Madison, Home Sweet Home

We arrive in Madison September 10th , a Sunday, and locate a campsite with electricity at Walker’s Point Recreation Area.  DMV is only open one day a week, on Tuesdays, so we have another two days to relax and make plans for where we will go once the residency and registration issue is taken care of.  The cicadas are singing and it’s very, very windy.

The sun coming up through the smoke of distant fires

at Walker’s Point

Come Tuesday morning we head into town and find that vehicle registration is in the assessor’s office and they advise me to get my driver’s license then come back.  

Old Downton Madison SD

The photos do not do this justice. Both sides of the street have hanging baskets of pink flowers lining the sidewalks.  It’s just beautiful!

The DMV is located in one of the 4-H buildings in a different part of town, but it was fairly easy to find. The three gals come from Sioux Falls (or is it Pierre?) once a week and set up all the equipment ready for photos, faxing, and everything else. The place is packed. 

After a two hour wait it’s my turn and there is a problem regarding the judgement I sought from the court when I asked to take back my sons’ father’s last name. That legal paper wasn’t good enough, I also needed to prove I had been married in the first place.  Consequently I did not get the actual driver’s license, but did get my photo taken, instructions on what to send to the state capitol to complete the process, and a permit good for six months.

Vehicle registration went a bit smoother but not without a hiccup. She couldn’t find the correct category for Freedom, a Ford e150 Econoline conversion van.  The clerk ended up just choosing the lightest category in weight, printed out the registration papers, handed me the plates and we were done. I asked what I should do with the old license plates and the clerk said, “Whatever you want. They’re California plates and we don’t want ’em.”  All righty then … 

We stay another night, this time at Lake Herman so we can get a notary signature on the marriage license application.  This state park encompasses land settled by Herman Luce  in the late 1800s. This is what the park web site says:
History
Lake Herman has been a popular campsite for hundreds of years. Before white settlers entered the region, it was popular among Native Americans traveling to nearby Pipestone quarries.
The first settlers at Lake Herman were Herman Luce and his son, William. They settled the timberland on the east side of the lake and assumed squatters’ rights on June 17, 1870. The log cabin in the park was built for Herman Luce in the summer of 1871. The cabin is made of sturdy oak logs hand hewn to fit snugly and chinked to keep out the cold.
Luce’s cabin briefly served as a U. S. Land Office, with Herman Luce in charge. In 1977, the Herman Luce Cabin was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

I want to stay longer in Madison, but camping fees are just too expensive. Before we head to Nebraska, though, I get my library card from a very sweet young lady working in Madison’s library.  Goodbye Madison, South Dakota.  See you in five years.

Hugs, Shawna

Author: 2DogsTravel

Hello! Welcome to my blog. I am a full-time traveler, retired from a lifetime of different occupations, traveling the country with my two little dogs, Fries and Charlie B; The Chiweenie Brothers. You never know where you might find us, but if you do stop by and say hi . . . If you can get past the two best watch dogs in the universe! Happy Trails! View all posts by 2DogsTravel