E 90 to Mitchell, S.D.

We fueled at Flying J at $2.52/gal D. You wouldn't believe the intersection into it. 10 lanes and you cross over the overpass on the diagonal. We’ve never seen so many bikers in our life and will never forget the steady hum of motorcycles on the freeway beside our campground. It’s been fun chatting with different folks from all over. We’re going 90E skirting the top of the Badlands National Park, a hilly, rocky area similar to Drumheller AB again. We’re driving straight across the grassy prairie home of prairie dogs. It’s been fun to watch them and the little cottontail bunnies in the last 2 campgrounds. Passed the route to Pierre, the Capital, have never heard of it. All we’re seeing is miles and miles of hay and some cattle. One roll of hay is as tall as me. Lots of bikers heading for Sturgis. We reached Mitchell in central Dakota and parked at WalMart. Very welcome as usual. I do all of my shopping when traveling like this and wish they’d set up a WiFi hotspot like McDonalds has. Mitchell is a corny town with the World’s Only Corn Palace. The original Corn Belt Exposition was built in 1892 for the farmers to display their harvest, showcasing the region’s fertile soil and agricultural bounty. Today this Morrish style building with minarets and kiosks is covered with murals made form 3,000 bushels of corn, grasses, wild oats, grain and straw. This motif changes every year and the redecorating is done every summer. Some people say that it is the biggest bird feeder in the world. No wonder that this area attracts hunters in flocks in the fall.

Another interesting place is the Dakota Museum. It features a tipi, representing the early American Indians and a ‘claim shack’ of the early settlers, which dotted the Prairies. The Homestead Act, passed in 1862, let anyone 21 years of age and head of a household, lay claim to 160 acres. The homesteader had to ‘prove up’, such as plowing and planting 5 – 10 acres and constructing a dwelling, minimum 12’ x 14’.