USA 43 - USA Tour - Belvidere, SD

Overnight: Belvidere, SD
Sightseeing Day:
- 1800 Town

Today's agenda involved walking around a pioneer town in the open air, so we decided we'd better get over there before the heat arrived. Naturally, this didn't work out and we left the RV at 10 AM.

However, there is a nice breeze all day, which kept us cool and keep the bugs at bay, now and then.

I wasn't too sure this attraction would be worth it, but as I said yesterday, I was ready for something else to do and think about. So, off we went.

It actually turned out to be interesting. Visitors enter the exhibits through the 8-sided barn. These barns were built throughout South Dakota and other areas beginning in the 1800s. (I know that there was or still is one in the Jefferson, GA, area.) The exhibits in the barn were mostly about the making of "Dances With Wolves." There were many photos taken on the set and other memorabilia. Many of these buildings were used as sets in the movie. And the horse that was Cisco in the movie, was from this ranch. He's now gone to greener pastures. The town consists of all original buildings from the 1880s, which were moved to this location. The buildings were set up in a typical town formation, including a far away farm house.

The buildings were filled with furnishings of the period as well. But, some of the buildings were in sad shape. Many of the exhibits are not well protected from the elements and others are in bad need of protection from dust and debris. Nevertheless, they did a pretty good of their displays.







Dave took a long walk to the top of a hill to view the homestead. There he was able to visit with another critter--a baby burro. Soooo, cute. I, on the other hand, sat outside the saloon and visited with several other tourists.



After we walked the town, we went into the 50's Train Diner. You entered the train and stopped at the kitchen area to place your order. Next, you moved to one of four dining cars and they brought your meal when it was ready.



We were back at the RV around 3 PM. Dave napped and I worked on the blog and organizing photos. Closer to the evening, we saw lots of bunnies in the campground. They are just everywhere.



At dusk, we took a ride in the country area. I have never seen so much space with so little buildings. The terrain is so beautiful and I could really picture living here--until I remember those -20 degree winters with 15-ft. of snow. We saw some deer and solitary cows.





One jack rabbit decided to be our tour guide and ran in front of the car for about 20 feet before jogging to the side of the road. That was a funny site.

Before heading back to the campsite, we stopped at the one and only gas station for miles around and purchased our nightly ice cream treat. When we arrived back at camp, we saw why we felt overwhelmed with mosquitoes. There were swarms in front of the car. So, when we parked at the campsite to get back in the RV, we ran for our lives!

Day 42 - USA Tour - Belvidere, SD

Sightseeing mileage in Mitchell area: 261
Mitchell starting mileage: 3139
Belvidere ending mileage: 3303
Miles Driven Today: 164
Gas Price: $3.98--Presho, SD
Avg. MPG: 6.2

Overnight: Belvidere, SD
Belvidere KOA



Up this morning still trying to decide where we will head next. I'm so burnt out on digging for ancestor information, all I want to do is find something else to think about. Don't get me wrong, I am so jazzed at what I found. I have more to find for sure. But, my brain needs a change of pace.

We were a bit slow getting going as we had to dump the tanks this morning and clean up. After you have been in one location for so long, it's amazing what you have to pack up. I had already done some packing yesterday, but still had a lot to do this morning. We were finally on the road at 10 AM.

As we drove, we decided that we'd just skip Pierre, SD, for this trip. We are anxious to get to the Badlands and Black Hills, and we still have a couple of stops prior to that area. I had made reservations in advance for those tourist areas because it is nearing July 4th Holiday. So, now we do have to meander a bit.

The terrain began as it had been for day, farm after farm after farm. But, we did notice that we were climbing, even though the roads seemed flat. Within an couple of hours, we realized the terrain had changed to more elevated hills--as you can see in these pictures. Also notice that there is not much traffic out here, and it's been that way most of the trip, with the exception of major city areas.



When we crested this highway hill, we were surprised to see how high we had come, and that the Missouri River was in front of us.



We decided to stop for lunch at Casey's to have lunch while overlooking the Missouri River. Of course, I couldn't help to think of Lewis & Clark's Expedition and all the history in this area.

