Got a summer internship in Interior, SD. Need lots of advice! (Rapid City: RV park, low income)

[RamziE]

Hey,

I currently live in San Francisco, CA and I got an internship for this summer with the USGS studying the ecology of plague around Badlands National Park. I'm looking forward to it because it's going to help out a lot with my application to vet school, but also I'm getting more and more nervous about the living conditions. We'll be staying in an RV park in Interior. What I'm most worried about is the heat. Here in San Francisco if it's 75-80 degrees out that's pretty much considered a heat wave. I read that in Interior the average highs in the summer are around 100 ! Plus I think it's going to be a little weird living in a town with a population of 70. Can you guys give me advice or tell me a little more about Interior? I'll be working around 8 hours a day probably 4 or 5 days a week, and I won't have a car, so what should I do with my off time? Anything would be greatly helpful.

Thanks

[Jammie]

Average Weather for Interior, SD - Temperature and Precipitation

Someone may have mis-informed you about the average temp for Interior. Also, keep in mind that the area has a semi-arid climate so you'll have very low humidity. The evenings cool off so that's also a break from the heat.

Since you won't have a car, I'm just blank right at the moment for suggestions of things to do. Bet someone else can think of something though. Have fun this summer. You'll love the area.

[DannyBanany]

Wow! What a change from San Francisco. Interior does get up into the 100s, but those aren't average temperatures, just highs. Jammie is right, it does cool off at night and it helps that there is no humidity in Western South Dakota. The closest large city is Rapid City (80,000) which is about an hour or so west from Interior. It is too bad that you won't have a car because I cannot think of much to do out in Interior. Hopefully a friend will have a car and you can visit Rapid City and the Black Hills. I'd imagine that you'd spend a day or two in the mountains or at a lake out here too.

Best of luck on your trip! Have fun!

[blackhillsdreams]

Don't be nervous! This will be an adventure for you! If I had known about these kinds of internships when I was just out of school, I'd have jumped all over them. South Dakota is like no place on Earth with striking beauty and amazing contrasts. Traveling from the badlands to the blackhills takes you from one end of the spectrum to the other with both places unfolding their beauty. As for the weather, yes, it will get hot some but as Jammie and Danny said, the humidity is low so you won't notice it much.

I remember horseback riding in Custer Park and thinking it was a hot day maybe in the mid 90's. When I got to my hotel that evening and watched the news, it said it was well over 100 that day, but I never knew it.

As for entertainment, sure it would be nice to have a car, I'm willing to bet that someone in your group will have a car, so you'll have to sharpen your "making new friends" skills. The flip side is, you may just find you'll enjoy the peace and quiet for the short time you are there, and might even find time to reflect and find your own center so to speak. I once stayed in Montana for a summer building low income houses in the middle of nowhere. It was miles from a town which consisted of about 6 small buildings in total, and I slept in a station wagon. It was frightening at first, but after a few days, I loved it. The stars in the sky at night were amazing because of the lack of ground clutter and unnatural light sources. I would not trade those nights by the camp fire and the discussions we had for anything. In fact, I wish I'd stayed longer.

So, I'll leave you by saying, relax, don't stress, enjoy your adventure! Time goes by so fast these days, before you know it, your trip will be just a memory so make the most of it. Last time I was in the badlands, it had rained fiercly the night before and many fossils had surfaced or washed out of the mud. I found a perfect tortise shell just laying there. I'll never forget it.

Good luck,

Adam

[Badland wonder]

Interior is located right at the border of the Pine Ridge Sioux Indian reservation. Most of the occupants are Pine Ridge Sioux. Kadoka is the closest town where you will be able to really get supplies. Maybe do a little knowledge searching on the Sioux. Maybe you will be able to trade for some bead work? Surely you will have the use of the USGS vehicle to get supplies from time to time. Looking for fossils in the badlands is always fun. You will know when you find one. I don't think the heat will be your biggest concern. Take a lot of good books. You will enjoy the area. Are there plague problems in the badlands? And are they any worse than those of the Navajo Nation?