South Dakota

I haven’t yet had the opportunity to really stop and explore the sacred region out here, but I’ve heard its call and will return eventually –maybe to re-green it.

 

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Table of Contents:

  1. Phase 1
  2. Phase 2
  3. Phase 3
  4. Best Hotels
  5. Nicest Neighborhoods
  6. Vegan Restaurants and Shops
  7. Ancient Ruins
  8. Other Sites
  9. Additional Notes
  10. General Images

 

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Phase 1:

I pushed through the sacred vast Badlands here, sensing there was much hidden out in and below them.  The view during that evening and dusk period was like that on an alien desert world.  There is vision-quest potential all over the place in this realm, and plenty of tribes who’ve maintained ancient secrets it was nearly time for.

 

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Phase 2:

My next pass through was not north to south, but west to east; I drove down through the Black Hills and saw three bald eagles flying right beside and above my Jeep.  I stopped to see Mt. Rushmore and then passed through Rapid City on my way out and down across the hundreds of miles of open plains.  Rapid City reminded me way too much of dreary poop-brown Fort Worth, though, and I can see why one of my old bosses was so determined to join the Air Force and fly the hell away from there as fast as the fighter-jets of his time could.

Update:  I’ve learned about Sturgis, the giant motorcycle 10-day event which has sometimes almost doubled the population of this state during its annual recurrences.  I don’t yet know if I’ll check it out, but it’s certainly a decent place to scout.  We’ll see what happens.

 

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Phase 3:

There is a tribeswoman or Native princess somewhere out in this land calling to me, if ever so faintly and sweetly.  When she makes direct contact, I will return, likely living with the original tenants of this region as I did with the Crow people of eastern Montana nearby.  Based on what I’ve been finding in the Grand Canyon and across desert expanses elsewhere around the world, there is likely an American equivalent of Jordan‘s Petra here, too.  I’ll take my Native American sweethearts with me to find and explore whatever is still discernible.

 

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Best Hotels:

Hotel Hartington

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Terry Peak Chalets

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more TBA

 

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Nicest Neighborhoods:

TBA

 

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Vegan Restaurants and Shops:

Sioux Falls:

  • CRAVE American Kitchen & Sushi Bar (Hilton Garden Inn – Sioux Falls)
  • Daily Clean Food and Drink
  • Sanaa’s Gourmet Mediterranean

EXTREMELY disappointing lack of appropriate restaurants in this state

 

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Ancient Ruins:

  • Wind Cave national park:  “densest” (most spacious/complex) cave in the (unclassified) world
  • whatever is under the cities/downtowns
  • probably something under/in Mt Rushmore

more TBA

 

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Other Sites of Interest:

more tba

 

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Additional Notes:

TBA

 

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General Images:

gallery (until my photos of expeditions to this land are uploaded here, see these)

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video