Skip to main content

Sioux Falls

 Neither Mark nor I had ever seen the Sioux Falls of South Dakota. When we made our semi trip to Sioux City, we decided we would try to make a trip back up to see the falls. Mark enjoys a rest and relaxation getaway, and so do I!. With the crops all planted and things settled on the farm for now, we decided to go for a Thursday and Friday evening. We arrived in Sioux Falls where I lined up a massage for Mark. Afterwards, we checked into our hotel and took a walk along the bike path. We ate at Carnaval Brazilian grill restaurant. My friend Jess highly recommended it. She didn't tell me any details, and we really enjoyed it. It was a whole experience in itself. The restaurant was done up so nice and had an interesting and fancy décor. We were seated, our waiter gave us a thorough rundown on the proper procedure and a little history, then we could go through the salad bar. That alone was like a buffet with various choices. The "Gauchos" walked around serving 18 different cuts of meat as much and as often as we wanted. Our job was just to flip our coaster to green when we wanted more, and red when we needed to stop. It was all you can eat steak, pork, chicken, shrimp, lamb, and all were amazing at that. The Gauchos brought the food on a rod and cut it right in front of you. It was amazing. There was also an all you can eat salad, vegetables, soup, charcutier board, and fried bananas. You could not possibly go away hungry. I was mind blown at the people we sat by that ordered dessert at the end of the meal. Impossible for me! 





Friday was our full day in Sioux Falls. We planned to ride bikes, see the falls, and visit museums. It was cold, really cold. I had planned for sunny and 70's. It was 40 in the morning with 52 for the high. I only packed one sweatshirt. I piled on several shirts under that and found some mittens in the car. We skipped the bike ride and went to the falls. After just a short time we both agreed we could come back in the morning before we head out of town, the forecast was looking much better. We went to a museum where we learned lots of history of the stockyards, packing plant, city, falls, and native Indians. We then visited a museum of Mr. Richard Pettigrew. The museum was his mansion Queen Anne style historic home of Victorian elegance. We enjoyed learning history and facts of the area. I enjoyed the falls, they were really neat and there was a beautiful area with grass and paths. On Saturday morning, the sun came out and it was a beautiful morning. We returned to the falls and really enjoyed the walk and sights along with many other tourists. The Sioux Quartzite is among the oldest rock exposed in South Dakota. The falls were rushing with water and beautiful to see. We can check that off the bucket list.





Originally built in 1889 for Thomas and Jenny McMartin, the home was bought in 1911 by South Dakota's first senator, R.F. Pettigrew. An amateur archaeologist and world traveler, Pettigrew amassed a collection of artifacts including stones tools, Native American clothing, natural history specimens, and objects related to the settlement of Sioux Falls. Upon his death in 1926, Pettigrew left his home to the city of Sioux Falls to serve as a museum of the history of the city and the state. A final addition was added to the house in the 1930s, completing Pettigrew's vision for the house

With Okoboji being on the route home, Mark came up with the idea to eat at his favorite breakfast place, The O'Halloran Sisters. We don't know how long this little diner will be in existence. It was the first diner in Okoboji (1949)and still going strong with the most amazing breakfasts. We had a late brunch around 12:30 and it was delicious. We also did a little reminiscing and took a walk along pebble beach. We named it that from when Jake was a little guy. He loved that beach and gave it the name one summer when we stayed at the Okoboji Inn. The kids are all grown now, and the Inn has recently been demolished. It was sad to see such a famous iconic Inn go. It was the first built in 1896 with so much history. The 82 acre area of land had both an indoor and outdoor pool, a restaurant, a golf course, 130 units that faced the shore.  In 2018 30 buildings were demolished and in it's place, now sits one big millionaire's home.  How very unfortunate. We love to remember the days gone by. Sometimes change is hard, but I am glad for the memories!











Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Volleyball

Jake  went with Karen after school and to the field. My mom, Luke and I went to Jayden’s  Volleyball game in Coon Rapids.  They played 4 games all losses. They were not having a good serving night and that really hurt them.  Still enjoy watching them learn.

Treasures

 In the morning we took 3 of our 4 cats to the vet for shots. The 4 th cat decided to wander this morning missing his appointment. On our way out, we passed a rummage sale and stopped. We got some major treasures for next to nothing. The church ladies were so fascinated with Jacob's interest in old radios and televisions. They just adored him and marked the prices way down and gave him some for free. We loaded up on kids books, got some board games, and a few other treasures. Jake ended up with a mini  television , an old radio and Polaroid camera. After lunch the boys went straight to the field. My friend Carolyn and her daughter Tabby came to ride horses. What started out to be a chilly day 45, turned out nice and sunny. We had coats on, but it was a great day to ride. We rode through our hay patch and along the waterway near the highway. It was a great way to spend the afternoon.

Dayton Fun Show

 It has been cold and windy for the past week, highs of 45. Today the sun was shinning and it got up to 60. There was one final horse show for the season at the Dayton arena. We took Jayden and Jacob while Luke went with Grammer and Po and was supposed to come later. It was a fun show geared for practice and the kids. Jake did really well on Winnie, he rode in walk and trot, barrels, and poles. He did some loping. Jayden did pleasure, milk can, barrels, poles, and a jumping event. Her horse Tex really jumps high for the jump event. Down in the arena, there was'nt any wind and the sun came out. It made for a nice day.