So to add to your history lesson, here's the Casey's Drug Store and Cafe's history. It was founded as a pharmacy business first in Lead, SD, in 1896. Calamity Jane was a frequent customer to the store. In 1906 the owner, Joseph Casey, had the opportunity to purchase his own drugstore in Vivian, SD. But in 1922 as things were declining in Vivian, Joseph heard of a drug store for sale in Chamberlain. Each of Joseph’s eight children worked in the store. Each of the four sons’ took their turn in the store while the other brothers studied pharmacology. When Joseph died in 1952, his sons took over the store and also opened the cafe. In 1976, a New York journalist and food critic traveling the US in search of good 'burgers visited the cafe and dubbed Casey's burger as the "Perfect Cheeseburger." And, so goes its claim to fame.



Back on the road, the terrain varied between flat and slightly hilly areas.

As we were about to pull off for our night in Belvidere, we saw this man walking his "dog."



Our campground is out in the middle of nowhere. But, there is a tourist trap across the street called "1880 Town." So, guess we'll venture over there tomorrow. We got all settled in and just rested for the evening.

I cooked again, shock of all shocks. We had mac&cheese, polish sausage, and spinach. After dinner, we quickly drove to the clubhouse at 8:45 PM to get some ice cream before they closed. When we got back to the RV, realized we were now in Mountain Time, so it was only 8:45 PM. Duh!

I must say the birds are really friendly here. The Robins come right up to the campers and just kind of look at you as if to say, "So, you're here in my area, do you plan to move any time soon?" And, there are really pesky flies. They think they own the place as well. They just aren't afraid of you swatting them at all.

Here's some pictures of the camp area. It is in the boondocks, but very relaxing. The water is a small lake.





The view out of Dave's office window!

We are a bit frazzled, though, because neither of us can send emails. We can receive them, but not send. In addition, the phone service is next-to-nil. So, we have to really "wave" the phone until we can find a hot-spot. Where is that Verizon network crowd of folks that follows people around in the commericals? Guess that's only in the movies!!

Day 41 - USA Tour - Mitchell, SD

Overnight: Mitchell, SD
"Take Shelter" Day

We had fully intended to shove off today and head to Pierre, SD--the capitol. But, in the middle of the night, the wind took on a mighty heave-ho.

We watched the weather and the winds were going to be 20-40 MPH (with higher gusts) until early Sunday morning. So, we hunkered down today.

I ventured outside long enough to poke my head out the door and proclaimed to Dave that I had "gone outside." Of course, he wasn't buying it.

I worked on the blog, put my Jacobus Family History book together, transcribed my notes from our various ancestry treks, and cleaned up a bit more.

Nothing exciting to report today. So, I'll not bore you with details of a boring day. For sure, we'll be out of here on Sunday!

Day 40 - USA Tour - Mitchell, SD

Overnight: Mitchell, SD
Ancestry Research Day
Sightseeing:
- Corn Palace

After a quick breakfast nibble at the RV, we headed for Spencer, SD. We had learned from Norma that the town of Spencer is very small. The population is 127. Now that's small! Letcher is booming in comparison with its 727.

Norma informed us that the high school was torn down years ago. And, in 1998, a horrible tornado flattened what remained of the town. Many folks moved and never came back.

We arrived in Spencer and headed for the post office to see if they could lend any information about the Jacobus'. Dead end. So, we went to the library. Same dead end. But, we did find out that the school records had been sent to the Salem Central School in Salem, SD. Salem is 15 miles east of Spencer. Before heading that direction, we stopped at the marker of where the school had once stood.

Here's the high school plaque.



Town of Spencer in the distance.



Upon arriving in Salem, we headed for the Salem school. We found really nice teachers trying to help us, but they couldn't find any past records of Keith or Eloise. They informed us that the school had been broken into years ago and many of the very early records were destroyed. They had some records in storage but didn't have the staff to do any searching for us. So, there ya go.

Our next stop was the courthouse to see if they had any school records. They did have school records for Spencer in the pre-high school days. But, alas, none that showed Keith had attended schools in Spencer. But, lo and behold, we found records that Celeste and Wilmuth (my dad's two eldest sisters) were both teachers in Spencer; Celeste 1933 to 1936; Wilmuth 1936 to 1939. And, in 1933, Eloise was a student in Celeste's class.

