Bison, South Dakota (Saturday, September 17th, 2016)

Steve and I once again rose early and took advantage of the gym before heading down to breakfast.  After joining everyone for breakfast, we checked out of the hotel and headed to the towns of Groten and Bowdle to visit some more family cemeteries.  

When we got to the Groten cemetery, we had no idea where to look for the family graves, but luckily they had a directory at the entrance to help us out.

As we entered the cemetery, there was a beautiful veteran's memorial.

It was a beautiful cemetery, but even with the help of the directory, we did a lot of searching to find the graves.

There were also a lot of Civil War Veterans buried here.

The Bowdle cemetery was different, in that it had a lot of German graves with ornate metal headstones.  A contrast to the stone markers we are used to seeing.

As we continued down the road, one of the things that baffled us earlier in the trip, finally started making sense.  It appears that when they cut the grass on the side of the highways, they bale it.  Now that we realize how much a cow eats during the winter, it makes sense that they would bale everything possible.  Very cool!

Today we are heading west, from Aberdeen, South Dakota to Bison, South Dakota, (approximately 200 miles) where we will visit one more piece of farmland that was homesteaded by Steve's family.  Steve's mom spent a lot of time before this trip, contacting people, planning the trip and making this all possible for us, so we are very grateful to her for her work.

As we made our way west, we stopped in the town of Mobridge, by the Missouri River for lunch at a place called the Great Plains Restaurant.  





It was run by a German family, and their soup special of the day was Knoephla (pronounced nefla).  It was a chicken based potato and dumpling soup.  We all had to try it, and Steve and I had just a bowl of that for lunch.  It was really tasty!



And Steve's mom just had a cup of the soup, and a nice piece of coconut cream pie for lunch!  I like her style!



Steve gave the restaurant a two thumbs up, so it must have been pretty good!

After lunch, we drove across the Missouri River, and up toward the Sitting Bull and Sakakawea monuments.

Sorry!  This is the best I could do from the third row back in the minivan!

The countryside around the monuments was very pretty and starting to show signs of fall.

As we drove by more ranches, we kept admiring their huge collections of hay.  I think you can tell how many cows a ranch has by the size of their hay collection.  Each of these bales are approximately 5 feet tall by 5 feet wide!  

By mid evening, we arrived at the final piece of homesteaded land near the town of Bison, South Dakota (population 373!).



The farmer that farms this piece was not available to take us out to the land, but her daughter met us and lead us out.  Again, it is un-irrigated farm land, but the land in Bison is much drier than that in Aberdeen.  This particular farmer is growing flax on the land instead of corn and soybeans, although there is corn growing all around, so it's definitely possible.

A close up look at flax

I guess you could say that we were all quite befuddled since we had no idea what a flax crop should look like.  So we spent some time in the field just taking it all in.

As we were standing in the flax field a whirl wind came up and launched a bunch of tumble weeds into the air.  It was a sigh to see!

It's an interesting crop, but I have no idea how you would harvest it. I'm glad the farmers know what they are doing.

Steve and his brother walking down the section line

When we finished looking at the land in Bison, we headed to our hotel for the night.  The closest hotel is in a town called Lemmon, 40 miles north of Bison.  It is a very small town, but has a very nice hotel called the Dakota Lodge.  It appears that this time of year it is heavily used by hunters.  Steve's mom told us that they even have a room on the first floor for the hunters to keep their dogs for the night.  

I think we were the only minivan in the parking lot, but in this neck of the woods, that's probably not too surprising! 

There were a few rooms on the first floor, but most of them were on the second floor.  The rooms were very nice, clean and had great beds!

While we were on the road today, I just couldn't resist the pickled eggs that we keep seeing in every convenience store (from day one!), so Steve bought me a jar to share with everyone during cocktail hour tonight. No matter where we are, we always like to try something local that we can't get at home.  So we added it to the other snacks for the night.

So we once again enjoyed a night of cocktails and snacks in Steve's parents room before dinner.  But tonight, we had the joy of pickled eggs to go with it!  They're a little more rubbery than a plain hard boiled egg, and definitely have a nice pickled flavor.  They aren't bad at all!  So we each had a whole one. Cheers!

