This
photo was taken while we were at Mt. Rushmore.
If
you take the Presidential Walk, while you’re on the higher elevations,
be sure
to point your camera away from the memorial
and
towards the surrounding scenery.
You may have noticed we have more than a passing
familiarity with the 40th State. Karl grew up there. Kristal’s
parents moved to the southeast corner of the state in 1985, while she was in
high school, then moved to the Black Hills in the late 1990s. Her mom died last
year, but she still has some family members there. Even without family visits,
we enjoy returning. The residents are usually friendly, and the wide-open
spaces make you feel free. It’s a nice change of pace from living in a large
urban area.
As you would imagine, the peak time for travel in an
upper Great Plains state is late Spring to early Fall, basically May thru
September. Most of the tourist attractions in the Black Hills are open during
this time period, but we recommend visiting the websites for those which
interest you and verify the pertinent information yourself. Some things open
earlier and stay open later, while others may be available year round.
For those planning trips during peak season, you may need
to start making reservations a year or more in advance for state parks and
private RV parks/resorts. That pretty much applies to the entire state. Quite a
few Midwesterners own RVs. Some of the state and local campgrounds might be
fairly empty during the week, but will be completely reserved for weekends and
holidays. (Don’t forget tourists traveling to/from the Hills. Campsites along
the way might be filled all week.) The super-popular Black Hills state parks,
like Custer, will pretty much be booked the entire season. Many of the private
RV parks, such as Hart Ranch Camping Resort, cater to folks who come to stay
for the summer. For the intrepid fall/winter traveler, state parks and RV
resorts may be open year round. But some amenities, like water hookups might not
be available. Those are often turned off, and drained, to keep pipes from
freezing and bursting during extreme cold spells.
The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is probably one of the best
known events in South Dakota. It occurs in early August. You don’t have to own
a motorcycle to see the races, shows and concerts; visit the venders; or be
entertained by the first-class people watching. More than a few RV owners enjoy
attending. If you plan to go in the future, do your research on all the
lodging/camping options and start making your plans. Many rally attendees come
every year and either have long-standing reservations, or make the next year’s
before they leave. We’ve never made a deliberate trip to attend Sturgis, but
happened to be visiting family a few times while the rally was underway. Before
going to the Black Hills during Sturgis keep this in mind. More than 3 million
people visit the Hills every year. At least 1 million of them show up during
the week of the rally, and they don’t stay confined to the Sturgis area, or the
official rally events. Such a large number of visitors are big business not
only for all the tourist attractions, but hotels, restaurants and retailers as
well.
Traffic throughout the area will be heavy during the
rally. I-90 and Hwy. 79 are the major, multi-lane highways in the area. Most of the scenic roads in the Hills are two-lane.
A large part of the rally’s attraction is enjoying those scenic roads from the
seat of a motorcycle. If non-riders don’t picture themselves enjoying the
spectacle of so many motorcycles in one place, and going with the flow, it’s
definitely better not to visit during the rally.
(Here’s
a secret for you. Want that bad-ass Sturgis T-shirt without the rally price? After
it ends, and probably even during the last day or two, merchandise designed for
specific years or anniversaries starts getting pretty nice discounts. Leftover dated
items are harder to sell the next year.)
To learn more about the Sturgis Rally, pay a visit to the
official rally website below.
Here are other rally related things to be aware of.
Even if you’re visiting another part of the state during
Sturgis, keep in mind those attending don’t just magically appear there.
Sturgis attendees come from all over, so there will be lots of motorcyclists
traveling throughout South Dakota, and neighboring states, a week or two before,
and after, the rally. Some of them might be in large groups or traveling alone.
Motorcycles coming up behind you can be difficult enough to spot when you’re
not towing something. But for RV travelers with limited visibility, the larger
volume of motorcycles can complicate things further, especially on the hilly
two-lane highways.
Another thing we’ve noticed during rally time is the
weather. It could be bone dry most of the summer, then kick up some really big
thunderstorms, including hail, while the rally is underway. Since there are
approx. 1 million people riding about on motorcycles, it might have something
to do with Murphy’s Law.
While on the subject of weather, the wind is pretty much
constant in the Plains states, especially during daylight hours. This was
mentioned in our last 3 posts. Do your best to be prepared for it, both with
appropriate clothing and proper auxiliary equipment to maintain towing safety,
such as keeping your RV in its own lane. (Our Pro-Pride is going to need some
maintenance before our next big trip, so we’ll do a post on this topic later.) An
acquaintance recently mentioned she was nearly blown off the road once, while
riding her motorcycle in Wyoming. Such incidents are another reason to keep a
sharp eye on everything around you, and both hands on the steering wheel.
South Dakota also has a split personality. East of the
Missouri River you will find higher humidity and precipitation. West River is
considerably drier. East River has more farms. West River has more ranches. The
below-zero Canadian cold fronts can hit the east side of the state pretty hard,
along with plenty of snow. The southwest corner of the state may have more
reasonable temps and less snow in the winter. Of course, this information is
mostly general. It can vary from year to year. South Dakota is also one of 14
states in 2 time zones, Central and Mountain.
This is South Dakota’s official tourism website. Check it
out and start planning your adventure.
The state’s official slogan is something about great
faces and spaces. I think it’s safe to say we agree. Even though we’ve lived in
Texas more than 16 years now, South Dakota still feels a bit like home.
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