Day 2: Waterloo, Iowa to Nemo, SD Day 3: Nemo, SD and Sturgis, SD

On the first night of our trip, it rained. I love the sound of rain on the roof of the Scamp at night. The sound of rain on the windshield, however, is a different story. Today it rained almost all day. I guess it is good in a way because we planned to be in the truck all day anyway, but the rain plus the long drive is even more tiring.  Clearly Scout didn't mind it! 

On our way to our destination for the next two nights we saw a few interesting things. I made Kevin follow the signs to the Corn Palace in Mitchell, Iowa so that we could at least see the outside of the building. It is being "touched up" a bit at the moment, but it was still interesting to see the giant murals all made from corn. 

We also had a déjà vu moment when Kevin randomly pulled off of the highway to refuel only to discover we were at the same exit of the motel we stayed at on our first visit to South Dakota two summers ago. The same dog greeted us when I we pulled into the parking lot to snap a picture! 

Eventually we found Nemo (Ha! Ha! We found Nemo!). A small town nestled in to rolling hillsides and towering pine trees. 

I knew even before we pulled into the campsite that we were going to love it. The vibe of the area just felt right. But I couldn't have imagined what a storybook setting we were about to enter.

Dalton Lake Campground has 10 sites. When we pulled in to the loop there were several to choose from, but by he time we left the lake two days later every spot was taken. I can see why. The small lake surrounded by towering pine trees is picturesque. Serene. Soothing. The gray sky cast a misty fog on the whole area which made it feel even more magical. 

We decided to stay at Dalton Lake for two nights. After exploring the area for a bit the first night we settled into the Scamp to get some rest.

Kevin woke bright and early the next morning and took Scout for a hike while Reno and I slept in for a bit longer. When I finally got out of bed, I discovered that the rain had moved on and was replaced by sunshine. 

Scout returned from the hike with Kevin soaking wet and excited but worn out. Scout swam in the lake and stream and Kevin used the hillside to continue to train him to retrieve. He seems to love the outdoors as much as we do. 

We decided to head into Sturgis for an hour or so to explore and grab some lunch. Most days this town is quiet and calm. However, the famous motorcycle rally is held here each year and the town population explodes to several hundred thousand people. The rally isn't until August, but the town is already preparing. We wandered through the streets for a bit (where Scout was even invited into a store to shop as well). 

We found a food truck selling BBQ with two small tables in front of it and decided to eat lunch. Ribs and pulled pork with Cokes. Delicious. 

We think Scout is pretty cute...but we are his owners...so that is to be expected. What I didn't expect is how much attention he gets everywhere we go. He got a kiss from a uniformed soldier who came into town when one of their military vehicles needed a tow, a man poured a bottle of water into his own hands and gave it to Scout to drink, and he gets belly rubs and pats constantly. I was nervous abut bringing a puppy on such a long road trip, but so far he has been doing great! I think all the attention is helping quite a bit! 

We returned to our campsite where Kevin spent the afternoon catching more than a dozen Rainbow Trout and giving fishing tips to a high schooler camping with his family at an adjacent campsite. He kept coming over to our site to ask Kevin questions about bait and where to cast and how long to cast. I could help but think that even when he isn't in the classroom, Kevin finds ways to teach. And this time he got to put that Wildlife Biology degree to good use! Even cuter than that exchange was when Kevin hired a group of four Boy Scouts who...and I quote...said..."We are Boy Scouts. We are happy to help!" to fill up one of our water containers at the water pump and then deliver it to our site (the site next to theirs). When Kevin handed each of them their dollar you would have thought it was a hundred dollar bill. 

That's one of the things I love about our trips. They reaffirm the kindness of people in general. The people who approach to ask to pet Scout. The people in neighboring campsites who are there because they share the same love for nature as we do. The people who stop to ask where we are from and offer advice for what to do while we are in town. The ones who are "happy to help."

Our two days at Dalton Lake Campground were calming and energizing at the same time. They were amazing, but I'm certain that even better days are ahead.