A few eggs left.  Maybe these can be car food!

While we were waiting for everyone to get ready for dinner, I took a few minutes to walk around the hotel.  There was a nice seating area with vending machines at the top of the stairs, 

and a very comfortable area downstairs in the lobby.

We all met in the lobby to figure out where we should go for dinner. After a little research, we realized that there are four restaurants in town, and several were already closed.  So we chose one that was nearby and still open so we could walk to it.  We felt like a little exercise would do us good after being in the car all day.

Although it was about 70 degrees out, we all took jackets with us, thinking that it might be chilly when we came back from dinner. Steve decided to put on his jacket instead of carrying it, and when he put his hand in his pocket, he realized that he was loaded with winter gear.  So he decided to just put it all on.  

It didn't last long.  Within minutes he was peeling it all back off as quick as he could.  I think 70 degrees is a bit too warm for his winter gear.

The Powder Horn Restaurant where we had dinner

Waiting for pizza and fish and chips

When we left the restaurant, we saw a huge new tractor for sale across the street and decided to take a closer look.  It looked to me like a hybrid tank-tractor!

I was a bit afraid to stand too close for fear it might eat me!

Then back to the hotel for a relaxing dip in the hot tub before heading to bed.

It was another great day exploring some of the less touristy parts of South Dakota, and learning more about the land that Steve's family settled so many years ago! 

Aberdeen, South Dakota (Friday, September 16th, 2016)

Steve and I got up early this morning and hit the hotel gym.  It wasn't huge, but offered everything we needed for a quick workout. We used bands and hand weights first for a little muscle work, and then jumped on the bike and treadmill to get in some cardio.  

We all met up in the lobby at 9:00 to start our day.

Our first stop this morning was the home of  Stan and Kathy.  They are relatives who have farmed the homesteaded land for many years.  They had graciously invited us into their home, and prepared a very nice brunch for all of us!  

Stan is recently retired, and trying to get out of the farming business, so he also invited his friend and fellow farmer Matt. Matt will be taking over the farming of the homestead land.

We sat around the breakfast table and got to know each other, while we talked about the farm and the land.

A picture of the farm hangs in their dining room.

After breakfast, we all headed outside.  We looked at the land plats, to see exactly were the homestead land is.

In Aberdeen, they are able to farm without any irrigation, which to us, coming from Colorado, is unheard of. We are used to a very arid climate where irrigation is required to get anything to grow.  Stan and Matt told us what a dry year it has been in Aberdeen, but as we looked around, we were amazed at how wet it seemed. 

A nearby pasture, flooded from the river

The shed and trees covered in moss.  

After discussing the land, we all moved into the barn to take a look at the farming equipment.  Big machines! Big engines! Steve and the other boys were in HEAVEN!  

The crop sprayer (all folded up for storage)

The planter (at least that's my technical term)

The tractor tires are kinda big!

And last, but not least, the combine or harvester

Stan telling us about the combine

As the combine goes through the rows, the stalks of the corn are forced into the auger, where the ears are pulled off.

The back of the combine is where the corn kernels are separated out

We stood under the combine to see where the corn kernels are separated out

Then back to the tractor to see where Stan spent his days.

The feet of a city girls after walking around in the barn

The cutest part of our day!

After a tour of the barn, we all walked down the road to see their farm land.  Every other year, they rotate between corn and soybeans.  These two crops work well together to keep the soil nutrients at their proper levels.  Of course, lots of fertilizer and weed killer also helps!

It really wasn't that cold out, the jackets were for mosquito protection

Soybeans drying in the field

Close-up view of the soybeans

Corn drying in the field

We said our goodbyes to Stan and Kathy, and followed Matt over to his house.  Again, what wonderful hosts they were!

And of course, the first thing Steve and the boys found at Matt's house was another big piece of equipment.  It was the thrasher head for Matt's combine.  Matt took the time to show us how it works.

How much fun can these men have in one day?

Next we got to take a peak at Matt's combine.  

Matt's planter can cover many rows at once.  It also has lots of capabilities to help the seeds get started right.

The future farmer loves the combine

Even after we left the barn, she continued to try and climb up onto that combine.  What a cutie!