But, where was Keith, my dad?

The museum for Salem was closed. It was such a small building, I'm sure it was built in the 1890-1905 era. I'm not sure anything in there would have been of use. But, I did get the phone number of the lady that runs the museum so that I can call her later.

Here's a landscape picture of the area to give you an idea of how flat it is!



Our next stop was the Corn Palace. We have been here in Mitchell for days and still had not been able to muster up enough energy to visit it. Today was our final day in Mitchell, so it was now or never.





The inside of the "palace" is actually a small stadium used for events. In the picture I have included, they have gobs of junk for sale. When an event is scheduled, it's all wheeled to the back room.










I have included a picture of the 12 colors of corn that are used in the panels. Each panel is drawn on paper that is put up on the area to be covered. The areas are coded with the corn colors. The corn is cut in half, lengthwise. Then, it is applied to the wall.



We zipped through, bought some candy corn for later, and went back to the pub for another good hamburger.



Our next stop was Wal-Mart to get Dave's prescription filled and to purchase a few food stuffs for later in the week.

We stopped at Culver's for our ice cream snack, which I had fully intended to eat later in the evening. But, Dave found an Army & Navy store on the way back, so he had to visit that before we left Mitchell. My ice cream wouldn't stay frozen that long, so I had to devour it right then and there. YUMM---but, truly it was too soon after eating and I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have at 8 PM!

We are leaving in the morning. I will be glad to move onward and think about something different for a while! So, I did a load of laundry and then packed up quite a bit to get ready to head out in the morning. So, nighty night.

Day 39 - USA Tour - Mitchell, SD

Overnight: Mitchell, SD
Ancestry Research Day

Surely, if my dad didn't live in Letcher, SD, after 1930, then he must have gone to Mitchell. I remember him talking about Mitchell. Since we were already in Mitchell, which is also the county seat, today would be an easier day--no long drive.

So, after our breakfast at the Country Kitchen restaurant, we headed for the courthouse. We hoped to find some record of the three youngest Jacobus siblings in the pre-high school class listings. But, the school records are not at the courthouse. So, we drove to the middle school to find records. Unfortunately, a teacher roaming the halls told me that the office workers and those who could help me were out for a week of training.

The clerk at the courthouse had suggested we go to the library or museum to look for records and yearbooks. At the library, they didn't have yearbooks, but they did have city listings. City listings are kind of like census in that everyone in the household is listed. We didn't find anything about my grandparents, but we did find a listing for his brother, Everett, who was living with some of my grandmother's relatives, the Van Metre's.

Our next stop was the Dakota Museum. They had nothing and sent us on our way to the Carnegie Building, which houses old documents of the city. They had yearbooks back to 1917. So, we began thumbing through those yearbooks. We found Dad's next older sister, Wilmuth, had attended Mitchell High School in 1932; it was her Junior year. But, she was not listed as a student in her Senior year, 1933. So, where did she go next?

We still had no record of my dad or his youngest sister, Eloise, attending Mitchell schools. We were not able to access any records younger than high school, and my dad Eloise would have both been in the age group of today's middle-school years. So, we kind of gave up on that search until I am able to contact the school later this summer.

This search had taken most of the day and it was now 3:30 PM. So we stopped at a pub next to the Corn Palace and had a great hamburger.

The only picture I have to share today is this shot from inside the pub, looking at our car parked next to the Corn Palace.



On our way back to the campground, we stopped at the address where Everett had lived. The address is now a parking lot.

Later that evening I was able to contact Eloise's husband, Uncle Jimmy. He said that Eloise had graduated from high school in Spencer, SD. Spencer is about 20 miles to the east. Now, Dave and I had a new area to search for records. Uncle Jimmy provided some more details on the 6 brothers and 1 sister of Roy, my grandfather. A lot of pieces are now coming together.

Day 38 - USA Tour - Mitchell, SD

Overnight: Mitchell, SD
Ancestry Research Day

This morning we, once again, went to Perkins for breakfast. Then, with our survival needs met, we headed for Letcher.

