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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.IMG_0286

A few more miles. When you hit the oil road, go left. IMG_0282

Usually, there are sheep in that pasture. I’m not sure where they are right now. IMG_0284

Pass the Ole’ Pirlet Place. John lived there with some friends after college. Keep heading west.IMG_0283

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

Oh, plenty of deer, too.IMG_0285

At The Water Plant Corner go straight across Highway 25. IMG_0281

Now, you’re on gravel again.

Keep heading west for a bunch more miles.

Then, turn right at the sub-station.IMG_0279

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.IMG_0250

This is real cattle country.IMG_0257

Back home, that’s farming country. The farmers rule. There’s more soybeans and corn than grass.IMG_9997

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

This is grass country.IMG_0276

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.

9 Comments

  1. Jennifer Dewey Rohrich

    I LOVE THIS! I can relate 100%! I haven’t quite gotten to the stage where I know the original landowner’s names… because you know even though we own the land, it is STILL called by the original landowner’s name. 😉 I also find that my landmarks and my husband’s landmarks are totally, totally different. BUT I still manage to find the field correctly! 🙂 GREAT post!

    Reply
    • Sierra Shea

      That’s funny! I’m so glad you liked it! I notice that John and I notice different things too!

      Reply
  2. Kara Carlson

    Hey I think that how I learned to get to our pasture by Spirit Lake too.

    Reply
    • Sierra Shea

      I bet it is!

      Reply
  3. Teresa

    I think you are looking into my past! I had to learn about “toot your horn corner” on Hwy 81 and the”blue top church” corner when we took cattle to pasture!

    Reply
    • Sierra Shea

      I love those two names!

      Reply
  4. LAUREL

    Love those directions.

    Reply
  5. Karen

    Loved your directions. We have a field named “the big slough” and others such as Helge and Ed’s. On one particularly large field we refer to location as “by the schoolhouse” which is no longer standing . And the tree……yep, they’d tell me to use the field approach by the “big tree”.

    Reply
    • Sierra Shea

      I love those names, all so full of character!

      Reply

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Hey, I’m Sierra Shea! I am so glad you are here. 

Where do I start with writing to introduce this blog? At the beginning, I suppose: I’ve been writing on various platforms online since 2013. I started blogging shortly after moving to South Dakota.

I am a mother and a maker at heart. I’m so grateful to be married to John and mother of three: Joslyn, J.D. and Jesse.

I am a self-taught decorator and designer. I am a brand new shepherdess and a Spiritual Director.

I love living in South Dakota, even though the winters & the wind can be a near-daily struggle.

Blogging is a grounding force in my life and it helps get me out of my head, unstuck and moving in the directions I always hoped I’d be going!