Dakota Days - Sunset on Lake Mitchell and Bluegrass in Sioux Falls

Day Ten.  Wednesday 28 July 2004

"Bruce's last day with us today.  He had five copies of his book to sell.  Although I didn't get one on the day, I have one on order - he is signing them all too.  Bruce is off tomorrow to a remote part of Canada to relax and go fishing, presumably with his wife.

We all went to a house on Lake Mitchell this evening for dinner.  I don't know whose house it was, or if the owners were even there, but it seems the done thing over here for people to just invite you over for things.  In my experience so far, the Dakotans are a pretty friendly group of people... Unless you're an animal activist... Or an atheist...  Anyway, I took some photos of the most beautiful sunset over the lake, and Bruce cooked loads of steak which was pretty tasty.  Some people even went swimming in the lake, although they all came out green after a few minutes.  I stayed on the side with Tris and Angie, who commandeered a two-seater and were generally looking really British in the sunset."

Day Eleven.  Thursday 29 July 2004

"An excursion to Sioux Falls was made today!  Breakfast was bought on the road - Bruce told us not to tell out parents that it was "cookies, chips and soda," haha!  

This morning we were at the US Geographical Service, EROS which, for some reason, a few people in the minibus thought was going to be a strip club.  EROS was interesting, although daunting as we needed to present our passports in order to enter the site.... Although why anyone suspicious would want to target a mapping centre, I don't know...

I spent a bit of money this afternoon in a mall in the city.  I bought some jeans (kind of black, very nice), the diary of Lewis and Clark, and a piece of pottery for Mum.  The mall was huge, loads of shops that was something of a treat after quiet little Mitchell.  The girls working in one of the bookshops had seen our dig on the TV too, so they seemed pretty interested in what we had to say... until, whilst still chatting, I walked backwards into one of their book displays and knocked a few things flying - well done me!

In the evening, we went to a barbecue in someone else's house who we didn't know.  We had live music supplied by a Bluegrass group, who were pretty good.  Funny moment of the evening goes to the smelly old basset hound that was wondering around the garden - cute, but it absolutely stunk!  Had a happy attack on the drive back to Mitchell this evening - it really has been a good couple of days!"

Dakota Days - Way out west

Day Eight.  Monday 26 July 2004

"Today was fun.  After a trip to the Hot Springs Mammoth Site, we were driven up into the Black Hills of Dakota.  We saw the slowly-advancing Crazy Horse memorial (target finish date - decades from now), and we went through Wind Cave national park, where Adrien received a tip-off about the location of a herd of bison.  They were a magnificent sight, big but docile, you could just imagine them running in their thousands.  

Bison in Wind Cave National Park

The scenery was also stunning, as we moved into Custer State park, where we stopped at the 'city' (population 2860) of Custer, another cute Western town with a post office, sheriff's office, and probably the world's most expensive sweet shop!  Tomorrow is the trip to Mouth Rushmore, and bad weather is forecast - I hope not, because I left my raincoat back in Mitchell - doh!

The city of Custer

We're staying in Hot Springs for these few days, at the Mammoth Site - a public palaeontology site that has some impressive old tusks and bones.  It's sort of like our dig in Mitchell, but bigger, and better.  Tonight we've been out and had a Dairy Queen and a wander around the town.  A man with a self-playing piano just tried to flog us a wooden birdhouse he claimed to be 100 years old!  You could say it's a bit random here, but to me it feels like the very end of the world, and I quite like that."

Day Nine.  Tuesday 27 July 2004

"Had a better night's sleep on the sleeping bags last night and was feeling good.  Adrien took us to a reptile centre in the Black Hills, cute tortoises, snakes, beautiful birds, and chickens that play unbeatable games of noughts and crosses (only in America?)  Then it was on to Mount Rushmore.  It was great to see one of my idols up there in the rock - Abraham Lincoln has inspired me since my History A-Level coursework.  However, the inspiration was also supplied by the stunning beauty of the Black Hills, which were amazing.  I think Adrien tried to negotiate a discount entry to the site, but they were having none of it, so we were left admiring the four Presidents from the roadside.  Still, it's a world-famous landmark, not something you run into every day.

