so you get a Saturday report also. We are headed for the South Dakota badlands. This last 24 hours are some of those times you dread, but you live through them. First we are finding that the hardest time for full timers is the summer weekends. That is because it is much harder to find a place to stay. On Sunday through Thursday, you just get to your chosen campground by five and wander around for twenty minutes choosing the perfect space. Just close enough to the showers, water spigot close by and on the side away from traffic. Is it shady, protected from winds and flat enough for the tent. Well last night we were able to pick between the last two unreserved sites. Based on the ranger’s recommendation, we chose site 73. It had a beautiful view of the Missouri River, actually Lake Francis Case. The water was about a mile wide, and the wind was coming right up the river blowing about 15 mph. We nailed the tent down good on a substantial side-hill, and set up our awning tent to break the wind, and tied it to trees and the fire ring. With darkness the wind slacked off and we expected the best. We got in a nice thirty minute snooze, and the wind came back and increased to probably 20 mph with higher gusts. On the Southwest horizon we could see an approaching lightning storm. The awning was walking around on two legs, held in place by the ropes. We got up and pulled it down. The wind finally subsided around three A.M. and we were able to finish our nap. The storm slipped by to our south so we were saved from the drenching.

We got a good start this morning, (Saturday, July 10th). We were on the road by about eight A.M. We stopped for groceries in Winner, South Dakota. Twelve miles further we experienced a rapid loss of pressure in the left rear tire. We were able to get off the road in a farmer field access. We unpacked the trunk and put on the spare. Back to Winner to buy a new shoe for Little Blue. The good news is that three people stopped to see if we needed help. There are not very many people per square mile in this corner of South Dakota, but they all seem to be friendly and helpful.

We are back on the road and headed to Interior, South Dakota. Tonight we have reservations. Perhaps this will be an uneventful evening.