When we first got to Custer, SD, we made a mental note to try this Mexican food trailer. So, on our last afternoon in Custer, we did. Our burritos were big, thick, and yummy.

Sunday, 6/20/21: Nada

What a rude awakening. This was our first cold, cloudy, blustery day in three months. The temperature hovered around 59º all afternoon.

We went into Custer and utilized the town’s great cell coverage to catch up on our journaling. Without either cell service or a good WiFi, I can’t put together my emails. In Custer, I was able to catch up.

I also plotted out our next couple of moves. Tomorrow we head to Okobojo Point Recreational Area just north of Pierre, South Dakota, on the shores of Lake Oaho, for one day. After that, we have a reservation, our first actual reservation since the first week of our trip, at Fort Sisseton State Park in the northeast corner of South Dakota.

My goal is to reach Melrose, Minnesota, by Wednesday. Melrose is in the heart of what Garrison Keillor based his fictitious Lake Wobegon on. There is a bike trail, called the Lake Wobegon Trail that goes through Melrose. One spur that branches off the trail goes through a town called Holdingford, referred to by Garrison as “most Lake Wobegonic” from which Holdingford now calls itself the Gateway to Lake Wobegon. It might be a fun place to check out.

Melrose has a first-come first serve city campground. If we can get a spot, we can ride the bike trail and explore the many QTs in the area. So, that’s as far as my advanced planning went.

Monday, Summer Solstice: The Shores of Lake Oahe

We lost an hour somewhere in western South Dakota when we crossed into the central time zone. Oh well, good thing this is the longest day of the year.

The drive through South Dakota slowly changed from expansive treeless rolling hills of free-range beef cattle ranches, to expansive rolling hills of hay fields, to expansive rolling hills of corn. It wasn’t exactly boring as it had its own beauty. I think it was the green that attracted us. We kind of missed it.

The campground at Okobojo Point Reacreational Area only has 18 sites, so we were nervous about arriving so late - around 1 pm after losing our hour. We had good reason to be nervous. Only three sites were available and two were completely unfit for a trailer. The one level site was absolutely perfect and gorgeous. It is right on the shore of the gigantic Lake Oahe, a reservoir of the Missouri River. Circling around the campground was another camper looking for a spot. Fortunately, we pulled into #10 just seconds before he drove up behind us. He looked terribly disappointed.

Big Lake Oahe, a giant Missouri River reservoir, is right in the middle of the treeless prairie.

Our campsite on the shore of Lake Oahe. Each campsite was given at least 5 acres of elbow room. The shower house was clean, modern, and just about met European standards.

Another area of the campground. Each site was $16.96 per night or $118 per week. (I wondered how they came up with the number 16.96). For a lakefront site with plenty of privacy, it was better than owning a cottage.

After setting up, we made a mad dash into Pierre, one of the smallest state capitals in the US with a population of 16,000. The town did a good job of making its shoreline along the Missouri River into a wonderful green space. There was a Dakotamart Grocery store in Pierre. We discovered in Custer that Dakotamart sells a terrific red skin potato salad. We add some finely diced onions, radishes, and celery and it is almost as good as my sister, Diane’s, or my niece, Mo’s potato salad - the gold standards of potato salads.

The rest of the day we lounged at the campsite. It was a pleasant 72º at a pleasant remote campground with each site literally given about 5 acres of land. I made spaghetti since it was cool enough to fire up the gas stove. I even played my guitar with my song tracks. Not much adventure or exploration in the last two days.

The reservoir, although very large and beautiful, was quite low, especially for June. The boat landing was closed because the water level was way below the cement ramp.

Pierre has all these statutes of their governors erected all over the downtown. They call it the Trail of Governors. This former governor, Coe Crawford, caught our imagination with his fisticuffs stance. Supposedly, he was a gifted orator and debater, and this pose was to symbolize him vigorously defending his points of view.

Notice how low the water level is. Still, the big lake had plenty of water in it for a good hundred miles of boating.

Glossary of terms used for newcomers: 1) V-Jer. The name of our camper. 2) Saturn. The name of our Van. 3) Duende. Our mischievous gremlin that breaks things. 4) Tata. The good gremlin that helps us fix Duende’s dirty work. 5) The Black Hole. This is what we call Walmart because every time we go in for just a couple of items, we come out spending way more than we figured. 6) QT. Quaint Town. 7) Little Buddy. This is what we call our Dyson cordless stick vacuum.

Dave and Wanda

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