6 - Bribing the State Trooper

       Sioux Falls, 1978: Stopped at the Taco Villa lounge, had a few beers, deep fried pepper rings, and played a remote-control skeet shooting game. The waitress was very friendly - in fact, she sat at our table and lit a cigarette. Her name was Jenna and we swapped stories. She was raised on a farm with 12 brothers and sisters, but despite our warm invitation and offer to rearrange the back seat of the Giant Artichoke, she didn't want to come with us to California, because she had to work. 

       2018: Drove to Sioux Falls with the harvest moon rising behind me, but the Taco Villa was no more. The bowling alley lounge was hopping, though. As soon as I walked in and sat at the bar to update my blog, and maybe have a Manhattan, a woman looked at me and said, "You look familiar." Could've been Jenna, but this time I didn't press it.

       Finally arrived at the campsite at 1 AM. This was not much more than a square block in Montrose, SD with a few camper and tent sites. I was too tired to set up the tent, and paid for it by being chilled to the bone in the 38 degree night. Much better was the splendid coffee and egg sandwich at the Homestead in Salem, SD, where I chatted up a State Trooper (let's call her "Kendra" for reasons that will become apparent). I asked her what it took to get pulled over in this state, given they had recently raised the speed limit on the interstate to 80. She told me they're "supposed to" write it at 84, but she usually needs a little more to bother turning around to pull someone over. I thanked her for the information and paid for her Americano.

     I avoided the interstate and took South Dakota Route 44 across the state, which cut a ribbon as far as the eye could see, through ranches and farmland, with usually no one else driving in either direction. I passed three police cars coming the other way while I was doing 90, 90, and 85 respectively; they didn't even blink. I guess Kendra put in a good word for me.

     In 1978, Bruce and I took turns gunning the Giant Artichoke. I got it to 107 and he to 108.5. Now if I were so inclined today, I bet my Challenger could go, oh, say, about 125 on SD 44, and that would be without even flooring it. But that is entirely, um, speculative.

      In 1978, somewhere between Sioux Falls and the Missouri River Valley, we stopped at "Mick's," a combination gas station/bakery/bar. We got gas and fresh bread, and the proprietor obligingly let me stand on his back for this attempt to change the name of his establishment to "Nick's." I looked in vain for Mick's this time, though I did see a man in a back brace who shot me an accusatory look.

    I was excited for Lake Francis Case in the Missouri River valley. Here's 1978 and 2018:

The little white chapel in the foreground is gone today, but otherwise it's the same view.

           Unfortunately, I took the same wrong turn this time that I did in 1978, and had to push the car out of the water.

Thank goodness for rear wheel drive.

       In 1978, Bruce and I left route 44 and continued southwest on Route 18 into northern Nebraska, to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation - home of the Oglala Lakota Nation. As Bruce and I sat on the Giant Artichoke and sipped Coors (still a novelty to Easterners back then), I snapped this photo of these adorable girls:

      On a complete longshot, I asked the grizzled proprietor of a local shop if he had any idea who they were. No dice. I drove on to Hot Springs and for once, set up my campground in daylight.

Look! An actual tent! It only took 20 minutes to set up!

Tomorrow: Looking for "Real Fun" in Hot Springs, and "Everything is Crazy in the Cosmos"

           PS,  Notes about photos: (1) I don't do selfies with extended arm. I have, however, become a master at setting up and taking the ten-second timer dash. The Challenger in the water shot was especially, uh, challenging. (2) Kudos to Priceless Preservation in Ann Arbor for their spectacular color restoration of the 1978 photos. They look like they were taken yesterday. (3) The "donut" cartoon is one I sketched from that same era.