Pipestone and Dignity
We started the day at Pipestone National Monument as the ranger was raising the flag and opened the park for the day. A pipe carver demonstrated the traditional methods for carving Native American pipes. These methods are still being used today. We watched a 22-minute video on the importance of Pipestone and this area to the many different Native American nations of the region. This was the first national park video that James has made it through without a meltdown. He earned a celebratory ice cream later in the day! As we explored the trail, we saw deer pouncing through the grasslands avoiding the people approaching them from behind. Pipestone was, and still is, a place where all people gather in peace.
Before we even left Minnesota, we began seeing signs for Wall Drug. They continued across the state of South Dakota. Reminding us of the "South of the Border" signs as people drive on I-95 heading towards the South Carolina - North Carolina border.
We stopped at the Welcome Center in Chamberlain, SD. There we enjoyed a pre-planned lunch of BLTs. The main reason for stopping was to see the Dignity Statue. The diamonds in her blanket spin in the wind. The visitor center also hosted a mini-museum on Lewis and Clark. As we crossed the Missouri River, we pointed out to the kids that this was the same river that Lewis and Clark had used to explore the west.
We proceeded west and stopped in Wall, SD to check out Wall Drug. When we got off the exit, we saw a sign for Buffalo Gap National Grassland Headquarters. They were open until 8 pm,, so we decided to take a quick break and let the kids learn more about the grasslands. This is the only visitor center dedicated to the National Grasslands. The kids each earned one more Junior Ranger badge. We did make a quick stop at Wall Drug, where the kids grew extra hands From there we drove on and finally arrived in the Black Hills Region of South Dakota. Now, we are off to today's destinations.
