We said a reluctant goodbye to Sioux Falls and on Friday, August 5, we were off, following I-90 west. At first, there were fields and farms, then, near Chamberlain, S.D., about half-way to our destination we made a planned stop to see Dignity. Our friends, Rick and Linda Lorentz, had told us about the statue and insisted it was worth a stop. I’m so glad we took their advice!
Installed in 2016, the fifty-foot stainless steel sculpture sits on a bluff between exits 263 and 265 overlooking the Missouri River. A $1,000,000 gift from Norm and Enable McKee of Rapid City to all people of South Dakota, the statue was designed by sculptor Dale Lamphere to honor the cultures of the Lakota and Dakota people. And if that name sounds familiar, there is a good reason. Dale Lamphere is a cousin of Reed Lamphere, well-known with his wife, Dal, to members of the Texas Sheepdog Association and other herding groups.
The sculptor said, “Dignity represents the courage, perseverance and wisdom of the Lakota and Dakota culture in South Dakota. My hope is that the sculpture might serve as a symbol of respect and promise for the future.”
Our visit came at mid-day, and unfortunately the area was crowded with visitors. The next time we pass this way, I hope to have a chance for a better image. Day or night, it’s impressive.
Not long after we crossed the Missouri, the landscape began to look more like the South Dakota we know and love. Leading up to our beloved Black Hills are rolling prairies,
and the occasional field of sunflowers. These were just beginning to bloom, so they carried only the promise of the golden radiance they will show in a few days.
We were also passed by a steady stream of motorcycles bound for the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. The ones we saw were only a faint foreshadowing of what was to come!
In the distance, we could see our destination on the horizon. We turned off the interstate, and there they were, rising majestically, the South Dakota Badlands.
We settled into our home-away-from-home for three days, the Badlands/White River KOA Journey. Our site # 8 was large and shady, and the campground has a nice dog park, plus some outlying areas where we could let the dogs off leash for some ball throwing and “ready-gos.” Rue was happy to celebrate our arrival with ice cream in honor of her tenth birthday.
The next two days were jam-packed with visits to the majestic vistas of Badlands National Park. We didn’t have it to ourselves by any means. I think at least half of the 750,000 people expected for the Sturgis rally took a side trip through the park. The deep-throated rumble of Harleys and the occasional whine of a Honda were with us wherever we went, as predictable as ants at a picnic. Nice folks, but a lot of them!
Not all the "critters" we saw had wheels, though. This young bighorn ram glazed just beside the pavement, unconcerned by the Harleys whizzing past or the tourists hanging out their car windows to get a photo.
There were plenty of deer in the park, too. This doe (I think she was a black-tail) and her triplets were kind enough to give us a chance for a shot.
The park is a treasure-trove of fossils, not dinosaur fossils like we see farther west in South Dakota and in Wyoming, but the bones of extinct mammals. The visitor center has a fossil prep room where you can watch the recent finds being cleaned.
There is also a short fossil loop trail that explains what fossil remains were found there.
The shelter at the trail has critters of its own. Cliff swallows have built nests there, and were busy flying to and fro feeding their chicks.
There is also a herd of bison in the Badlands. We got a quick look at them as we left the park.
(And while I'm thinking of it, DON'T take Hwy 44 from Interior to Rapid City. It is like riding a bad roller-coaster! We had to slow to 40-45 mph to keep from bouncing out of our seats. John's head didn't quite hit the roof, but it felt like it might.)
Since Badlands is a National Park, and they are not dog-friendly, we didn’t do any real hiking…just short walks in and around the formations.
As one of the rangers said, if you want to feel small, just visit a national park.
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