Detour into the Dakotas

We decided that we'll probably never be back this way again so we'll detour down to Mount Rushmore. We headed south on hwy 39 passing green wheat and blue flax fields. Later it will be golden wheat. Saskatchewan had been called the heartland of Canada. It leads the world in the export of 'pulse crops', lentils, chickpeas, peas as well as faba, dry and soy beans. This is 14% of their agriculture. We follow the CPRail and Soo Line through Drinkwater, Yellow Grass and Goodwater. Talk about naming towns years ago. Stopped for lunch at Wheyburn, parked behind a guy hauling a truck load of pigs. He got out and actually went along the side of the truck and talked to them. I got out later to check the car and nearly asphyxiated!!! Whew. Here we intersected the Red Coat Trail where the North West Mounted Police marched west to Fort Whoop Up near Lethbridge AB. The Prime Minister, John A. MacDonald started this National Police Force to bring Law and Order to the west in settling the land.
We crossed into North Dakota at 1 p.m., at Fortuna, no town at all. It is a vast land, going forever with sky a mile high. There are fields of wheat, barley, oats and sunflowers lining the highway. We can't believe Sask or here. All the side roads going to small towns are plain gravel. No pavement. The most familiar sight is the grain elevator with grain cars waiting on the train track. The American Indian culture and historical sites are preserved everywhere. You could stop every mile to see something of interest. Just 186 miles east of here is Rugby, the geographical center of North America. We keep being passed by bikers, little did we know that this weekend is the famous bikers weekend at Sturgis. We're in the area of Lewis and Clark's exploration of 1804 where the Indian woman, Sakakawea joined them and helped bring success to their travels. Stopped at Williston where Hwy 2 and 85 join for overnight at the Prairie Acres RV park, time to dump and refill water.