July 22, 2025 (Tue.) - Travel Day, Sioux Falls
Today was technically a travel day, though we didn’t go far—just a short 70-mile drive from Mitchell to Sioux Falls, which took us about an hour and a half. With no set plans and arriving too early for check-in at the KOA, Kirk found a truck wash that could handle both the truck and RV. Time for a little spa day!
We pulled into Blue Beacon Truck Wash around noon. The massive bays barely fit our RV, but the crew got to work scrubbing off layers of Badlands mud and road grime. It took two full washes and double tire dressing to get things looking fresh again. Not perfect, but a solid improvement—and well worth the $125 to Lynn, not so much to Kirk.
Once we checked in at the Sioux Falls KOA, we were pleasantly surprised by our site (#D8). While it lacked shade, it came with a cement patio, table and chairs, a propane grill, a charcoal/wood grill, two Adirondack chairs, and a fire pit! Too bad we were only staying one night!
The afternoon was spent relaxing. Kirk tidied up the RV and enjoyed a cold beer, though the heat and humidity kept us from lingering outside too long. We ventured out to explore the city, stopping by The Falls and eventually making our way to Indian Motorcycle of Sioux Falls—though the GPS gave us a runaround before we finally found it. We both picked up new t-shirts, and Lynn grabbed a pair of riding gloves.
We tried to find a grocery store afterward, but the GPS continued to misbehave, sending us to places that no longer exist. Definitely not its best day. We gave up and stopped at Burger King for dinner.
Not much adventure today, but it felt good to settle into a comfortable campground and take it easy.
Weather (Sioux Falls) – High 89*, Low 69*. Wind 12-16 mph.
Traffic – None.
Food – Nothing to report.
Notable – Truck and RV Wash! The Falls.
July 23, 2025 (Wed.) - Travel day, Camping World repairs
Although we’re not going far, it’s technically a travel day. Moving 9 miles to the southwest, we’re moving to Tower Campground after our Camping World repairs.
Not much to report today—we spent the entire day at Camping World.
We got up early to prep the RV and rolled out of the KOA at 8:40 AM, arriving at Camping World at 8:43AM…long drive 
. Since they didn’t open until 9:00, we parked along the road outside the entrance and waited. Being the first ones there, we were checked in quickly and headed into the store to browse. Thankfully, Otis was welcome inside, so he joined us for the adventure.
Over the course of three separate browsing sessions (many hours apart), we somehow managed to spend $100 on random RV goodies. At this point, we’re convinced that Camping World’s real strategy is to keep people waiting so long that they end up buying stuff out of boredom. Honestly? It works.
The real kicker? The RV repair cost us $1,500. Ouch. At least the staff was friendly and kept us updated throughout the day.
In between, we left Camping World a few times—checked in at Tower Campground, attempted to find a dog park (and instead stumbled onto a nice trail), grabbed lunch and searched for a liquor store with decent options. At one point, we even napped in the store’s sofa display section, munching on free popcorn while Otis sprawled out on the carpet like he owned the place.
We passed the time chatting with a friendly couple who were waiting for their new RV. They were great company and joked that they’d miss us once our rig was ready.
At 5:45 PM, our RV was finally ready. By 6:30 PM, we pulled into Tower Campground, where Kirk may or may not have grazed the site post at spot #420. Luckily, the ground was soft and we were able to reset it like nothing ever happened. Just as we were settling in, rain started at 6:45 PM, so Lynn and Otis stayed dry inside while Kirk finished hooking everything up.
The site itself? Not ideal. No shade, and right next to the freeway, which made it too loud to enjoy any outdoor time. But with the heat and humidity, we weren’t planning to sit outside anyway.
Dinner was simple—store-bought flatbread pizzas heated in the air fryer, and surprisingly tasty. We wrapped up the evening with some TV and winding down, even though we didn’t do much all day. Funny how sitting around can still leave you exhausted.
And of course, the day wouldn’t be complete without yet another moth sighting—again, while Lynn was in the bathroom. It’s like they’re waiting for her. The moth saga continues…
Weather – High 89*, Low 71*. Winds 8-17 mph, gusts 25 mph. Humidity 92%.
Traffic – None.
Food – Nothing notable.
Notable – Nothing, literally.
Moth death toll – 42.
