Dakota Dispatch #9: More news from the Coteau

Last Saturday, my parents and I set out on another Eastern South Dakota adventure. We started the day by driving to Gary, a tiny town on the Minnesota border that was celebrating its 135th anniversary. We rolled into town just in time to watch a soapbox derby. This was the winners' heat -- featuring the winners from the three preliminary heats (my favorite part of the picture is actually the charming spectator in the background):


Next, Gary residents celebrated its birthday with bed races:


After all that excitement, we wandered town for a bit and I took a picture of my favorite Gary landmark, its windmill:


Next, we headed southwest toward the town of Estelline, where 125th anniversary celebrations were scheduled for the day (apparently, one of the railroads first came through SoDak in 1882, so 125th anniversaries are happening around the area almost every weekend this summer). We arrived in Estelline in time to wander around a small flea market/craft show (where my parents bought me a light-weight quilt as a graduation present), try some alcoholic rhubarb slush, and watch their parade.

The parade was pretty impressive for a town of 675 people; it lasted over an hour and included some SoDak parade staples as well as a few surprises.

The parade began with a rather patriotic pipe and drum corps from Sioux Falls. What was interesting about them was not so much their role in the parade (although, they were quite good), but the fact that we saw them about two hours after their parade performance, all dressed in their regular clothes, but still wandering the town in formation piping and drumming away. In fact, they kept piping and drumming as they all walked into the gas station where we had stopped on our way out of town. I guess they like to play.


Like any good prairie parade, there were lots of tractors:


And some old Scandinavians:



And, um, a De Lorean?


Okay, that's probably not a De Lorean (since I don't think they came in orange), but still.

After Estelline, we drove to Sioux Falls, where I had dinner with some college friends I don't see nearly enough and my parents tried out a new Chinese buffet (one of their favorite things). I ended the day back in Watertown, slightly sunburnt and smelling of smoke (the friends in Sioux Falls have a great fire pit) and mosquito repellent.

Summer, it seems, is in full swing.

Dakota Dispatch #8: SoDak and beyond.

Last weekend, I ventured out of the state for the first time since I've been home. Wednesday night, I drove to Fargo and had dinner with my brother. We then made our way to one of teh bars near his college where they have 75 cent taps on Wednesdays (on Tuesdays, the beers are smaller, but only 35 cents). Around 2am, Andy dropped me off at the Amtrak station and shortly after 3:00, the train showed up. The trip ended up taking something like 16 hours, which was good for getting some studying done but not much fun. Although, I will say that Amtrak's not a bad way to travel if you're not on any kind of schedule. It's comfortable and if you're traveling with a group, it could be a lot of fun.

Anyway, my weekend made me love Chicago a little more than I had before. This was the first time I've visited the city that I haven't stayed in Hyde Park and I think that makes a huge difference. I'd tell you all about my shopping, restaurant and bar adventures there, but I'm not sure the stories are all that intersting for anyone other than me. Although, I will note that I ate at Orange before I left Sunday morning and as just as I sat down to right this post, I turned on the Food Network and Giada De Laurentiis (who, I totally have a girl crush on) was eating there, too.

My train ride back to Fargo was fairly uneventful, but for the asshats who decided to sit in front of me (they were rapping along, loudly and badly, with their cd players) and the total toolbag who hit on me (he is, of course, considering law school). Andy earned major brother bonus points by picking me up at the train station at 5am (he'd stayed up all night since my train had been scheduled to arrive at 3:00). I hung out in Fargo/Moorhead for the morning and then made my way back home.

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures from the weekend. Instead, I'm including a picture that I took on my way back from Castlewood (the town where my mom teaches) the other day. It's kinda dumb, but this sign has been making me giggle for years.

Dakota Dispatch #7: Coteau des Prairies

I live on the Coteau des Prairies, or as South Dakota's tourist information more often refers to it, the "Glacial Lakes and Prairies" region of the state. It's a nice place, full of lakes and a greener, hillier prairie than the flatlands of central SoDak and West River's desolate ranchland.

I'm telling you this because my parents and I went on a little tour of the region this Saturday. We started by driving north to Pickerel Lake:


Once there, we had dinner at the Pickerel Lake Lodge where they make a mighty good burgers and chislic (a South Dakota specialty):


After dinner, we drove around the lake, stopping at a state park and the former site of Camp Wisagoma. My mom worked at the camp when she was in college and I attended a brief camp there the summer before 7th grade (an experience that left me lifelong hatred of horror movies). The camp flooded a few years ago and was torn down. Now, the land is being developed and is quickly filling up with fancy lake cabins.

Next, we drove to Waubay and from there headed south, back toward Watertown. On the way back, we ventured off paved roads for a while in order to search out a farm owned by some family friends. This road was our bumpiest:


We found the farm after a few wrong turns and stopped briefly to enjoy their view (they weren't home). Nothing says "welcome" like a skull:


We ended the night at our own Lake Kampeska, stopping at one of my favorite bars, The Prop, for refreshments (The Prop is one of the few bars I've been to around here that actually serves beer on tap rather than just bottles), video lottery, and a couple games of shuffleboard.

Dakota Dispatch #6: Edmunds County

Earlier this week, I went with my mom and an aunt to visit my Grandma, who lives in Roscoe, SD. The current population of Roscoe falls somewhere below 400; needless to say, it's a pretty quiet place. We went for a few evening walks and, um, saw the sights.

This is Roscoe's "Lovers' Lane:"


Roscoe, from just east of town:


Downtown Roscoe (bustling, I know):


One afternoon, we drove to Bowdle (which has, I think, nearly 600 residents) and had lunch at the drive in that another one of my aunts owns and manages:


While there, we learned about Bowdle's annual Tower Days. Apparently, Bowdle is the home to the tallest municipal water tower in South Dakota. Not only that, but the water tower was intended for the town of Timber Lake, but when the train carrying it stopped in Bowdle, the people there assumed it was theirs and unloaded it. Timber Lake asked for the tower back, but Bowdle just decided to keep it. And now, decades later the town celebrates that auspicious event with a banquet, street dance, sumo wrestling and dancing Cossacks. I kid you not.

Here's the tower:

Dakota Dispatch #5: Pottery, after

As promised, here are the after pictures.

The plates turned out pretty much like I wanted. I might add more glaze and fire them again to see if I can get the blue to be more blue and to fill in some of the spots where the glaze is kinda thin:


The wall pots:


The bird bath:


And, as a special treat, the fountain my mom made: