PIERRE, SD - THAT'S PIER, NEVER PEE-AIR!

September 19 – 21, 2010

After leaving Hart Ranch we stopped at a Flying J station on I-90 for fuel and to take advantage of their low price on propane. With the extremely cold weather we are burning more propane in the furnaces, so “fill-‘er-up.” This is an exceptional station, neat and clean and easy to maneuver around, we give it four stars!

Continuing east on I-90 we left the interstate just past Wall (of Wall Drug fame) and continued on US14, one of the “blue roads”, two lanes of asphalt pavement in the rolling hills of South Dakota where we could easily maintain our 60 to 65 mph speed. There was virtually no traffic, better pavement and interesting things to see on the way. There are a few small towns to slow down for but most were closed down for Sunday. How can they have towns with only 12 people? The signs alone would be too expensive.


Griffin Park Campground



Although the weather was overcast, it was dry and comfortable so we were soon entering our destination of Pierre, SD. Now you do not call it Pee-air, that’s French; it is Pier or better yet Peer! Thanks to the website, RV Reviews, we found the Griffin Park City Campground at about 750 Washington St. for an easier access for motorhomes. It is a very nice park with 16 neatly laid out graveled sites overlooking the Missouri River; there were no other coaches at all; so we had the place to ourselves.

Monday we made it to the Visitors Center to get some information on how we should spend our one day in Pierre. First on our list was the Corps of Engineers Oahe Dam just a few miles upstream from the city. This is an earthfill dam, and is the 14th largest dam of its type with a reservoir that backs up over 250 miles, well into North Dakota; quite impressive.

The Power Plant and Surge Towers

Unfortunately, the tour of the power house was not available after Labor Day so we missed out on that.

Back in the city, we went to the beautiful State Capitol Building that was completely restored to new or better than new condition in the 1980’s in preparation for the 1989 Centennial Celebration of the State of South Dakota and now the 2010 - 100 year anniversary of this impressive State Capitol building.

The South Dakota Capitol Building

The main floor features a rotunda with domed ceiling and with a beautiful white marble grand staircase to the second floor. The third floor is dominated by the Senate and House Chambers which were closed to the public but we were able to see them from the 4th floor galleries.

The white marble Grand Staircase







All in all, it is a most impressive capitol, and especially for a rather small state.











Looking up at the Dome



To the East of the building is Capitol Lake featuring three war memorials, one each for veterans of WWII, Korea and Vietnam.

Many featured bronze statues of the brave soldiers, sailors and airmen from South Dakota who died in these campaigns.

One of the reasons that Pierre appealed to me goes back over 30 years when we bought a beautiful Beechcraft Model 33 (that’s a straight tailed Bonanza) N615V from a group in Skaneateles, NY.


Our beautiful Beechcraft

After a short indoctrination flight I was thrilled to get into this high performance and very fast aircraft that was not only quick but gorgeous as well. The first thing in the morning I was off heading west toward home and planned my first fuel stop at Grand Rapids, MI. Arriving at Grand Rapids I called the tower and was cleared to enter downwind for landing. But, as I flipped the switch to lower the landing gear nothing happened, nothing at all! I called the tower back and explained my predicament as I pulled out of the pattern. The controller had a colleague who was familiar with the Beechcrafts and suggested that there was a hand crank behind the seat that would lower the gear. I found the hand crank and leaning backwards over the seat started cranking away, flying the plane with my other hand. After what seemed like a million cranks the “gear down and locked” lights came on although I didn’t know whether to trust them or not. Back in the pattern I set the plane down very gingerly and the gear held ------- whew! Refueled, and running a bit late, I took off on the next leg of my journey crossing Lake Michigan which is a lot wider than it looks on charts. Soon I was on top of a cloud layer and figured my next stop would have to be Pierre, SD, but first I had to get below the cloud layer, I checked my charts and selected an area that had flat land and no indicated obstructions. Letting down on instruments without benefit of a formal approach or clearance I was soon under the cloud layer in murky skies with rain, still on course to Pierre. As I approached Pierre the sun broke out and I was in severe clear skies and after cranking the gear down again I was able to make an excellent landing. I then found a nearby motel and after eating (I was starving, having had nothing to eat the whole day, not even breakfast!), I called Frannie to report my situation, and went to bed after a harrowing day.



Back at San Carlos Airport



The next morning I was all ready to go but when I opened the door I found the whole world socked in a heavy fog, but the fellows at the airport assured me that it would lift by 10 am. 10am came and went with no improvement in the flying conditions; finally about 1pm it had cleared enough to take off and continue my flight toward my San Carlos, CA, home base which required only one more stop at Elko, NV. Of course I had broken many safety rules that day by flying the aircraft with a known fault and then flying through a cloud deck without a clearance. All legitimate faults but I am older and hopefully wiser now!
Our next destination is Prior Lake, MN, to visit a couple of old friends who are no longer on the road, but we will make a stop first at Brookings, SD. So that will be all for now.


Bye folks!