Getting to the Spirit Lake pasture.

First, you turn out of our driveway. Head west.

Then, go a couple miles and turn again. Right/North.

A few more miles. When you hit the oil road, go left. 

Usually, there are sheep in that pasture. I’m not sure where they are right now. 

Pass the Ole’ Pirlet Place. John lived there with some friends after college. Keep heading west.

This oil road has lots of pot holes. Watch out!

Oh, plenty of deer, too.

At The Water Plant Corner go straight across Highway 25. 

Now, you’re on gravel again.

Keep heading west for a bunch more miles.

Then, turn right at the sub-station.

Cross some lakes. Wait for the geese to get out of the middle of the road. Watch the ducklings follow their mom across the pond. See the turtles sunning themselves?

Another half mile, you made it. Turn west into the pasture.

Unload the cows.

This is real cattle country.

Back home, that’s farming country. The farmers rule. There’s more soybeans and corn than grass.

Somewhere just west of SD Highway 25, you’ve reached the west.

This is grass country.

Time to go home.

Go back to the sub-station, then at The Water Plant Corner cross 25, then turn south onto the gravel at the farm with the sheep. Then, at The 80 turn East.

It only took me four years to learn this.

I think I sound like dang local. Accept I ought to know who those sheep belong too. And I don’t. But, I’m making progress.

Navigating by rural folk directions isn’t always easy.

It takes time.

By the time you learn your way around Kingsbury County, you’ve got to know where all the neighbors used to live. And, sometimes where old school houses were. Or, my personal favorite, where a tree used to stand. (Anyone who lives here already knows, I’m talking about the Lone Tree Corner.)

Maybe next time I’ll show you the back way to Watertown. Most importantly, Watertown has a Target.

Lord knows, even in South Dakota, we love Target.