June 23, 2013: Onawa, Iowa to Yangton, South Dakota

We got on the road about mid morning, crossing over the Missouri River to Nebraska and following it north along the Lewis and Clark scenic byway into Sioux City, Iowa.  Along the way, we drove through the town of Winnebago, and couldn't resist stopping for a photo.
We hopped on the interstate north so I could hit the South Dakota welcome center and stock up on pamphlets, primarily looking for info on South Dakota golf courses.

We got off the interstate in Vermilion and headed west, following the Missouri River again, which begins to run East-West here.

Just north of Yangton, we stopped at Spirit Mound.  It is a huge natural-made chalk hill in the middle of the prairie.  The Indians had told Lewis and Clark that 18" men lived there and would kill anyone with arrows who approached the hill.

Lewis and Clark hiked the four miles from the Missouri River to the hill to investigate.  They did not find the little men, but did have wonderful views of the surrounding prairie and they got their first glimpse of the massive herds of Buffalo that roamed the plains.  This is the only spot that is documented where Lewis and Clark both stood.  We hiked up the hill on a path through the thick prairie grasses, but we saw no little men or buffalo.

There is a 100 mile stretch along here that is a combination of national and state recreation areas where dams on the Missouri create lakes.  We scored a campsite right on the Lewis and Clark lake and were thinking of taking the kayak out, but it was very breezy and we were tired.  We made a tee time at the local municipal course for the next day.