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.
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