When we left the homestead land, we made our way toward the Scandinavian Lutheran Cemetery, where many of the family ancestors are buried.  

On our way, we passed the house of another ancestor.  

Before getting to the cemetery, we stopped at the Scandinavian Lutheran Church that many of the ancestors used to attend.

An old picture of the congregation of the church.  Some of Steve's ancestors are probably in the picture.

Just south of the church is the cemetery where many of their ancestors are buried, so we went in to find their graves.  It was a beautiful cemetery, with lichen growing on many of the old tombstones.

We headed into downtown Aberdeen at lunchtime to see if we could find a bite to eat from a local restaurant.  As we drove through town, we drove by a few more houses that were once owned by family ancestors.  They have both been kept up so nice that they almost looked like they were newly built.





As we approached downtown, it was raining, but not hard, so we found a parking spot and walked around until we found a spot to eat.


It was a cute place called Canterbury, A Cowgirl's Deli.





I had a Thai inspired sandwich and Steve had a lobster roll.  Both were good, but the highlight was the homemade chocolate chip bar that we shared for dessert.



Steve and I took the long way back to the car so we could go by the Brown County government building for a quick picture.  What a beautiful building!



After lunch, we were off to visit a rancher who lives in the area and runs his cattle on another piece of the old homesteaded land.  He was out in the barn working when we arrived, welding a new front end on his tractor.  It appears that most South Dakota farmers do most of their own repairs, and know their equipment inside and out! Seems like a great way to do it...control all you can and rely on yourself and your skills!

We jumped in their trucks, and they took us on a tour of the pasture land.  It's really fun to think about the family ancestors using this land over 100 years ago, and how harsh the conditions must have been in the cold, snowy winters.

Most of the family rode in Dave's truck. Steve and I rode with Dave's son, Matt, in his truck.  We really enjoyed hearing Matt's perspective on everything.  What a nice warm hearted young man!

Dave's truck lead the way, and we followed behind. 

The land is adjacent to a lake and has a gorgeous view of the end of the lake.  It is very easy to see why the family chose this piece of land to homestead.

This point, on the homestead land, is the highest point in Brown County

About a year ago, Dave had to put up a new fence, so we drove the perimeter of the fence.

They keep the land sectioned off, so they can move the cattle around from section to section.  It forces the cattle to graze the land more evenly, eating the weeds as well as the grass.

They had just immunized all of the calves, which is really traumatic for both the calves and their moms, so as we started to approach in the trucks, the cows and calves took off running.

One of their bulls standing by the fence.  I wouldn't want to mess with him!

As we drove out of the pasture, we could see what remained of the old fence.  They keep it around because parts of it are still useful and can be reused somewhere else.

Matt closing the pasture fence

We were amazed by how much hay they had, and they told us that each cow will eat about seven of the large bales over a winter. That's a lot of hay!





Before we left, they took us down to their gravel pit.  They use different areas of the pit for different purposes on the land.  Matt was going to walk us down into the pit, but then noticed my shoes and decided not to.  He didn't think my flip flops would make it.  I am sure he was right!

The gravel pit is right next to the lake, so we also got a great view of the lake.  According to Matt, there is a resort on the lake that they boat to in the summer and enjoy a nice meal at the restaurant. Sounds fun to me!

When we got back to the house, we once again said our goodbyes. It was a great tour of the pasture land that Steve's family once called home.

It has been a very big day, full of farm and ranch adventures, so we decided not to wander far from the hotel for dinner.  We ate at a steakhouse called Maverick's, which is attached to the Holiday Inn Express that we are staying at.  They had a very nice assortment of steaks, seafood and BBQ, which were all cooked to perfection!

It was an amazing day, touring farms and ranches which were once the homes of Steve's ancestors.  We enjoyed great food in this wonderful small town, but most of all, we met many amazing people, who opened up their lives and homes for us, to show us a way of life that we are not very familiar with.  

A huge thank you to Stan, Kathy, Matt, Dave and Matt for your time and hospitality!  Your kindness will never be forgotten!  

And Matt, good luck to you and your wife with the upcoming birth of your twin girls.   You have been blessed!