near Dimock, South Dakota

Today was a very, very, very windy day in South Dakota. Not occasional gusts, either, but this incredible, ever-present south wind that made it difficult to operate car doors and take steady photographs. An elderly gentleman in Irene told me that it's usually windy there - but not always this windy - and sometimes more windy. I just smiled.

I do have to say that I like south-eastern South Dakota a lot. There are a lot of narrow gravel roads and wide open spaces to explore, plus the huge skies are fantastic. It feels good to get out on the road for a few days towards some place new.

I am spending the night in Mitchell, home of the world famous Corn Palace, many souvenir stands and cowboy-themed restaurants. Mitchell is an easy day's drive from the Black Hills on I-90 and attracts more than its share of tourists this time of the year. Tomorrow I'll be headed towards the state capital of Pierre and Lake Oahe.

The image above was edited with Nik Software's Snapseed on my iPad. It's a nifty app, although the iPad's limitations make it difficult to post to Blogger via the device. I eventually emailed the edited image back to myself and created this post on my dreadfully slow netbook.

Also visited: Riverside, Iowa. Hub City, Volin, Menno, Olivet, Tripp and Parkston, South Dakota.