Well, we just returned from our trip to South Dakota. We had a really good time and South Dakota is different than any kind of trip we have ever taken. We had never done any real travel out west, we had always flown over it going to visit Andy's family in California, but this time we really got to get a taste of the Ole West. We left Minnesota on a Monday and drove to Sioux Falls. Sioux Falls is a little smaller than Grand Rapids Mi. On Tuesday we got up and went to this beautiful park called Falls Park. It is a really nice park right in the heart of the city that has a beautiful water fall. Kirbe went on vacation with us and really liked walking on the rocks at Falls Park. It was a beautiful day, the temp had to of been in the 70's.
After leaving Sioux Falls we made our way to Rapid City and Keystone. Along the way we stopped in Mitchell SD, the home of The Corn Palace. I had always wanted to see the Corn Palace, why, I don't know, it just was on my list of things to see before I die, it's a really long list and I was very fortunate to cross two things off on this trip. The Corn Palace is a convention center that the town of Mitchell uses for Basketball games and rodeos and such. The entire outside of it is covered in corn, and each year they change the facade in a different theme. This years theme was the rodeo. It was worth the stop, that is for sure.
On that night we stayed in Keystone about 2 miles away from Mt. Rushmore.
On Wednesday morning we decided that we were going to go to Deadwood and on the way we past by Mt Rushmore and just had to stop. It has to be the move breath taking monument I have ever seen. You can't even imagine the enormity of the sculpture.
It was a really rainy yucky day on the day we went to Deadwood. Not like the day we had before when it was almost 80 degrees. When we got to Deadwood, it was really coming down, rain, sleet and even Snow, yes you read right SNOW! YUCK! Deadwood, was kind of a ghost town, not a lot of people there as it was a yucky Wednesday during the off season. Seemed like like Deadwood was the place to go to gamble as there were a lot of casino's . We saw where Wild Bill Hickock died, that was kind of cool.
On Thursday we went to Custer State park. We saw Wild Pronghorn Antelope, prairie dogs, donkeys and even some Buffalo. Buffalo are the most enormous beasts and I definently woudn't want to meet one head on. We didn't see a buffalo close us until we were pretty much out of the park, Andy and I both looked at each other in disappointment that we didn't see one when we were in the park and about 2 minutes after the words were muttered we came across a Buffalo eating grass right by the side of the road. It was really cool and just what we were waiting to see. After Custer State Park we went to see the Crazy Horse Monument. The Monument is still in the working stage and had been for the past 60 + years. It will never be done in our lifetime, my future childrens grandchildren will get to see it done. They aren't even working on it. What they have done was pretty neat, but it was disapponting to know that we will never see it finished. When it is finished though it will be even more amazing than Mt Rushmore.
On Friday we took a trip to the Badlands and through the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to The Wounded Knee memorial. It was a very sobering day as the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is probably the poorest place in the United States. It was like nothing Andy and I had ever experienced before.
On Saturday we went to the Wounded Knee museum, Wall Drug and downtown Rapid City. Wall Drug is probably one of the more popular attractions in SD with signs all over I90, I think we counted atleast 35 in a 40 mile stretch.
Sunday it was back to Minnesota, vacation was over and it was time to go home. I must say that Kirbe was great on this vacation. He was great in the car, just fell asleep in the back.
Till the next adventure.....
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