Pedaling South Dakota: Day Seven

Jul 31, 2016

Carl and Jan Brush of Yankton are loyal readers of our magazine, and avid bicyclists. This summer they are combining those two loves on a cross-country trip, using past South Dakota Magazine stories to guide them to interesting people and places. They've agreed to post some reports from the road so we can go along on their eight-day, 360-mile journey. 



DAY SEVEN: Forty Miles of Fancy Wheels and Gorgeous Gardens

South of Bridgewater we spotted an old New Holland baler. Carl was a manufacturing engineer at the New Holland factory at Grand Island, Nebraska for 28 years prior to retirement. He recognized the baler as being built probably in the early 1980s. Quite interesting was the Allis Chalmers tractor, model WD-45, which was built in the early 1950s! We stopped at a nearby farm to inquire about the machinery. Nobody was home, but it appears they have upgraded to some beautiful blue and red equipment. Yay for the pension fund!

In Freeman we visited the Heritage Hall Museum. Board member and volunteer Cheryl Koch greeted us at the door and showed us around. Cheryl and her husband John have retired and moved here from Sioux Falls, where they were faculty at Augustana University. We examined the 1908 Brush automobile. It was unique in that it had a wood frame. No rust, but termites could pose a problem! We haven't researched any family connections yet.

The museum administrator, Kelsey Ortman, joined us although it was her day off. (Midwest work ethic?!) Go Cubs!!! The Indian motorcycle and sidecar may be in our future when we get too old to pedal. We enjoyed the entire museum. It is certainly worth a trip to Freeman for a visit, on a bicycle or otherwise.

Next to the museum is the beautiful Homestead Buckeye Prairie Arboretum, one of the area's hidden gems. We found volunteers Marjean and Russell Waltner watering the flowers. We learned that these folks once operated the Captain's Inn in Yankton. Also, the airplane in the museum was owned and flown by Russell's grandfather and uncles. The Waltners invited us to see the gardens at their home. Day 7 was indeed a day for beautiful gardens as theirs was also magnificent! Jan borrowed several cucumbers from the vegetable garden.

Forty miles today. Headed back to Yankton tomorrow!

Click to read Day One, Day Two, Day Three, Day Four, Day Five and Day Six of Carl and Jan's journey.