STW2 Hop 4
217 miles via I-90, SD 244, SD 370 and SD 44. Cumulative tow miles: 791. Truck miles: 227. Cumulative truck miles: 955.
This hop revealed the full drama of the South Dakota landscape. The first 80 miles, from Mitchell to the Missouri River, was flat and boring. Then, suddenly, a big dip to the river and, once across, the landscape simply bubbled up: sharp hills, a change from corn to wheat and sunflowers. Then an exit off of I-90 and suddenly the jagged, jarring Badlands appeared like a slap in the face.
The hills west of the Missouri really put a dent into our mileage and I got concerned that we would run short of fuel. I decided to make an impromptu refueling stop in Murdo SD. It was expensive ($2.90 per gallon), but it bought me some peace of mind. As it turned out, that was a good decision. Interior SD (population 67) doesn’t have much to offer, including places to get diesel fuel.
We will be staying near the Badlands for 3 days, so I hope to get some great photos.
Our overnight home in Mitchell was the Dakota Campground. This is a very small (about 55 sites) campground with basic facilities. It was just for a night, so we didn’t need much. But we liked it. If we ever find ourselves in Mitchell again we would stay there.
But why go back to Mitchell? The main attraction in Mitchell – and the reason I wanted to stay there – was so see the Corn Palace. I had moderately fond memories of this strange building from when I was 12 and traveled with my parents to Denver, with a stop in Mitchell. This was a building that was covered with corn – cobs of corn, corn husks, corn stalks. Murals made out of corn decorated the interior. Odd, but strangely interesting.
#39 – South Dakota
Well, at some point the city fathers of Mitchell decided that the turn-of-the-century (the 20th century, not the 21st) Corn Palace needed to be replaced and thought that they would combine the need for a new Corn Palace with a need for a new sports arena. So now you have this modern building that looks interesting on the outside, but the corn murals on the inside are high above a basketball court and are covered with championship banners. Anyone who actually wanted to see the corn murals would be as disappointed as I was. A huge letdown. If you are thinking of visiting the Corn Palace, my advice is: don’t bother.
Our night in Mitchell allowed us to add South Dakota to our map. Our 39th state.
Corn Palace interior
Corn Palace exterior