June 20, 2017 - Pierre, SD (YRE 768)

The plan was to meet Kate and Marty at the Visitor's Center in Pierre, SD at high noon. We would be driving in from Rapid City in the west, and Kate and Marty would be driving in from Mitchell in the east, and we would meet in Pierre, which is practically in the center of the state, on the east bank of the Missouri River.

Before we get any farther, please know that it is pronounced like PIER or PEER, not PEE-AIR.

We had nearly a 3-hour drive so we left at 9:00 am. We passed through Cottonwood, SD, population 9. There was a lot of infrastructure there for that size population.

Around 10:10 I got a text from Kate saying they were in Pierre. And she had some interesting factoids. Pierre and the eastern half of South Dakota are in the Central Time Zone. Rapid City is in the Mountain Time Zone. The dividing line happens to be the Missouri River. Who knew? Certainly neither one of us knew. You learn something every day. Such a covfefe.

In my defense, I will say that it is not something that is obvious on the map of South Dakota in my road atlas. You can barely find the time zone line even when you know it's there. And, while there were probably close to 100 signs warning us that we were approaching Wall Drug (more on that later), there was nary a one warning us that we were approaching another time zone. There was a very small sign on the bridge over the Missouri that informed us of the change, but it was too little, too late.

The Missouri River, from the Central Time Zone side[/caption]Kate and Marty managed to amuse themselves for the 90+ minutes until our arrival. Upon arriving at the Visitor's Center and reiterating how surprised we were by the time zone line just a stone's throw away, we embarked on the mission of the day: the Pierre volkswalk. As of this trip, Kate has visited all 50 states. This is her 48th state capital volkswalk, and my 40th. Other people (i.e., anyone reading this) may not care, but we care.

So, here's the deal. Pierre is very small (pop. 13,646 in 2010) and not very exciting. Sorry folks, but it just isn't. We did our 5km walk and got out of there as fast as we could. Here are a few pictures.

The Hughes County Courthouse, finished in 1935, in the Public Works Administration Moderne style (I did not make that name up)

The South Dakota State Capitol, completed in 1910. It is based on the Montana capitol building.

Inside the rotunda

Interior of Capitol

The South Dakota Supreme Court is also located inside the Capitol. It was closed, but we peeked in through the glass in the door. There is a very unusual mural behind the bench. At first I thought it was a religious painting, but it is not. It is called Mercy of the Law and shows an angel guarding over the legal process.

"Fighting Stallions" was commissioned to commemorate the loss of the Governor and seven other SD leaders in a 1993 plane crash

Memorial to WWII soldiers

At least there is a quilt shop here! And a buffalo!

Along the banks of the Missouri we found a little cabin that has been used by Girl Scouts since 1929.  Sweet!

On the way back to Rapid City we stopped at Wall, SD, to see the famous Wall Drug Store: 5-cent coffee, free ice water, homemade pie, T. rex, rocks, Western wear, and so much more. Who can resist such cheesiness?

Walk Route: B-

Walk Instructions: B-

June 19, 2017 - Cheyenne, WY (YRE 0002)

The Cheyenne 5km walk started at a very nice "Western wear" shop, pictured below.

This walk was very hard for me. I had not realized that the elevation of Cheyenne is 6062'. I felt lightheaded and lead-footed. It was also hot and dry, and I felt dehydrated the entire time, despite trying to drink lots of water. And then there was my lack of sleep the last night, and achy joints, a side effect from my migraine medicine taken yesterday.

Cheyenne is a small town, population about 60,000. It's pretty clean, but it's old and bland, though they have done a good job of historic preservation in some areas. Here are some of the highlights.

This museum was closed when we walked by

Big Boy is one of eight oversized locomotives built during the 40's. It weighs over one million tons and is so long it is articulated to go around curves.

 

The depot

The centerpiece of Cheyenne is the Capitol building. Unfortunately for us, the building is undergoing renovations and it is not only closed, but surround by a fence. It also looks like they are building more office buildings around it so you won't be able to see its glorious dome from all sides for much longer.

The checkpoint was covered in plywood due to the construction

To make up for not going inside the capitol building we went into the supreme court building, mainly because I needed a bathroom. (Remember the water?)

The Supreme Court and Law Library

One of the fun things about Cheyenne is the series of painted cowboy boots scattered around town.

"Outlaws of Wyoming"

The salmon makes this my favorite

After completing our walk we hit the road because we had a 5-hour drive to our next destination. On the way we drove past Lost Springs, WY - elevation 4996 ft, population 4. Oh, give me a home . . .

Walk Route: B-
Always nice to see a capitol building.

Walk Instructions: D
No map. Some confusing parts, especially at the lake.