Our first stop in Letcher was the church where my grandparents (Carrie and Roy) were married. We had gotten a picture of the church from the history book, and it looked nearly the same. They had expended the width, moved the door to the street front, and replaced the steeple. But, the windows were the same windows--huge clue that we had found the correct church.





Then, we drove to the town. I think there are all of 6 buildings in downtown. The streets are not paved.

There is no comparison between then and now, except for the dirt streets. There are approximately 700 residents in Letcher now. I later learned that the town had burnt down sometime in the past. But, right now, I don't have a date.





We decided to stop at the post office to see if the postmaster might know where the Jacobus' used to live. The postmaster didn't know about any Jacobus or Van Metre residents as she'd only been there for 7 months. But, as we were talking a man came in and overheard us. He said his father had lived there all his life. So, he called his dad to see if he knew my grandparents or my father and his siblings. He said he knew the name and invited us over to talk. Off we went. And, guess who the man was! It was the man that Norma had said we could go and see. His name is Donnie Moe. His son's are Robert and Roger. Robert is the one we met at the post office. Roger is a truck driver and on the road, but Roger is actually the one that lives in Lu Jacobus' home (seen in this picture). Donnie confirmed that Roy and Lu (real name: Luman) were brothers. But, I need documentation.



Donnie called two other long-time residents of Letcher. Homer Parce and his sister, Marie Parce. Homer didn't remember anyone, but Marie did. She remembered my father's two older sisters. So, it was fun to briefly talk with her about them. She is 92 and sharp as a tack.

Then, Donnie called the woman who cares for the records at the church where my grandparents were married. And, guess who that was--Janice, Norma's sister-in-law who brought the book to us at the RV. We made an appointment with Janice to go to the church at 1 PM.

In the meantime, we drove to the farm that was Erastus Jacobus' and took pictures of the school plot and farm plot. There is nothing really there now but farm land and a few newer barn buildings.

We headed back to the church to meet with Janice. She was able to find some very old church records. Jackpot! We found all kinds of papers, of which I took pictures. The family names appeared in the membership roles, meeting minutes, baptism listings, etc. But, again, the records stopped in 1930. What happened in 1930?

Our next stop was the graveyard. Dave and I started at the back and weaved back and forth through the headstones trying to find Jacobus names. Dave found all three nestled in one corner near the front.



We now had dates for Erastus.

One of the headstones was my father's brother (first born of Carrie and Roy) who only lived for 28 days (Elvin Boyd Jacobus).

Also, there was an Elsie. I have no idea who she yet. Another mystery to be solved.



It's now 3:30 PM, so we rushed back to the courthouse as knew they'd be closing soon. We gave Lynn the location of the Erastus Jacobus farm. She looked up any and all documents pertaining to him or that land. And, wow, what a load of documents she produced!

Lynn found probate settlements for Erastus, Marie (his wife), and Henry (his son). These papers answered a lot of questions that had come up during the search. Henry's wife died in the childbirth of Paul (he's the guy on the marriage license). The papers listed that Roy had 5 brothers and 1 sister. And, yup, Uncle Lu was one of Roy's brothers.

Other documents showed that Roy purchased the land from Henry. And, we have a bill of sale where Roy sold the farm in 1930 to a woman for $1. We assume this was because of back taxes in the depression years. So, part of the answers to where everyone went in 1930 was that they sold the farm and moved somewhere. But, where?

An interesting side note: The woman who bought the farm kept it until 1950s when she sold it for $52,000 to a wealthy land owner in the county. He still owns it.

Our busy and productive day was done. My head was really aching from information overload. I am excited about all I found. But, oh, to put it all together is a huge undertaking. I now have a lineage back to my great-great grandfather. That's really cool!

I am now convinced that dad's family moved to Mitchell. So, our plan for tomorrow is to tackle the Davison County courthouse in Mitchell. At least we don't have to drive very far!

I made spaghetti for dinner. We slurped that down and headed to bed a few hours later. Again, I can't sleep soundly for all I have learned. How to put it all together? I still have so many unanswered questions. But, tomorrow is another day!

