The Great Outdoors

I spent a lot of time outside this weekend, although most of it was sitting down. Camping in Yankton which mostly entailed drinking beer, playing bags (some standing), watching food cook, roasting marshmellows (does getting up to replenish my marshmellow supply count as standing?), croquet (definitely included standing), rowing around, and sitting by the water. All without getting sunburnt! I have been camping four times in my life, including this weekend, and they were all essentially car camping. The Lewis & Clark campsite might take the cake for least separation between campsites, as in, no separation in the form of trees, bushes or even that much space. But it was great regardless, so I guess that the powers that be in the SD Parks Department have hit the nail on the head. Or something.

Inspired by our adventurous camping excursion, Nick and I did some more wandering on Sunday. A visit to the illustrious Spink Cafe, a very small town cafe where Jr., the owner, loves Elvis and fried food. Everyone knows each other and I was happy to be wearing my Centerville hat, since it seems to provide coverage from the sun and some SoDak street cred.

We took the backroads to Union County State Park. I always love passing this little bit of topographically interesting and very very green land while on the Interstate. Backroads are even more fun for exploring and made me realize for the millionth time how many layers there are to each place and how impossible it is to really explore a variety of places to their fullest. Just next to the interstate, the roads take you past farmhouses and fields and through tiny towns that may or may not still have any inhabitants. Southeast South Dakota always seems so much more beautiful on the little roads, almost shockingly so. Oh yeah, and Jewels liked it too.
We ventured even further afield to Iowa, where I was swept away by a wind powered school and a short visit to the ice cream capital of the world.
Unfortunately there was no ice cream to be had there because it was graduation, an event so important that even a world capital has to take a breather. Look out East Coasters, I may have found my calling as the official rain gauge of Akron, Iowa.