The Black Hills of Dakota

Mount Rushmore

The drive back to Mitchell, via Rapid City, was hot, long and tedious.  The girls were singing in the back of the minibus, and arguing with Dale about which music should be played on the seven-hour drive.  How Adrien kept his cool in the driver's seat I don't know, if I was him, I'd have put my foot through the radio (but then, I think Adrien only takes his anger out on the guides at the Indian Village.)  It was a relief to get to the Missouri River, for a short break and some fresh air.

Back in Mitchell, and we went for a stroll to the garage earlier and I bought some postcards to write.  I can't believe it has already been a week since we arrived here!  Anyway, really tired tonight so it'll be a fairly early night - back to archaeology tomorrow!"

Dakota Days - the Corn Palace and heading out west

Day Four.  Thursday 22 July 2004.

"Perhaps the first day of normality - get up, go to site, dig all day...  I got bored with digging today, it was very tedious. Lins, Angie and I make a good team and have fun together, so I am happy with my group... It could have been worse (one or two names spring to mind...)

The highlight of the day was this evening.  After tea, we all planned to go into town.  For some reason, some people wanted to go back to the motel first, and amidst the confusion, we broke off from the main group - they all went back to the motel, whilst I walked into town with Tristan and Angie.  We had a lovely evening looking around the town.  Mitchell looks like a small Midwest town - exactly what it is - with shops that appear to be locally run.  The town is clean, although lacking in much greenery, and a little scruffy, although in a way this adds to the charm.  

Mitchell welcomes you!  (No, it's not a Newcastle United shirt)

Mitchell's big attraction, as they'll tell anyone who listens, is the Corn Palace, where the decoration of the exterior is made entirely of corn.  Gaudy domes on the roof, daubed in green and red paint, and the American flags hanging off it really complete the look.  it is a little surreal, but seems fitting for a town so exclusively reliant on the crop.  On the way back to the motel, we even happened upon a billboard advertising crop insurance.

Mitchell's "world famous" Corn Palace

I bought a Hershey's bar earlier - not bad chocolate (not Cadbury's, but not too bad.)  And today I also tasted some "buffalo chew" - it was salty and not that nice, but it's always good to try new things once in a while!"


Day Seven.  Sunday 25 July 2004.

"It has been a tough day so far, up and ready to leave the motel by seven for the drive west.  It took about ten hours, because we stopped at several locations:

1.  Chamberlain.  Billed as "Where the American West begins", we stopped here for breakfast and had a fantastic view of the Missouri River, which is impressively wide and very blue.

The Missouri River at Chamberlain

2.  The Badlands.  Fascinating, awe-inspiring, and breath-taking perhaps best sum this place up.  I was lost for words.  People thought I was unhappy but I wasn't - I was just so amazed.  The shapes, the landscape, the heat, the cacti - it was stunning.

The Dakota Badlands

Our group in the Badlands

3.  Wall.  A Western town devoid of any traditional character.  it was a 100% tourist town and, to be honest, a mess.  Cars parked all over the road, it was very disappointing.

Our final destination was, and is, Hot Springs, Southwest South Dakota.  I have fallen instantly in love with the town, it has a clean image and is traditional and historic.  The old prison of 1888, as Bruce points out, is old for the town.  The railway station is now a tourist office, and although the railway doesn't exist here anymore, there remains an engine of the Burlington Route.  It is a fascinating, albeit small, town.

Hot Springs in rush hour

People are tired and narked this evening, and everybody wants to go to sleep.  I've kept composed all day, but at times things grate.  I miss my bed!  I miss my TV!  I miss my fish!  But still I'm fascinated by this country and the landscape, and I'm still finding it amazing and rewarding.  I keep thinking that I will probably never be here again, and this makes me want to explore everything I can, so I'm going to remain happy and optimistic!"

Dakota Days

Believe it or not, it's ten years ago today that we all climbed aboard that Northwest Airlines plane and flew to South Dakota.  Or rather, we flew to Minneapolis, and then drove on to South Dakota, to a little Corn Belt town called Mitchell.