Day 37 - USA Tour - Mitchell, SD

Overnight: Mitchell, SD
Ancestry Research Day

We drove across the street to Perkins again for breakfast. Needed nourishment before treking 40 miles across the more and more and more farm landscape.

We arrived in the city of Woonsocket (the county seat) about 11:30 AM and decided to stop at the newspaper office first to see if we could find the newspaper wedding announcement of Carrie Van Metre and Roy Jacobus' (my father's parents). The Woonsocket News (now the holder of all county newspapers) was getting ready to release the weekly paper, so the reporter asked us to come back tomorrow at 1 PM.

Next stop: The Sanborn County courthouse (across the street from the paper). The clerk, Lynn, (yes, we ended up spending so much time with her, we were on first-name basis) was able to locate my grandparents' wedding license. So, I purchased a certified copy of that. There was an unfamiliar name listed as a witness: Paul Jacobus. Now, who is he? Brother? Uncle? Father? Cousin? I have no idea if Roy even had brothers and sisters.

I purchased a copy of my father's birth certificate.

We also found Letcher High School graduation records that listed my father's two eldest siblings. We received copies of listings that he and his four siblings attended school in Letcher up until 1930. Then, all school records ceased. A mystery to be solved. (Note that the two eldest siblings had graduated by 1930.)



We were trying to get documentation that a prominent resident of Letcher, Uncle Lu--as we knew him, was actually Roy's brother. No luck. Uncle Lu's kids were my parents' age and had visited us in the past. But, I have no idea at my ripe ol' age, what the relationship actually was.

Until 2002, when it was torn down, there was a Jacobus School that was named after an Erastus Jacobus. We did find the Erastus Jacobus' farm (land) and the school had been located diagonally across the street from the farm, so I assumed he owned both pieces of land. But, is he relation?

Lynn told us that there were 3 headstones in a cemetery in Letcher that were Jacobus'.

Lynn also produced the Letcher Centennial book (1883 - 1983) that Janice was bringing to Norma for us to look at. So, I spent quite a bit of time reading the book trying to find the Jacobus or Van Metre names. I got quite a bit of documentation and pictures for future use. But, what I found left more questions than I could answer.

After lunch at a cute cafe in the booming town of Moonsocket (you have NO idea how small these metropolis' are), we went back to the courthouse to continue our search through deed books to see if we could find the location of Roy's farm. But, it would require hours of searching. By the time we got back to the courthouse, I was beet red from the heat in the office. So, Dave insisted we call it a day, skip the search, and head back to the RV.

When we got back to the RV, Norma met me with the book that Janice had brought. Norma had been digging all day and she shared that information as well. She had also run into an old timer from Letcher (80 yrs young) that lives in the house that Uncle Lu (and his wife, Aunt Bessy) lived in. He offered for us to come and see the house if we wanted to. But, we declined because we still weren't sure who Uncle Lu was, it wasn't my grandparents' home, and it really didn't mean much to me at this point.

After we cooled down a bit, I fixed hot dogs and baked beans for dinner.

My head was spinning with all the questions I had unresolved. In that spinning head, I realized we needed to find the exact location of the property before trying to go through deed books that are filed by Plat and not by name. So, we decided to visit the city of Letcher to see what we could find out, go to the cemetery to look for headstone clues, and to see the town where my dad had lived. I certainly had a restless sleep!

Day 36 - USA Tour - Mitchell, SD

Overnight: Mitchell, South Dakota
R&R Campground

Sioux Falls starting mileage: 2804
Ending Mitchell mileage: 2878
Sightseeing mileage in Sioux Falls, SD: 30





Well, we were off at our normal time, around 10 AM. We only had 70 miles to drive today, so we were in no rush. You can't arrive too early.

We are going to stop in Mitchell because it's close to the areas where my father grew up. Our main mission while here is to search for ancestry records.

Along the way, we were entertained by signs about the Corn Palace, like this one.



We also saw this bull and hammer (advertising a sculpture garden).



We arrived in Mitchell at 11 AM, so we stopped for lunch at Perkins as 11 AM was too early to arrive at the campground.

