Great to be out on the road again today. Crossed into South Dakota, which is the sixth state I've ridden in so far on this tour (Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota).
I am staying tonight with a warm showers host in Vermilion. He is one of the few warm showers hosts in South Dakota and I am fortunate he is here because there are severe thunderstorms forecast all night tonight and heavy rain all day tomorrow. He has been kind enough to offer me a bed in that house located just off the University of South Dakota campus that he is remodeling. I plan to take the day off tomorrow and tour the famous music/musical instrument museum at the University of South Dakota campus.
I passed the Lewis and Clark campsite in elk point, SD. It was here or near here that the Corps of discovery elected a new sergeant, Patrick Gass, an expert carpenter, to replace the deceased Sgt. Floyd.
It is interesting that the crew had an election, rather than some kind of an executive order from Lewis and Clark, to select the replacement sergeant. It is believed to be the first US election held west of the Mississippi River and Clark's slave, York, was a accorded a full vote.
Gass was the last surviving member of the Corps of Discovery when he died in 1870, at the ripe old age of 98. At age 91, he attempted to enlist to fight for the Union in the Civil War.
My warm showers host told me I should be careful of rattlesnakes when camping in central South Dakota. Duly noted.
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