road trip across south dakota

last weekend my sister and i loaded up berti and took off across the state of south dakota for our great aunt's funeral. just because, 1. sioux falls has really grown since we were kids 50 years agom(hedged on that a little), 2. we aren't as quick as we used to be, & 3. we don't have our laptop connected to bertie so we can google maps while driving; i bought a gps. we really didn't need to get it to go across the state, but it was extremely helpful in finding various locations within the city: hotel, grave site, church, and bookstore.

i named our gps sheila since she has a female voice and those of you who have a gps know that her favorite word is 'recalculating.' we didn't have time to read all the directions before going so we don't know all her tricks yet.

i was very careful driving to sioux falls. drove 65 most of the way. filled up with gas before starting and actually made it to our hotel without a refill. yeah! go bertie. did have to fill before running around the next day. i think using cruise from the very start was also helpful. my sister is not fond of cruise, but because i have a bone spur in my right foot, the p.a. suggested i use it. so i do. helps my foot! on the way back my sis read commentary from roadside geology of south dakota. all this time i thought all s.d. road engineers had some basic lack of understanding regarding bridge approaches. every one you cross seems to bump up and them bump down. turns out, according the geology book, that most of the roads in the state are build on pierre shale which expands after rains and snow. it also corrodes concrete and metal. somehow the expansion is uneven around bridges (more concrete in the supports) which causes the bridges to rise up or fall depending on the moisture in the shale...hence the bumpy approaches on bridges. many of the roads are not concrete but asphalt because of better stretchability.

anyway, i became so involved with looking at roadside geology sites i forgot to watch the gas tank. what with running around sioux falls after my fill up and going just a little bit faster going home, bertie ran out of gas about 10 miles from home. had to call a nephew to come and rescue us. so embarrassing. i cannot even remember the last time i ran out of gas.

one unexpected pleasure, besides visiting with all the relatives, was the gift of a loki zip up jacket. i was standing with just a sweater on in the mist and chill around the grave site and my cousin came up with one of his jackets and loaned it to me. i gave it back as i thought it was a loan, but it came back to me with a lecture about never driving around without being adequately prepared.....jacket and sleeping bag in the car. if you have never seen a loki product, check out lokiusa. my nephew designs and markets the clothing line.

he and my daughter must have some gene in common. she recently gave me the lecture about wearing seat belts; not just on trips but also around town. my sis and i have done better. it is almost like we can hear her voice every time we get into the car. i could not repeat exactly what she said, but she did make an impression. now we will also make sure to have something to keep us warm in the car also. i already have two fold up chairs, a small tool kit, a swiss army knife, flashlight, and i always carry my phone when i drive.