While registering, I happened to mention the mission of our stay in Mitchell. The woman at the check-in (Kay) informed me that the other host to the campground (Norma and her husband, Bob) grew up in Letcher (the city where my father grew up). What are the odds? It's a VERY small town. She came over to talk with us that afternoon in the clubhouse, and it was amazing. She is "into" genealogy and she knows a lot of the names I am mentioning. So, Norma sets to work helping me locate folks. She mentions that her sister-in-law, Janice, has a book on the history of Letcher. And, she would ask her to bring it with her the next day when she came to visit.

Dave spent the afternoon at the picnic table--or should I say, he tried to. The mosquitoes are as thick as thieves here. Wow. You can hardly move without being attached by 10 at a time. But, Dave did find a few birds to commune with. Here's a momma and babied in the nest.



I know I'm behind on giving you gas prices. I'll try to get those caught up soon. But, we are paying about $3.89-$3.99, on average.

After visiting with Norma and Bob for quite some time, Dave and I made plans to drive into Woonsocket, SD, the next day as it is the county seat for Letcher, SD (about 40 miles away).

Day 35 - USA Tour - Sioux Falls, SD

Overnight: Sioux Falls, SD
Sightseeing Day:
- The Sioux Falls

Last night my loving husband invited me out for breakfast at The Falls. So, I had to get up early and trek down to the public showers as we have water pressure at this campground that is questionable. When Dave put on the gauge, it was right at the "limit" of being too strong. So, he opted not to remove the gauge, which meant not enough pressure inside to shower.

After that chore, we were off to The Falls. They have only one restaurant overlooking the falls, and it's a walk-up-and-order place, but they bring you the food at your table. We quickly ran to the patio and seated ourselves in a great spot, as you can see.



The falls are very peaceful and pretty. What impressed me most was the pink color of the rock. The park is very well maintained and lots of folks were riding bikes and scooters throughout the park. There was even fishing below the Overlook Cafe and on down the Big Sioux River.





After lingering on the patio for about an hour, we drove over to the observation tower to take a peek at the skyline. It's 5 stories tall and was a nice view of the area. The Falls are downtown and much of the adjacent areas to the east and north are industrial. The area to the west is residential, and the south area is through downtown and the shopping district.



Next, we ventured on a driving tour of the area. We ended up at Best Buy to purchase an antenna booster for the WiFi on my laptop. We also purchased a USB hub as this laptop only has 2 USB ports and one is taken up with my mouse. This will give me additional ports to easily download my photos and plug in the booster, when needed. I sure hope it works!

Dave meandered around to find the road leading to a monument of what he thought was where the one and only person who died on the Lewis & Clark Expedition was buried. When we finally arrived, it wasn't his monument at all. It was a monument to the early pioneers. There was an historical marker (which I call "hysterical" markers) about the Amidon Affair. Neither of us had heard about this, but thought we'd capture a picture just in case we heard about it later.

We drove back to the campground where I read some brochures, and Dave did some patio bird-watching.

We did four loads of laundry--yes, we have put it off way too long. But, it's done now for a another week.

I made supper, yes, I really did. We had chipped beef on toast with asparagus and fruit salad.

Our next adventure was back to The Falls (there isn't a whole lot to do in Sioux Falls except watch the falls) to see the laser light show that started at 9:30 PM. But, before going there, Dave found a Culver's (yea, more of that creamy delight) and we got some to go to eat during the show. Dave set up our chairs on the lawn in front of the observation tower facing the falls. We munched out on the good stuff and people watched for about an hour before the show began.

The show was very much like the one at Stone Mountain, but not quite as elaborate. The falls were beautifully lit with multiple colors. The theme of the presentation was the history of Sioux Falls, which I thought was quite interesting, if a bit long. The laser story board was shown on the side of the Overlook Cafe.



And, yes, we did hear about the Amidon Affair (from the hysterical marker). The affair was a single act of violence by the Sioux Indians against the settlers of the area. Judge Amidon and his son were killed on top of the ridge while trying to lay claim to their plot of land (which, of course, they took from the Indians in the first place). The judge was shot once, but his son was riddled with arrows, which made a statement to the settlers to get out.

