Day 5: SD, ND

October 9, 2011

I should stop yearning for sun. I had to brave 6 hours of rain in today's trip from Rapid City, SD to Fargo, ND. There were several occasions when the rain was so torrential that I felt my driving skills and judgment were being put to serious test. Apart from the first couple of hours and the last 45 minutes, every mile of the way it was raining. It wasn't one of those small systems that you get out of in a few minutes. 6 hours / 350 miles of rain means the storm system was huge – or I was following the storm's path totally. Oh! Well! When I drove into Fargo, I was thankful that it was dry and 55 degrees. Apollo and I celebrated by going for a run, albeit a small one.

Earlier during the day, we passed by Pierre – the state capital of SD. It was a non-descript city, except for the majestic Missouri river flowing through it. It was drizzling when we got there, but the chance to run on a trail by Missouri with Apollo was too tempting. Apollo was only too willing, rain or slush has never bothered him. Taking a leaf from the fellow, I shrugged off the reasons why we shouldn't run and we went on a great jog by Missouri. The river was majestic – but I said that already. We got to see an island in the river that is an ecology study site.

SD is a serious pro-life state. There were several billboards advertising pro-life. I have one in the pic album.

To make matters more interesting, Hwy 83 was closed and I had to take a detour that added nearly 50 miles to my trip through rural SD. Well, every unplanned turn has its own reward. We went to Eureka! – the wheat capital of the world. Whether it is self-proclaimed or not, I don't know now. But I was impressed by the Eureka Information Center. It was a building that invited travelers – and inside, the room had a library-like setting with a large table and several chairs. There wasn't anyone manning the place. Just a guest book, a very nice restroom and several reading materials one could avail themselves. Now, where else would you find a place like this other than Eureka?

One thing is certain. Each and every state I have driven through thus far has some road construction work going on. American tax dollars are being spent – or is it Bernanke's printed money that is being spent? I don't know. Either way, this is keeping jobs in America. Until the Chinese find a way to manufacture cheap pre-made highways that can be rolled out like a carpet, these jobs will remain American. Knowing the state of Indian roads, I am certain India will not compete with China on this one 🙂

p.s. Each of Day 1 .. 4 now have that day's pics accessible with a link. The captions are a little dry, but I haven't had much time to work on them.