Last May, I was chosen to be part of the first AgritourismSD class through SDSU extension.  My classmates are from all over South Dakota and each either are working their agritourism business or plan on starting one.  Are you wondering what is Agritourism?  Well, it is tourism that has to do with agriculture in some way. Some examples are farm tours, farm/ranch stays, market gardens, pumpkin patches, or bed and breakfasts.  We fall in the the last category, but have thought about adding the farm tours.

As part of the class, we meet in different parts of the state or near by states.  Last summer, we did a bus tour of North Dakota.  Along the way, we experience or study a variety of working agritourism businesses.  It is so eye opening and enjoyable.  It is a great way to see what we are doing right and new possibilities that we could add to our business.

Needless to say, our group is becoming a close group.  We are learning about each others business and we are going to be able to promote them.  So, when you stay with us, you may learn about some unique places to visit in our great state.  It is one of my favorite topics to share.  John talks farming and I talk South Dakota.

Maybe in the future, I will feature some of these agritourism adventures.  Networking at its best.  

Any way, recently, we had a class gathering in the Wall area.  The night before, we all stay at different locations in the surrounding area.  Mine happened to be in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

As I headed to my location, traveling south at Kadoka, I was again reminded of the beauty around us.  At the top of each hill, it seemed like there was a different view.  Some of which was awe-inspiring.  You can tell that the region has received some recent rain.  It is green and gorgeous.  Not to mention, that part of it is the Badlands. You can even see the Black Hills off in the distance.

Once I reached my destination of the Singing Horse Trading Post, I was jealous of the scenery they can observe every day.  As it happened, there was even a lunar eclipse that night.  Wow, was that amazing to watch.  What a memorable sight!

Then, the next morning, back on the road heading to Wall.  This time, right through another portion of the Badlands.  This part has the buffalo.  It seemed like they were just living their best life, and I was lucky enough to see a moment of it.

Unfortunately, I didn’t stop to take any pictures.  Maybe because, it is hard to capture what you are seeing.  Either way, it was a worth while trip.  It is way, I love South Dakota and sharing it with my guests.