We also learned in the laser show that the place where the man was buried from Lewis & Clark's expedition was not in Sioux Falls, SD, but in Sioux City, IA. And, there ya go--the final mystery of this part of the trek solved.

OK. Here's a funny. In reading the historical marker, I noticed that the judge and his son were "...making 'hay' on their claim." I had to re-read the sign a few times to realized it was a typo. Yup, an editor would have been money well spent. Because a father and son making "hay" doesn't bode well to their public image--especially when the event was called an "affair"!



Here's the marker for your enjoyment.

We were back to the RV at 11 PM and ready to catch some shut-eye. Tomorrow we head for Mitchell, SD, only 70 miles away. So, we'll get a few chores done before taking off. Later, 'gators.

Day 34 - USA Tour - Sioux Falls, SD

Overnight: Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Sioux Falls KOA

Austin Starting Mileage: 2558
Sioux Falls Ending Mileage: 2774
Miles Driven: 216
Average MPG: 6.6



We were up early this morning. I don't think we have ever left a campground at 8:30 AM, so I know Dave was done with Austin and his experience of moving the RV twice. We only had to drive a few miles to get to our next attraction--the SPAM museum--and they didn't open until 10 AM, so I know he wanted out of there.

We drove 10 miles down the road and pulled into a Perkin's restaurant for breakfast. They have the yummiest pancakes I think I have ever eaten--watch out IHOP, you have competition.

We rushed out of there to be sure we were at the SPAM museum when they opened because I wasn't sure if they had specifically timed tours or self-guided tours. We arrived about 5 minutes early and found out the tours were self-guided.



It was really clever how they found any opportunity to use the "pig" theme. Check out these swinging doors.



The museum presented a movie on the changes in the packaging and uses over the years, as well as a brief history of Mr. Hormel. The museum displayed the product well, and included a display of the various packaging throughout the world. Naturally, I had to take a picture of the Philippine packaging. Tina, are these the round cans you have in the Philippines? (Tina eats a lot of SPAM.)



My true interest in the product is not necessarily because of the food stuffs, it is because my nickname has been SPAM for about 20 years, which was given to me by my workmate and friend, Susan.

I spent most of the allotted time shopping for some much needed SPAM memorabilia. The museum was most concerned for its shoppers health and stamina. So they provided a server who walked throughout the store with a tray of hot SPAM samples on pretzel sticks!

Mini-Moose now has a pig companion named Spammy. But, my heart belongs to Mini.

The drive today was back to farmland. Dave says he's seen enough farms to last a lifetime. We bucked a headwind all day. The terrain seemed flat, but it was a consistent climb. Therefore, our gas mileage was awful. As soon as we drove into South Dakota, we had gentle hills again. Of course, we stopped at the Welcome Center and I descended upon the "fly trap." I have more brochures to read than I have ever had. There is so much to see in South Dakota, that we might not leave for a month!

We arrived at the campground at 3 PM and were set up in a jiffy. Dave spent a lot of time outside bird watching. He purchased a new "Bird" book at the Crane Museum and he's been marking where and when he saw different species of birds. Of course, he delights in sharing those sightings with me, and being a good wife, I make ever effort to "show" my interest.

The weather is just beautiful--sunny with a gentle breeze. The campground in the direct line of the airport, so we have a few planes flying overhead. When we arrived, some jets were screaming out of the airport (fighter jet types) and were flying very low. I had visions of sleepless nights, but they soon quit their antics. We are right next to the freeway, so have a bit of freeway noise. But, it never seems to bother us--mostly because in the daytime either the AC or TV is running, and at night my breathing machine is running.

We both ate leftover pizza for dinner (saved again from fixing dinner). I busied myself with getting some blog work done and reading brochures. Dave watched TV. I'm so glad we purchased headsets for him. That way our TVs don't compete, and I don't have to have mine cranked up to the highest decibel to accommodate for Dave's hearing loss. It is, however, a pain to constantly turn the volume up and down every time the AC turns on or off. But, hey, those are the sacrifices you have to make when you are "roughing it."