For those who didn't know me back then, I was on a University fieldtrip with a  bunch of other intrepid Archaeology students.  Our dig, for a month, was the Prehistoric Indian Village, a Native American settlement abandoned around 1000 years ago, and now set in an modern archaeology park and visitor centre, covered by the impressive (not to mention air-conditioned) "Archeodome."  We were the first year to get this opportunity, but I think it's now an annual exercise, a collaboration between the University of Exeter and Augustana College, Sioux Falls.

So, how to mark this momentous passing of a decade?  I have decided, over the next month, to throw open the pages of my Dakota diary, to explore the town, the dig, and the state again through the eyes of my 19-year-old self, and to share it for the first time with others.  I won't be blogging every page or every day, but a select few that best represent the trip for me.  

In 2004, we didn't use Facebook, we didn't Tweet, and we didn't keep blogs.  Cameras took poor-quality digital photos (we thought them excellent at the time), you could get nearly two dollars to the pound, Blair was our Prime Minister, Bush was in the White House, Torquay United were playing League One football, and the world was a very different place...


Day One.  Monday 19 July 2004

"A day of experiences.  First the flight - never flown before!  The initial sensation of take-off soon dulled into an eight-hour boredom.  What to do on a flight of that length?

However, we eventually reached Minneapolis, and at the time of writing, we've just pulled out of a service station.  I bought a double cheeseburger - they don't sell single ones!  First impressions of America is that the people are un-shy, even rude, and always with an eye for the dollar - the airport here charges $3 to get a baggage trolley - free at Gatwick this morning!  However, their customer service is second-to-none.

Northwest Airlines flight at Gatwick

As for the landscape - it is farm country, miles of relatively flat countryside with the occasional barn or silo.  This landscape is interspersed with the odd shopping centre, housing estate, or retail outlet (furniture, farm supplies.)  Food is a major factor - since beginning to write this entry, we've already passed another McDonalds!

The climate is something else - hot and humid, but not sticky, like a reptile house without the discomfort.  This is accentuated by the air conditioning inside the coach, meaning that when we get outside, it feels like we're stepping into a swimming pool.  All in all, though, I think this trip will fascinate me."

Somewhere in the South Dakotan countryside

Day Two.  Tuesday 20 July 2004

"An interesting day...  I woke at 8 after a relatively good sleep, and we headed over to the Holiday Inn for breakfast.  We were placed in the boardroom, where pictures of horses and bison hung from the walls.  The room was central to the complex, so there were no windows.  I ate French toast, which came with maple syrup and a creamy-butter thing.  This was a nice start to the day, but at $5-a-head, the breakfast plan is already changing - the department can't afford so much money.

After that 'event', we were taken to the Prehistoric Indian Village - it contained a small museum, and the Archeodome.  We were given a trowel and assigned into groups of three for the work - I got Lindsay and Angie, which was a lucky draw.  Our tour also included lunch, which included crisps, or 'chips Dakota style' that were labelled as 'industrial style' - very odd!

Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village entrance

To today's main event - the hurricane.  Or rather, a lack of.  The severe weather warnings were out on TV...  The clouds were building outside...  The town siren sounded in Mitchell...  It was a sunny afternoon after we had been swimming, and I came across Bruce Bradley talking about the clouds.  Then Tristan came to our room saying that we were being driven to the Holiday Inn for the evening meal because of the bad weather.  People saw lightening as we departed for the 200-yard trip, and outside the Inn, we watched the clouds swirl around in circles.  We went into the boardroom to eat, popping out ten minutes later to watch the rain come down, heavily.  By the time we had finished the meal, the sun was out again - the hurricane had missed Mitchell, but it provided a quick and sobering realisation of the dangerous natural forces at work here."

Storm clouds over Mitchell

Seen around Lincolnshire - The Waddington Air Show 2014

Typhoon FGR4, Waddington Air Show, July 2014

"The Blades" Aerobatic Display Team

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

Douglas C-47 Dakota

Typhoon FGR4

Avro Lancaster

Apache AH1

Avro Vulcan

The Red Arrows

Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (Avro Lancaster and two Supermarine Spitfires - the Hawker Hurricane was out of action)