Sioux Falls South Dakota

Friday night we stayed at a coast to coast park in Little Sioux Iowa. The campground was bigger than the town, really it was! We arrived there at about 1:00pm and we were directed to a pull through spot that was long and level. Since we were only staying one night we did not unhitch. It was still very hot out and after our quick set up we headed straight to the pool. They had a very large pool and it was not crowded at all. The only draw back was that it did not have any pool chairs to sit in. That was okay because this whale needed to soak for awhile! We spent the rest of the day and night relaxing.

We got up on Saturday and had about 150 miles to go to the KOA in Sioux Falls SD. We are stopping here for one night so we can get a campground receipt with Max’s name on it. I put our reservations at the state park in Madison in my name and Max has to show a receipt with her name for part of her residency requirements to get her South Dakota drivers license. We have a legal address but to get a DL you have to show a permanent address. They accept a hotel or campground receipt to fulfill that requirement.

We arrived at the KOA at about 1:00pm and again was given a large level sight so we did not have to unhitch. The weather here is perfect! About 80 degrees and no humidity. We got set up in about fifteen minutes, then headed out to the Falls Park. This is the part of the Big Sioux River that gives Sioux Falls it’s name. This is a nice city park with plenty of picnic area’s. We walked around and enjoyed the cooler weather and the sound of the falls.

The building on the left is what remains of the Queen Bee Mill

 

The Upper Falls

The rock in this area is primarily Granite and Quartzsite and Pipestone.  The Quartzsite and Pipestone has a lot of silica in it and it was used for paving building stones. In 1870 South Dakota did not have a territorial prison. Congress authorized $30,000 dollars to help quarry the stone and build a prison. Here are the remains of the prison.

Up river from the falls

We enjoyed a couple of hours here then we headed out to get some grocery items before we get out to the state park on Sunday afternoon. We stopped at a Wal-Mart and then could not resist a salad at Applebee’s for dinner. When we got back to the KOA Max did laundry and I started watching the Chiefs preseason game against Atlanta. After watching the first quarter, all I can say is it’s going to be a long season….