Monday, June 24, 2013

Pahá Sápa Adventure


Earlier this month I spent time in Pahá Sápa, which is the Lakota name for the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming. I traveled with my friends Kathleen and Joey, with whom I've shared a number of road trips over the years, including to St. Louis in 2008, Trempealeau Mountain in 2009, Wisconsin in 2010, and Kansas City in 2012. We were accompanied on this year's trip by Will, a friend of Joey.

We visited many areas of both natural beauty and historic significance in both South Dakota and northwestern Nebraska, including Mount Rushmore (above), Custer State Park, the Crazy Horse Memorial, the town of Hot Springs, SD, Fort Robinson, NE, and the Badlands.



Part 1: The Journey Begins


Our trip started on the afternoon of Friday, June 7, 2013 when we left Minneapolis and headed west. Our dinner stop that evening was in the southwestern Minnesota town of Pipestone (above). The town is named after the red stone quarried by Native Americans to make pipe bowls.

Left: With Will and Joey outside Los Tulipanes, the great little Mexican restaurant we found in Pipestone. It opened just last year.




Above: South Dakota skies – Friday, June 7, 2013. Our first night was spent in a motel in the South Dakota capital of Pierre. We arrived at around midnight, just as a huge thunderstorm was unleashing an impressive display of lightening and a torrential downpour! We all got absolutely soaked just scurrying with our bags from the car to the motel lobby!




Above and left: The next day, Saturday, June 8, we drove to Wall, South Dakota, famous for it's drug store, and for being the northern gateway to the Badlands National Park.









Above, right and below: Views at the northeastern edge of the Badlands.


















NEXT: The Badlands



See also the previous Wild Reed post:
Pahá Sápa Bound

Images: Michael J. Bayly.

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