To WESTERN U.S.!
Sep. 7-10 2022
PART 2
This trip is known as the September Surprise. I-29 near Elk Point, S.D., grants us this incredible speed limit. Surprise!
Another surprise is in store as thick black smoke looms on I-29 near Beresford.
Surprise!
The fire turned out to be a semi burning mercilessly in the southbound lanes. The blaze probably destroyed lots of valuable cargo. (At least it didn't destroy lots of valuable Business As Usual.)
Looking back at the fire.
The Sertoma Park Trail Bridge in Sioux Falls as seen from I-229. It was built in 1906 as a rail bridge and became part of a pedestrian trail.
Another view of the bridge.
A view from Minnesota Avenue of downtown Sioux Falls.
More downtown Sioux Falls.
Phillips Avenue under a rail bridge.
Falls Park is an acclaimed city park in Sioux Falls centered on the falls of the Big Sioux River. Way in the background, you see what appears to be a rail bridge.
In the foreground coming in from the left is a pedestrian bridge over the river. In the background at center has to be the rail bridge over the river.
The beautiful river with the pedestrian bridge.
Keek! Ruins! This is the remains of the 7-story Queen Bee Mill. This flour mill was completed in 1881 but closed after only 2 years. The building burned in 1956. Wikipedia calls it a "ruined mill complex." The magic word! Google Maps calls it the "ruins of a 7-story water mill." The magic word again!
A good view of the falls.
North on Phillips as Falls Park Drive veers off on the right.
West on 8th crossing the Big Sioux River into downtown Sioux Falls. I seem to recall a commercial where somebody rode a skateboard down a steep downtown street in a city that looked like this. I don't know if it was Sioux Falls though.
Looking north from the 8th Street bridge at the Big Sioux River. An arch-like sculpture called the Arc of Dreams spans the riv.
We took a brief tour of Sioux Falls's Cincinnati-like inner-city neighborhoods. This is west on 6th at Main.
Back on I-29 - but not for long!
These animal sculptures were along I-90 near Montrose, S.D. We're also in the midst of one of many construction gauntlets on this trip.
On I-90 approaching Lake Francis Case, a reservoir formed from the Missouri River.
I-90 crosses the widened river using the Lewis & Clark Memorial Bridge, opened in 1974.