Traveling Into My Ancestral Lands

My father's family is concentrated in one geographic area, but my Mom's family is spread out over the US, especially in California and Oklahoma, but I also have maternal relatives in Florida, Indiana, Missouri, Oregon, and South Dakota, plus I was born in Kansas. As we left Texas and the total eclipse behind, we took a path through some of the places where I have family history and relatives. Our first stop was my Mom's early hometown, Chickasha, Oklahoma.

I missed the welcome to Oklahoma sign.

A classic diner in town. Only one row of counter seating.

Too many fries?

A classic old movie house.

Downtown.

Breakfast and lattes at Viridian Coffee.

Books for sale, sorted by color.

I think every coffee shop should have this.

Blueberry muffin and an oat milk latte.

Harness the wind on the plains.

A typical farm set up for this region.

From Oklahoma, we continued into Kansas, to the town of Manhattan. My parents spent a year here before I was born. I could imagine them here, doing the same chores that I was doing around town. I did laundry and the grocery shopping, since we had a full day here. We also took in the majesty that is the Konza Tallgrass Prairie from the overlook. I found that I reveled in the high winds. A strong thunderstorm (with tornado warning) was blowing in, and the constant wind enveloped me as I looked over the tall grass. Feeling the air press into my skin was invigorating. It was meditative; I was completely present in the moment.

Welcome to Kansas.

Sunset from A&H Farm where we stayed on our first night.

Cows in the field.

Downtown Manhattan.

Laundry day in town.

The information board at Konza.

They built quite a shelter using the local sandstone.

Russ likes a good view.

Tallgrass Prairie with impending storm.

Wind selfie with grass.

Kansas using the sunflower motif for everything.

The field next to our trailer on our second night.

The storm was epic. Lots of lightning and thunder so loud and constant it seemed like we were inside a timpani. The cat was remarkably unbothered. 

Our next stop was with some of my distant maternal relatives near Vermillion, South Dakota. We spent one night at Valient Vineyards in Vermillion, and two nights with my mom's cousin and her husband on their farm. Russ described the whole experience as "a delight," and he's not wrong. I haven't see her for about 20 years, so we spent a lot of time catching up. The next day I had some quality wifi and time to complete our travel plans. I made reservations at every campsite all the way home! It was frustrating for awhile, since so many places in South Dakota were still closed for the season.

Russ and I also took a quick side trip to Sioux City, Iowa to get the oil changed in the truck, and another side trip to Sioux Falls. I was so impressed with the falls. Pink quartzite and many cascades are surrounded by a lovely park and the remains of the old mill buildings. I think I took enough photos... maybe.

Murals were common in Sioux City.

More public art.

Russ looks over the Missouri River.

The splash pad fountain at Chris Larsen City Park.

The Mulberry Bend Overlook (on the Nebraska side of the Missouri River).

More at Mulberry Bend.

There were trails, too.

Welcome to South Dakota.

My 3rd cousin.

Dinner at the homestead.

Finishing the travel planning at the dining table.

Sioux Falls. Just Wow.

Sioux Falls.

Sioux Falls.

Sioux Falls.

I love the pink stone framing the water.

This is a railroad bridge, not for pedestrians.

Russ gets a close in shot.

Another cascade.

I was impressed with the park.

Family.

The old farm structures are still in use.

Plans for improvement with reclaimed wood.

Our spot on the farm.

I'm so happy to be in South Dakota. It's a new state for me, and I'm enjoying it so far, even though the weather has been unstable and cold. It has it's own beauty of wind and sky. It's grand and graceful. I miss the mountains, but not as much as I expected.