The wind DOES blow in South Dakota!  Sue and I left Wednesday morning for Aurora, SD to stay with friends, Char and Ralph, for a few days.  They had invited me to speak to the Glacial Lakes Chapter of South Dakota Walleyes Unlimited  Thursday night, October 18th.  We had a nice night getting caught up then headed to Brookings with the ladies for a day of  “antiquing” Thursday morning.  The old main street is full of buildings on the National Historic Registry.  Many have been converted over time to retail shops, coffee shops, antique shops, and college town bar and grills.  South Dakota State University calls Brookings home!  Their first game with Iowa State this fall was cancelled after lightning strikes near Ames.  We checked out the shops, drank coffee at Kool Beans, and ended up with a late afternoon snack at Cubby’s Sports Bar and Grill.  I wore my Iowa State hat and jacket and got a few looks from the local Jackrabbots fans!  We got back to Char and Ralph’s home to rest a bit, change clothes, then headed up to Estelline, SD for the evening meeting at the local VFW Hall.  I enjoyed sharing my story, “Confessions of a Walleye Tournament Wannabe” with the thirteen members who came for the presentation.  I highlighted my tournament fishing going back to 1995.  I was age 48 when I fished my first PWT walleye tournament.  We watched a FLW DVD which captured my only tournament win as a co-angler.  My final day partner was Ted Takasaki for the 2009 event out of Red Wing, MN.  I wanted to share with the members the emotions of that special day when Ted and I came in first place!  We finished with a brief question and answer time before Ralph conducted the Chapter business meeting.  I was the FIRST member of their Chapter which started early this year and has grown to over 130 members!  I would encourage anglers who live in the area to join the Chapter, support their projects, and participate in the monthly meetings.  A special thanks to each member who took time to thank Sue and I for coming plus our hosts, Char and Ralph!  We drove home with the northwest wind pushing the red Suburban and blowing grain dust on the Interstate from all the combines working soybean fields in South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa.  Hope you’ve enjoyed reading this story and looking over the pictures from our trip!  Spike