Our Route

Below is our photo essay on our 10 day, 2,500 mile trip from Wichita out to the Black Hills region of South Dakota, with some interesting side ventures along the way. Virginia gets the credit for the overall idea, with Ken doing the detailed planning. Perhaps this was not a “normal” vacation but some measures, but we had an absolute blast and would highly recommend the area to anyone so inclined. If you want to see the map a bit better, just click on it. (That also applies to most of the pictures below too.)

Gavin’s Point Dam near Yankton SD

Day One was almost a straight through drive due north out of Wichita. The first and only “touristy” stop on our 487 mile 10 hour drive was Gavin’s Point Dam / Lewis + Clark Lake near Yankton SD. This was a true “egg” in that we didn’t even know about it until we were studying the map en-route.

Lewis + Clark Visitor Center at Gavin’s Point Dam near Yankton SD

The Corp of Engineers Visitor Center looked gorgeous from the outside (our tax dollars at work!), but since it was still technically pre-season and after 4:30PM it wasn’t open.

Lewis + Clark Lake near Yankton SD

The Lewis + Clark Lake is formed by the Gavin’s Point Dam on the Missouri River.

Marina on Lewis + Clark Lake near Yankton SD

There is a tremendous recreational area surrounding the lake and apparently most of the seasonal residents are from the Minneapolis / St. Paul area.

Lewis + Clark Lake near Yankton SD

Yes, it really was that blue. I’d like to go back someday and explore it more.

Best Deal of Trip, Mitchell SD

Overall we paid an average of $2.79 for the 117 gallons of gas we used, so this station in Mitchell SD was QUITE a deal.