Sept 29th to Oct 3rd - SD, Minnesota

Sept 29th - Sat - Hermosa
Chore and relaxation day - catch up on the blog, give the dog a bath, laundry, captions on some photos and watching the President‘s Cup (golf). The weather was nice again so we drove into Rapid City and got some steaks to put on the barbeque. Yes, I know we went grocery shopping yesterday but………

Sept 30th - Sun - to Mitchell, SD
I should not have made the comment about the weather feeling like summer - we had a heck of a windstorm yesterday evening and night and a dump of rain during the night. Terry thought he would be packing up in the rain but it stopped just in time.
After stopping for the obligatory wander through Wall Drug, we took the scenic loop drive through the Badlands. Part way through, the memory card in my camera filled up and I couldn’t take any more pictures. Luckily, we have a small card which I was able to use once I realized that I had a bunch of old pictures on it which I deleted.Pretty flat, uneventful driving - I don’t want to say boring but it would be if you had to do it again! Stayed in Mitchell which is one of the larger towns on I90.

Oct 1st - Mon - to Madison, SD
We went to the Corn Palace in Mitchell this morning. It is a large building that is “decorated” on the outside with 12 different colors of corn cobs. The theme changes each year and the designs/pictures are drawn on black roofing paper and marked with colors - paint-by-number with corn. The annual change-over was taking place while we were there so we got to see the process. The inside of the building has pictures of previous years’ themes and historical panels. It also has a large auditorium with a basketball court, a stage and permanent tiered seating so it is used for concerts and other entertainment.
After breakfast at the rig, we left for Madison, SD to visit our friends Clem & Marlene. We parked by their house and got busy catching up since they do not have internet access so do not keep up with us on the blog.
Then they took us on a sightseeing tour around the area and ended up at a casino. We showed them how to play some different slot machines which they enjoyed more than the usual machines they play when they infrequently visit casinos. Had dinner at the casino and got back early enough for a drink and more visiting.
We have a lot of laughs with Clem & Marlene so it was a great day.

Oct 2nd - Tues - Madision
Clem treated us to a late breakfast at a little restaurant on a nearby lake followed by a drive through a large state park. At the park we saw six men (fish & game) with nets set up on the edge of the lake. We stopped to see what they were doing and decided that they were catching suckers - probably to kill them and protect other fish. The wind was blowing very hard and they were having a tough time pulling the net into the boat. Four additional men arrived to help and still had problems. Once a lot of the net was pulled into the boat, they secured it with ropes and stakes and left. We think they quit for the day because of the wind. Terry and Clem went to check if anything was happening later in the day but the net was still just the same.
I used Marlene’s sewing machine to hem some T-shirts and do some mending. Also had to maintain my computer support skills and loaded software on Marlene’s computer and taught her how to download and edit pictures from her new digital camera.
Back to the casino - Clem & Marlene were looking forward to trying more machines! Terry won $187 and then $60 so he was happy. Good thing he did so he could cover my losses! We went to a restaurant in the nearby town for dinner (the casino ran out of their steak special) and then returned to the casino. Good move for Marlene - she won $180 and was smart enough to quit and take it home with her.
Another fun day!

Oct 3rd - Wed - to Minnesota
The plan when we left this morning was to head for West Bend, Iowa to see an attraction recommended by Clem. But everyone knows how our plans change!
We spoke with a couple in a tourist info place on I90 just into Minnesota and they were going to Pipestone National Memorial and to the Spam Museum. Both sounded interesting to us and not too far out of the way. So we went to Pipestone which is where native Indians quarry a soft red stone used for ceremonial pipes. Took a ¾ mile walk around the area - quite windy but not cold.
I was looking for a campground near the Spam museum when I noticed that the Mall of America was only 90 minutes from a town that we had to pass to get to the museum. Time for another change of plans!! I set Wanda (GPS) for a new destination and started looking for a campground. Found one with wifi and cable TV that was not too far from the mall. We got set up but Terry could not find the cable hookup. He went to check and discovered that our spot did not have cable. The spot was expensive and they added $3 per night for a pull-through without mentioning the extra cost so the lack of cable was the last straw for Terry. He went and got our money back, we packed up and left. By this time it was just after 6:00. We headed for a casino that we had seen signs for on the way in. As we were driving I discovered that the casino had an RV park - perfect! Just as we were nearing the casino, there was a “road closed” sign - fit right in with the rest of the day. But the detour took us right past the casino so we got a spot, set up and relaxed.