Blowin' In the Wind in South Dakota

What an amazing day!! We had a long day of driving planned so that we could be settled in the Black Hills for the holiday weekend. We got up early and were on the road at 0515 with 475 miles to go. South Dakota was not at all what I thought it would be like. From looking at the map I expected a flat, deserted landscape with nothing but corn fields as far as the eye could see. There were some portions of I-90 that this held true, but othersu8 that were quite lovely to watch roll by. And as it turns out, there is a lot to see and do!
Our first stop was in Mitchell, SD at the “World Famous Corn Palace.” This is a tourist attraction of the first order, a building made entirely out of corn! Pretty cheesy, but now we can say “been there, done that.” Besides, it was time for a potty break.
Next we relaized that we were crossing into the Mountain time zone. With an extra hour in our day we decided to swing through and stop at Badlands National Park. I would characterize this as a must see if you are ever in this neck of the woods. It was breathtaking, stark, beautiful, and other-worldly. And the kids got their second Junior Ranger Badges!
From the park we drove out to Wall, SD, home of the famous Wall Drug Store. Another touristy type place that has actually been featured in several magazines and TV shows (at least that is what all the billboards on the highway said). The kids got a kick out of it mostly because we gave them some ice cream from the soda fountain.
From there it was on to the Safe Haven Pet Resort in Rapid City where Sophie had a reservation to spend the weekend. Then on into Custer State Park for three nights of camping.