I never imagined that I would find myself so enchanted by South Dakota.  When Brian & I considered the route to Arizona for a family wedding in January, I thought, “Perfect.  We will be able to cross both North Dakota and South Dakota off our list.”  When we debated where we would domicile, my first reaction was, “I don’t want to be from South Dakota.  What will people think of me when they see my South Dakota license plate and driver’s license?”  Somewhere in my head South Dakota fell in the land between the characters from the movie Fargo and the TV show Deadwood.  And, let me tell you, Anne Keller Klumpp doesn’t fit anywhere in the range of characters that I recall.  When we discussed staying in South Dakota for a month, I agreed contingent that we would move on to more populated areas with more to do.

Four weeks into our stay in South Dakota, I love it.  It’s the first place that we’ve been that I’m not counting down the days until we leave.  I’m already looking at how we will be back next year on our way to Michigan for the next family wedding. 

Spending two weeks about a mile outside of the main entrance for Badlands National Park provided an ever-changing backdrop for our lives.  Every day, every hour, every minute, the rocks changed before us. A combination of clouds and sun creating shadows energized an otherwise idle landscape.  I enjoyed witnessing this from the windows of our motorhome between chores.  On morning walks, Skipper & I often walked towards the park appreciating morning light reflecting on the rocks.  Evening drives through the park delivered areas intense with color.  Lines from layers of rock formed over millions of years perfectly even across the area invented an illusion of a fine screen between us and the rocks.  A sunset hike across an area of the Badlands offered the chance to really sense the monumentality of the area and just how small we are. 

While living for two weeks in a town where the population sign claimed 87 residents had me looking for some of the conveniences of a larger town, I regretted leaving the stunning scenery behind.  Yet, as we headed west, the black hills of South Dakota welcomed us with a new and different beauty.  It’s hard to believe that two areas so different in landscape are just ninety minutes apart.  Here rolling hills and meadow yield to steep rocky terrain where stones sparkle in the light like jewels.  I understand why prospectors spent time here.  I could easily be convinced that there is a fortune to discover.

I feel as though I have found fortune.  In Custer, we spent time hiking in the national forest, driving gravel roads on safari-like adventures in Custer State Park, passing through tunnels of rock on the Needles Highway, and visiting Wind Cave National Park while imagining the system of caves that exist below the prairie. 

We spent this past week in Rapid City mainly because our rig required service on a few things, but also formalize South Dakota as our domicile. There are tons of things for us to still do and see in the area.  From the construction site for Crazy Horse monument to Mount Rushmore, we won’t have enough time to see it all before we head out tomorrow.  I will leave here at the end of our four weeks, as a South Dakotan, knowing that I will be back.  And I can’t wait!!!