| SOUTH DAKOTA - SIOUX FALLS - June 15, 2004
When I arrived in Sioux Falls, SD, my client told me to be sure and go take pictures of the falls. "What falls?", I stupidly asked, thinking that the city's name had probably been based on a romanticized vision of the area. As it turned out, the area really did have some waterfalls, but were they going to be anything to tell the world about? I asked the hotel concierge where the falls in question might be. She said I could walk or drive along the river and I would eventually come to them. Not saying exactly which direction they were in, I selected the incorrect way and drove until I felt I had gone too far. I stopped at a little park beside the river and asked a romantically-engaged couple about the falls' true location. With stars in their eyes, they happily pointed me back in the opposite direction and gave me detailed instructions on where to turn. Finally, I came to something that looked like it might be the right place. There was a park-like atmosphere around the falls and people where wandering its banks like ants exploring a picnic. At one observation stand I asked about the falls and was told over the last couple of years the river had been exceedingly low. Low enough in fact, there had been dry spots that would allow a person to easily cross the river on foot. But in the last few weeks enough rain had fallen so as to elevate the river back up to its normal level. Sioux Falls were now appearing just as the town's travel brochures depicted. |
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