Aktá Lakota Museum, South Dakota (1,662 total miles)

The landscape began to change as we made our way across South Dakota today. The weather changed too. The temperature is much cooler, partly due to a cold front bringing rain for most of the morning until early afternoon. I changed into long pants and grabbed a jacket when we stopped for lunch in Chamberlain, SD.

Chamberlain is a small town on the banks of the Missouri River where Lewis and Clark stopped in 1802 on their expedition to the Pacific Ocean. The views across the plains are gorgeous with rolling hills on the opposite side of the river. Everything is so green and so wide open it seems like you can see forever.

We saw the sign for Mi Pueblo (not the same chain as back home) and thought Mexican food sounded like a good choice. I guess it’s just as well that the food wasn’t great given how long we’ve been sitting. It’s not that hard to resist a mediocre basket of chips and salsa.

After lunch we toured the Atká Lakota Museum and Cultural Center in downtown Chamberlain. I’d seen it on Google maps and hoped it would be open when we came through. The museum does an excellent job of illustrating the history and culture of the Lakota people who originally inhabited the Northern Plains. It’s fascinating to learn about how they lived, the different roles for men and women (equally important) and to see many artifacts from the 1800’s. The intricate beadwork on clothing, bags, and moccasins was especially impressive.

We bought a beautiful Star quilt made by Carla Thomas, one of a small group of Lakota quitters who make quilts to sell at the museum shop. A network of elders construct the quilt top and Carla hand stitches the quilt. It’s just what we needed for the bed in Charlie. It fits perfectly!

The true history of the American West is much different from what I was taught in school. I’m glad there places like this that tell the stories of indigenous peoples.

The rain stopped just in time for us to get an up close look at Dignity of the Earth and Sky, a 50’ tall monument to honor the Lakota and Dakota people. She stands on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River near downtown Chamberlain. Such an impressive sight.

Sunshine and blue skies brought warmer temperatures so I was back in shorts by the afternoon.

New Frontier Campground is located in the very small town of Presho, SD right off Interstate 90. The sites are well spaced with lots of trees, green grass and a nice bathhouse. I was more than ready for a spacious shower and shampoo after a couple days with just the small bathroom in Charlie. Ahhhhh.

Following the recommendation of our campground host, we rode our bikes into town for dinner at the Jet Lanes Bowling Alley. They’re known for the “best burgers in town!”. That’s probably true. Based on what we saw, it’s the only place to eat in town. Plus, the parking lot, bar and dining room were pretty full when we got there.

The food actually was pretty good. We shared a ribeye steak dinner and salad bar. After dinner we rode out to the Municipal Airport down a long gravel road past the bowling alley. The gate was open but no one was around. We watched a crop duster flying low over the fields for a few minutes before riding back to camp.

The night air turned chilly again. We slept soundly, snuggled up and warm under our new Star quilt.