8/21/14 – This morning, we drove around the lake to take pics of a house at the end Nancy’s brother remembered, then headed southeast on forest service roads to Cisco Bar in Cisco Landing, on Cisco Lake, for pics of another of her brother’s memories.

Finally, we reconnected with the 2 west and headed to the west end of the UP, across Wisconsin, and into Minnesota at Duluth, where we connected with the 35 south. Our goal, as time is getting short, is to make tracks to South Dakota’s Badlands and Mount Rushmore, no slight to the intervening states. We spent the night in Hinkley at the Casino, very nicely groomed full-service RV park, inexpensive, and free shuttle back and forth to the casino. We had a decent, very inexpensive dinner there, and Nancy used our free scrip to win $11 at video poker.

8/22/14 – Below Hinkley, we took the 23 southwest to the 90, immediately crossing into South Dakota and stopping at the visitor center. Unfortunately, it turns out there is WAY too much to see and do there, starting a couple miles down the road, so we headed a few miles north to Garretson, and spent the night at Palisades SP. The weather seemed a bit threatening, so we stayed in, and shortly after going to bed, thunder started rumbling, a few good cracks, lots of lightening flashes, and then the rain. For hours it poured, most of the night.

8/23/14 – Morning was cloudy, but no rain, so we walked around the park trails to the fascinating rock formations in and around Split Rock Creek.

After that ,we drove just north of town to Devil’s Gulch, and hiked around the neat topography at that end of the creek, including the bridge across the gap Jesse James leapt his horse over to escape a posse!

Back on the 90 west. At 58 mph, it takes a LONG time to cross this state, so we took a break at Mitchell. In town is the Corn Palace, basically a country music hall, and the outside and inside are decorated every year with murals composed only of corn. Quite an artistic endeaver! It takes them most of the summer to complete them, and then next year they do it all again.

Nancy took over driving for the first time in quite awhile, and of course had to endure major lane narrowing and simultaneous heavy downpours, through major construction projects. I had to endure her colorful language. She held up, though, and drove most of the rest of the day.

I took over shortly before the turnoff to the Badlands, where we drove a few miles into the National Park to the Cedar Pass campground.

Only no-service sites left, but the views were great across expanses of prairie with the rock formations pushed up around the perimeter. Storm clouds threatened, with streaks of lightning and strong wind gusts, and occasional light spurts of rain, but near sunset, a brilliant double rainbow appeared, from horizon to horizon. Unfortunately, it was WAY too immense to fit in the frame of a snapshot.

A pleasantly chilly evening.