First thing you need to know about South Dakota is that everyone and everything is a "casino". Every establishment I went into had a few video poker machines and called themselves a casino.



Now everyone knows about Mount Rushmore and the yearly motorcycle rally at Sturgis, but did you know about the "Corn Palace" in Mitchell, S.D.? It's a "palace" decorated with corn cobs and native grasses. Each year has a theme. this year, the theme was rodeo.










Later on we went to Letcher, S.D. I don't think Letcher has changed much in the past 100 years. It still has a single lonely dusty saloon at the end of a dusty road...



It was there that I sat down and had a beer next to this rather attractive petite woman with a GINORMOUS belt buckle who was drinking straight whiskey and going over the last nights exploits of barrel riding at the Indian reservation and winning 20 bucks by beating men in arm wrestling contests. And yes, she still had her spurs on. Like I said, not much has changed in 100 years.

Down the street was the community center and fire station...



and across the street was the town bank...



100 years, man. Not a change.

The town cemetary yielded little clues to the past of Mitchell, S.D. The original settlers had a really high infant mortality rate. Numorous headstones named "baby" and some would list the length of life in hours, not days. There was a seperate section to memorialize veterans...





There were several of these:



I'm guessing either the person at the time couldn't afford a stone marker and opted foir the old wooden frontier style or they were displaced by a tornado.



Buffalo? What pictorial of S.D. would be complete without pics of buffalo? Well, this one. So here's a couple of llamas. There were three of them. We found out later at the bar that the white was was scheduled to give birth that day.



This concludes our photographic tour of southeast South Dakota.

um.................................................................................................

Do you talk politics on these trips? Like telling the woman at the bar about PNAC ?

Nope. But I listen as much as possible. This is more of a chance for me to learn something. Let others inform me. ANd it's nice to take a break from politics. i'm submerged in it 24/7, 7 days a week.

cool pictoral! I love seeing places I've never been, the ordinary is usually more interesting that the extraordinary!

It looks bloody hot there. What was the temp where you were at?

Thanks, Next time we'll go up into the Black Hills. But that won't be until the fall.

I'd say it was close to 90 degrees. It's been really unseasonably hot here this year.

Reminds me hugely of Eastern Montana.

Montana is a casino state too. I once won 60 bux off an original investment of 2 quarters on the video poker machine as I waited for dinner to cook at the Pizza Hut! My Fav diner in town changed it's name to the Silver Dollar, cause they converted the bar into "a casino". (20 video poker machines on 3 walls.)


By the way. I too own a ginormous belt buckle, and a genuine Stetson hat!
Them cowgirls are pretty sweet, and particular that yer wearing Wranglers!
Besides, two steppin really is a lot of fun!
Dancing is prolly one of the most effective forms of forplay for women!
And I don't mind bein in the right place, at the right time!





One more thing!
Put away yer stereo-types.
Lotsa cowboys are really very liberal!



Edit to add.....

Oh yeah!
Great pix there TJ!
Thanks for thinkin of us!
Seems we really are a cyber family!

Holy smokes.

We ususally get that at the Height of our summer, and I can't usually stand it and usually wait until dusk to come out. Although everyone else here can't wait for those temps.

With me, Not that it's a Canadian stereotype or anything...I just happened to be raised where summers topped at 59 degrees and get uncomfortable when it's around 68 degrees.

She would have loved you then... err... only if you could have beat her at arm wrestling!

Actually, what TJ forgot to mention... the bar... my uncle owns....(and was trying to sell on e-bay at one point) ...... the town... my father grew up in.... (and my 90 year old grandmother still lives (in her own house)) the lamas... my uncle raises.... My dad gave TJ the 10 cent tour of his childhood, the homestead, and family history! We saw tons of slew's... horses, cows, corn, and falling down buildings.

We will be fishing the rivers this summer. My brother from the east coast comes out every year. He can't believe how prestine the area is ... and there are like 5 boats on the whole river! It's the most peacefull event known to mankind. Laying in the boat... rod in the water... bass nibbling at the line... and watching the evening's thunderheads build in the distance....

I'm lucky I married a man that loves nature!

That's a very nice mental image.

I'm personally grateful most people don't dig nature.
Let them stay in the city and not junkin up my woods!

Sounds awesome RJ! By the water, with untouched wilderness is my favoritest thing in the world!
Take more pictures! I love fishing...heres a pic of our son 2 summers ago...bass is almost bigger that him

that's one beautiful bass. DAmn!

can't wait to catch him again this year

Now there's a boy who would love fishin' the Florida Keys!

Not exactly the French Riviera, but whatever trips your trigger TJ & Ronnie ... glad you found the only apolitical sights in the country, ya'll deserve as many breaks as you can get