South Dakota Earth Day, Moore, Vermillion
It's damn cold in South Dakota in the Winter and in the other three seasons the bugs are, to quote Meriwether Lewis of Lewis and Clark expedition fame; "the mosquitos are the worst I have ever seen". (By the way, the Indians called Lewis, "zombie", for his appearance, and Clark, "turkey head", for his shock of red hair.) So why would anyone in their right mind live in South Dakota?
Vermillion, the home of the University of South Dakota, is on a high bluff overlooking the Missouri river as it meanders along the Nebraska/South Dakota border. Because of the river, our climate is a bit different from the rest of the state, we usually are warmer than the surrounding areas and we, for sure, are more humid. Thanks to the Army Corps of Engineers, the Missouri river from here to well into Montana is controlled by a series of five of the world's largest dirt- embankment dams. These man-made reservoirs team with fish; salmon, sanger, walleye, perch, bass and below the Lewis and Clark lake at Yankton, paddlefish. (As an aside, until you have witnessed the fishing frenzy of hundreds of fishermen standing shoulder to shoulder for hours on end, snagging paddlefish during the less than 10 day season in early October, you haven't experienced South Dakota. This year (1996)the record paddlefish weighed in at 78 pounds with other weighing 74, 66, 58 and 50 to mention a few. As to be expected, when the Government gets involved, they screw up the fun. In their great wisdom and lust for funds, they issued special permits for paddlefish this year. Just about killed the thrill and excitement as the numbers of fishermen dropped precipitously.
Thanks to the Department of Agriculture, through their programs intended to protect fragile lands, we have an abundance of game. Last November when I was winterizing my sailboat, I heard what sounded like turkeys. Fourteen hens and a couple of toms were just passing through and as I was on top the boat, they never knew I was there, just kept on picking and scratching. (Winter storage for my 23' O'Day on a hill-top overlooking the lake at "Country Jim's", nice touch don't you think.) Deer are moving at this time of the year and its not uncommon to see three or more on the road, in fact, the state puts up red warning flags at popular crossings to warn drivers. I saw three killed in less than one-hundred yards near the Jim river.
There are several hundred sailboats in the area but the Lewis & Clark is seldom crowded since the lake is two to five miles wide by about 30 miles long (this is smaller of the five lakes). Believe me we have plenty of wind it seldom doesn't blow 15 to 25 miles/hr. (Sorry, we don't use knots, kilometers or kilograms out here. You can convert: 15 miles/hr = 17 knots) We have two marinas, Yankton and Wiegand ($4 million upgrade in progress.)
Not far from Yankton, SD and Crofton, Nebraska are the Ashfall fossil beds. These beds are the result of a volcanic eruption well back in history that encapsulated the remains of horses, elephants, rhinos and other animals intact. Since it is only couple hours drive any one interested in fossils will be amazed at the work that the State of Nebraska has done in opening this deposit to the public. For more on Ashfall try, Fossils.
The nice thing about Vermillion is that it lies smack dab in the middle of a "technology belt" that runs along the Iowa-South Dakota border. Those crazy balloons in the NYC's Thanksgiving parade are made here in South-Dakota (even the one that got away this past parade). We have three computer manufacturers here, Gateway being the largest. A company just across the Iowa border does embryo transplants for those who like to see a practical side to biotechnology and of course the USD medical school in conjunction with the hospitals in Sioux Falls and Sioux City keep us patched up when the need arises. People work and we make things in South Dakota. After seeing laser machine tools slice through quarter-inch steel plate cutting intricate computer driven designs, you come to appreciate just how far this once rural area has become.
Vermillion is a small town. Our house which is on the Register of Historic Sites is on the corner across from the post office and our bank is on one of the other corners. Our printer and two hardware stores are cat-a-corner from the house. Best of all the OK barbershop is just down the block and underground on the corner of Main Street (just the place to learn about the "new" bridge linking Vermillion to the Nebraska side of the Missouri). The library is one block East and most of the churches are in easy walking distance. Last summer we had a problem: one of the lumber yards kept putting off billing us for supplies, finally had to ask for the bill.
Now, the University is something else. Nice to have a good library with about the best computer services available anywhere (this page is possible through their assistance and that of the Computer Science Department and Computer Services.) I'm partial to the Art Department. Just about the best instructors in ceramics, sculpture and print-making you can find. But, if music's your thing, you can't go wrong. (Got to mention our Shrine to Music Museum which is internationally recognized as having a collection of instruments unequaled in the United States --- that's right East Coast, unequaled! And in the same breath, the Over Museum has a collection of early frontier photographs that just amaze --- how could anyone with a simple camera take pictures like these?
If its food you want, let me recommend Wimp's in Burbank, their all you can eat spaghetti and meatball Thursday night special includes a big salad for $3.50 and the spaghetti sauce is gooood. How do they do that you ask? They sell a lot of beer! And then, there's Bunyan's if you want good-tasting fried walleye, and Toby's in Meckling for fried chicken (They advertise shrimp but I don't know anyone that actually bought any.) Emma's is recommended to those that like their veggies. Can't beat Shellie's coffee at where else, The Coffee Shop Gallery. And if that's not enough, her pita sandwiches are unbelievable. Bimbo's is a great hamburger joint. The best kept secret is the dinner theaters in the area. The little town of Scotland to our West lays out a real dinner spread with their plays. Our Shrine to Music's last offering was a mystery with audience-participation produced by a troop from Omaha/Lincoln.
Hope this gives you a flavor of South Dakota. The one thing I didn't mention is that what we don't have is a lot people. So why don't you come visit?
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