Midland, SD

I can’t even begin to describe where I am. I will post pictures later, and I have to remember I am in mountain time. This puts my posts coming on later than what others have seen before. I went to a couple of places today. One was “closed”, but it would be. It’s too early in the season for a camping site to be open here in Minnesota and South Dakota. Kilen State Park was about 12 miles off the beaten path from I-90. The wind was wicked today. The muscles are tensed when trying to keep the car straight on the road. That wasn’t much of an issue, but man it kicked my butt today. Then, getting back on I-90, easy, smooth, straight, I ended up in Mitchell, SD….The home of the Corn Palace. I have been here before and wanted to get postcards for all of my peeps. Watch for those coming at you! Then, I am sitting in my car, realizing it was going to get real warm in temperature today…it hit 71 degrees here in South Dakota, and sunny; what a huge treat. I thought I was going into really cold weather. I get an apple out, peanut butter, and snack away. I am parked by a pet store in Mitchell thinking, “I should just get a dog”….wow…no way am I doing that right now. What I want is a companion on my trip and wouldn’t a dog be the best way to do that? Maybe one day…I text my daughter in between bites and she agreed, puppy was cute, but maybe not the right time. I giggle a little and wonder what that would do to our cat, Mila. She’d hate the new dog. I finish up my apple and pull out my phone and think to myself, “How much longer should I drive, where can I stay tonight, and how do I make this really memorable?” I pull up all hotels between Mitchell, SD and Mt. Rushmore….bam! Technology is great! I zoom in, knowing I don’t really want to stay at Mt. Rushmore, too pricey, and too overrated. I keep zooming in and the smallest dot in the middle of nowhere pops up. It’s Midland, SD.

Remember up at the top of this post I couldn’t even begin to describe where I am? Well…..I am 14 miles North of I-90, right off of US-6?, I think its US -63, but don’t quote me. Exit 170 on I-90. Rolling hills, or shall I say the beginnings of the mountains. Hardly a home, store, or person in sight. Then, again, WHAM! Coming down a hill, right into Midland, SD, and I can’t miss the address 602 Main St. There is only one street, Main St, and I see the population….and my jaw drops….129 people. I have never been in a town, village, city block with this little amount of people. Well, it looks like 130 peeps are staying in Midland tonight. I go to the west about 10 blocks and see the one and only “business” hotel.

Stroppel Hotel and Hot Mineral Baths….it’s been around since about 1880. It’s a home, not a hotel. It’s an open common area for all of the people staying here, which happens to be two people; This includes me now. Now owned by husband and wife, Wally and Lori. I walk in and all I see is one of those old desks facing me, chairs that look as though they have been here since 1940, with newer quilts and blankets over them, to the right is another common area with couches and rocking chairs. An old phone booth from the 1930’s is still there, door and all, just no phone. Towels, water, and doorways to massage rooms, and the Hot Mineral baths. They call them “plunges”. I have been in a sensory deprivation pod before, but this is completely different. They are small rooms, with stairs, with mineral water filling the room up to the stairs, railings, and they are concrete. Not updated, but man will this do for now! I am so excited to see the rest. The rooms are all being remodeled, all have new beds and bedding, and each room has it’s own bathroom, except the rooms that are for a family, they are connected to a bathroom in between them. Lori is the hostess with the most; she walks me around, tells me that the room numbers are all different and don’t go in sequence. This is part of the history of the rooms from when it was first built for the “cowboys” and they were just rooms and the “plunges” were baths for them. When they added bathrooms for the rooms for guests they had to join rooms together. For example: I am in room 4, but the room next to me is room 12, the owners in the mid 1970’s didn’t want to change that on the doors. She then tells me that the hotel was then used by a family, where the father was a chiropractor, and practiced out of his home/business. He’d have his clients soak in the “plunges” and then have adjustments done. A lot of his “stuff” was still in the hotel and being used to this day. The massage tables are the tables the Dr. used. There is a kitchen up for anyone to use, buy groceries and store there, and cook and clean anytime one feels the urge to do so. I am, so in the right spot. I like to make myself feel at home, and here is where I get to do this for a couple of days and get the benefits of spa treatment.

It is now 30 minutes into conversation and I haven’t checked in, given a credit card to hold my room, or even talked rate. I am paying $70/night, but a 7 day rate is $250; anyone want to tell me how long I am staying? Yep, I paid for two nights, but told her I will probably stay for the week. When I said I was moving slow to the west, I meant it. This is amazing. It’s quiet, no bar, no restaurant, no store in sight. I’m amazed I have WiFi. I pull everything out of my car I brought and bring it up to the room. It’s perfect for just one person; me. I settle in, and then ask to go into one of the “plunges”. Now, I’ve done the sensory deprivation pod, so I am thinking, “I got this. It can’t be that different, right?” The baths are set at 107 degrees or the second one is 110 degrees. A normal, human body starts to detox at 106 degrees. I get in the 107 degree bath, and I can only handle about 4 minutes. I get out, open the door, breathe, realize my blood sugar has dropped, because, DUH! I haven’t eaten in like 6 hours. Lori checks on me, I tell her I need juice or sugar and she is such a nurturer. She goes running off and comes back with….get this….jello!! Absolutely perfect. I eat and sit for a moment, then go back into the bath. Yep, 5 minutes later, I am crying, wishing I had more to eat, and changed back into my dry clothes. Lori sits across from me and says, “Your body needed to release whatever just happened for you.” She validated my crying. What an awesome place to be! We talk, laugh, and the best part…Lori and Wally’s dog, Heidi, just walks over and lays her big, labador head on my knee. She is there for the ride! What an absolute treat for the first 5 hours here. Next step, sleep, post my pictures, and dreams, wonderful dreams!