Chaska, Minnesota, July 13 — Since I was starting the day in Vermillion, I decided that I would forgo anything west. This turned out to be good because US 18 was closed between SD 19 and I-29. Then, when I elected to do I-90 to cross into Minnesota instead of SD 11, I got another break because MN 23 was closed between I-90 and Pipestone.
Route: SD 19, (SD 19A to Centerville), SD 46, I-29, US 18, K12, A18, SD 11, 57th St, Sycamore, SD 42, I-229, I-90, US 75, MN 23, MN 7, MN 22, US 212, MN 41
SD 19A, which runs through Centerville, is one of the few suffixed routes left in South Dakota. The wide shield makes the state outline truer to form.
Aerial photos showed there are two truss bridges across the Big Sioux River, near US 18 and A26. Both were closed, the one near US 18 more recently so.
At Pipestone National Monument I watched the film and walked around the grounds. It was interesting; some dioramas at park HQ looked original to the time it was built (late ’50s/early ’60s) but remained informative.
Pipestone National Monument
MN 23 had “Road Work Next 30 Miles” at the north Pipestone junction. Fortunately it wasn’t that bad, the blacktop-style followed by new, good concrete much later on. It had a couple of random four-lane segments and some one-lane-divided at intersections.
I was making good time, so I headed east on MN 7 to see how close I could get to the Twin Cities. Turns out, the whole way.
New counties so far: 14 (4 NE, 1+1 SD, 8 MN)