The original Corn Palace, called "The Corn Belt Exposition" was established in 1892. Early settlers displayed the fruits of their harvest on the building exterior in order to prove the fertility of South Dakota soil. The Palace is redecorated each year with naturally colored corn and other grains and native grasses to make it “the agricultural showplace of the world.” Local artists use 13 different colors or shades of corn to decorate the Corn Palace: red, brown, black, blue, white, orange, calico, yellow and green. All shades of corn are grown in fields around Mitchell!
A different theme is chosen each year by the Corn Festival Committee, and murals are designed to reflect that theme. Ear by ear the corn is nailed to the Corn Palace to create a scene. More than a half million tourists visit the Corn Palace each year. Inside the building is a multi-purpose facility that is used for the annual Corn Festival, sporting events, concerts and private use. In addition, historical photos of each Corn Palace theme are displayed. I took a photo of the 1970 palace photo, and it looks much like I remembered it from that long-ago trip of my youth.
Here is the Corn Palace in 2011:
I took this close-up of the 2011 biker mural on the southeast corner of the building. Hopefully, you can see some of the detail showing the individual corn cobs. What an interesting place.
After a quick visit to the remarkable retail showroom, Cabela's, the World's Foremost Outfitter of hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, we were back on I-90 making our way west across the prairie. They say you can see for 9.6 miles from I-90 to the horizon, and we believe it. In addition to corn fields, we passed thousands of acres of sunflowers. I can't imagine how gorgeous it must be when the flowers are in full bloom! Since we were speeding by at 75 mph, I couldn't get a good photo of the flowers, but not because I didn't try. I just reviewed about a dozen blurry images not worthy of posting -- especially since it takes 12 minutes to upload one photo on this slow internet connection.
We were so pleased to see a change in the scenery as we approached Badlands National Park. A badlands is a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded by wind and water. Canyons, ravines, gullies, hoodoos and other such geological forms are common in badlands. They are often difficult to navigate by foot. Badlands often have a spectacular color display that alternates from dark black/blue coal stria to bright clays of red and yellow. There are a number of well-known badlands in North and South America. I did my best to capture the beauty of this park, but my photos just don't do it justice. I understand the park is simply spectacular just after a rainstorm. The colors must be amazing.
Finally, after 1320 miles, we reached our destination Custer State Park, specifically the Blue Bell Lodge cabin we had reserved for seven days. We were greeted at our cabin by a rather calm wild rabbit who munched on clover while we unpacked and settled in to our new digs. Our spacious cabin has a large living space along with a kitchenette and large bathroom. A big porch and fire pit complete the scene. It has been a quiet, relaxing retreat just filled with wildlife including bighorn sheep, mule deer, white tailed deer, and bison (aka North American Buffalo)...more about that in the Day 4 post!
Our little cabin in South Dakota!< br />
Our rig at Custer State Park.
No comments:
Post a Comment