Lewis and Clark State Park, Yankton Section CG, Yankton, SD

Date:  Monday August 15 – Monday August 22, 2016 (7 nights)

Rate:  $20/night (plus $30 year or $6 day car pass)

Website:  Lewis and Clark Recreation Area State Park (SD)
   43349 SD Hwy 52
   Yankton, SD 57078
   605-668-2985

Description:  Located in the south east tip of South Dakota on Lewis and Clark Lake (Missouri River).  This is a huge cg with over 400 sites divided into four sections.  All roads and sites are paved with electric only hook up.  We stayed on site 362 which is 50A but most sites are 30A.  Fill up your fresh tank at the dump station before going to your site because there are very few accessible spigots near the camp sites.  The Yankton Section (about 100 sites) is same day reservation only (first come, first serve).  There are several swim areas along the shore and a couple of boat ramps.  Several cabins are available for reservation and a separate Marina and Resort are next to the cg.  About any activity you can think of is available here, such as disc golf, soccer, basketball, archery, one mile nature trail, six mile bike trail and boat rentals for the large lake.

Trash and Recycle:  Several dumpsters in the cg with recycle bins for drink cans sponsored by BSA.

Activities:  Yankton (pop 15,000) has about all the conveniences needed to make your stay here pleasant.  Even though this is a huge cg, there’s plenty of space between sites.  The bathhouse was modern and clean so we both took showers there to easily stretch our tanks.  I got my exercise by riding the bike on the paved six mile bike trail and walked the one mile nature trail.  We did manage to go to the COE Lewis and Clark Visitors Center to get a little history of the area.  They have nice displays about fallout shelters and the Missouri River history.  We saw deer across from our site just about every day along with one day visits from wild turkey.

 

New neighbors in the hood

 

On site 362

 

Hail storm... several were golf ball size

 

Gavins Point boat ramp                              Large swim beach

 

White cliffs of Nebraska (Chalk Stone Bluffs)

   

Bike trail near the waterfront

   

Sharing the wooded part of the bike trail

 

Gavins Point Dam and Powerplant            COE Lewis and Clark Visitor Center

 

Sleeping and pooping in Fallout Shelters

 

Early history of the Missouri River            History of Louisiana Purchase and exploration

   

At the helm of a steamboat

 

Powerplant and Lake history                      View of dam and lake from VC

   

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood… on the nature trail

 

Interpretive shelter at the top of the hill… nice view!

Stokes Thomas Lake City Park, Watertown, SD

Date of Stay:  Monday August 1 – Monday August 8, 2016 (7 nights)

Rate:  $21/night

Website:  Stokes Thomas Lake City Park
   90 South Lake Drive
   Watertown, SD 57201
   605-882-6264

Description:  Located on Lake Kampeska near Watertown off I-29 in eastern SD.  We stayed on site 1 which is a long pull thru with a distant view of the sizeable lake.  There are about 70 non-reservable sites all with W/E (50A), a couple of playgrounds, one dumpstation, a boat launch and an impressive Veterans Memorial.  The roads are paved while the sites are dirt/gravel.

Trash and Recycle:  A few large trash bins spread throughout the cg with bins for drink cans for Disabled American Veterans.

Activities:  Watertown is a nice sized place (22,000 pop.) so we caught up on some shopping at Walgreens, Walmart, Menards and Runnings.  We ate out quite often too.  There is a bike path around the park that goes into town but it was exposed next to the road and hilly in the other direction.  We did ride around in the park though.  While checking out the Veterans Memorial, I met Laurel Foss who had the vision and drive to create the nicest memorial in a small town that I’ve ever seen.  He is a Korean War Army Veteran and it made my day to chat with him.  One day we went to the Terry Redlin Art Center near I-29 in Watertown.  It is a definite “must see” when in the area and free also.  It displays over 150 of his original oil paintings.  A native of Watertown, Redlin (1937 - 2016) was voted America’s Most Popular Artist 9 years in a row for his “Americana” style of painting.  We’ve had several of his works as puzzles.  There’s more to do in town such as Bramble Park Zoo and Mellete House (last governor of Dakota Territory and first governor of South Dakota) but we enjoyed just hanging out in the park and watching the Olympics.

 

On site 1

 

Our view of Lake Kampeska                       Beautiful sunset on the lake

 

Map of the park                                         Self check-in

 

Gravel beach

 

Boat launch                                             Entry to the cg

 

View from the road                                  View from the parking lot

   

       Thank You for Protecting Our Flag                                                           Freedom Isn’t Free

 

                                      Memorial Wall                           All Gave Some     Some Gave All

 

AH-1F Bell Cobra Helicopter

 

Terry Redlin Art Center                               Original chair and easel

 

Love the way his art is displayed

 

The Colors of Spring 1997                             Evening Solitude 1989