Takeaways:
- The Badlands are only for bad to the bone people (just kidding, they are for everyone. But they do have a very rugged beauty).
- It is important when you are visiting National, State, even City Parks/Monuments, etc. that we are all taking responsibility for that park so that future generations can enjoy it. Visit the Leave No Trace website to learn more.
- When visiting The Corn Palace, look up other events in the area and turn it into a day trip.
- Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse are amazing (and I highly recommend you visit at some point in your life), but there are many other things to see and do in South Dakota. So even if you think you’ve seen all you can, I still suggest returning. There is still so much to adventure through.
My trip to South Dakota actually started in Denver, took a short break while we visited North Dakota and concluded in Nebraska. Explanation: My mom had been in Colorado with family celebrating her birthday. She
picked me up from DEN one afternoon and our wandering the middle of the country began. We drove an almost 7 hours to Wall, SD before stopping for the night. I tell you this just to let you know how fully insane DEDICATED we are when it comes to road trips. We will drive as many hours in a day as it takes to get where we want to go. Appreciating the drive can be half the fun of a road trip, don’t you know? There are quotes about this and everything.
My mom had read about (we love reading so a lot of what we do together is based off of something we read about 🙂 ) the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site and had been wanting to visit, so we decided to make it our first stop. We got to the Visitor’s Center early to stand in line for tour tickets of Delta-01. We were there about 45 minutes before they opened and I would suggest doing the same. Tours are limited due to the size of the space. We wanted to get an early tour so we could keep on schedule (we didn’t actually have a schedule) and were lucky to catch the second tour of the day. We watched a short historical movie and wandered through the displays before driving to the site. The visitor center was still in the process of setting up exhibits, but still presented a lot of interesting, historical information.
For something I had never heard of before, the tour is fascinating and is truly a peek back in time. When the missile sites were closed, everyone literally picked up and moved on, leaving it to look exactly as it was in 1993. I especially appreciated the guides being those who served and worked at different missile sites. They were able to share not just the history but also personal experiences. It’s the personal stories which I believe truly connect us to the past and made this tour much more interesting.The technology at the time was pretty impressive and it’s interesting to think how much has changed since these silos were first built. If you are going to be in South Dakota I definitely suggest this stop. Our history is something we often brush over in the U.S. and I need to remember to include more of it in my travels. I should not just SEE all 50 states but also LEARN about their past (now that I have been to 21 states and am re-reading/writing this, I am going to have to re-commit myself to this as I finish the next 29 states).
After the tour we took a roundabout way to Wall to include a drive through the Badlands. On the way to the National Park we stopped so I could feed some adorable prairie dogs. Now, I’m not sure if this is something I should have done but when you are driving along the road and see a giant prairie dog, it is kind of hard not to stop and find out why. I figured they probably aren’t especially wild anyway so I’ve made excuses for myself, but if you must be disappointed in me, I understand. I will still post a picture of us, because they are so fat and happy and the resemblance between us is uncanny.
Anyway, we traveled through the Badlands and their landscape was like nothing I had never seen before. It was amazing, beautiful and I can’t imagine what it would have been like to travel through that land as an early settler. I’m not quite as strong as my ancestors because if it had been me seeing wandering upon that land when trekking West I think I would have turned around and went straight back to the East Coast.
As much as I loved the Badlands and am looking forward to returning, I do have one issue with the experience and it was some of the other visitors. I don’t know if people are unaware of how to act at National Parks and the reasons why you should follow the directions of the rangers and signs, but it was driving me nuts to see people stomping around in areas where it very clearly states NOT to (we are talking families of 15 people). In case you didn’t know, there IS a reason to follow signs and instructions. It’s to help preserve an often unstable natural environment. I know I would like later generations to be able to visit, appreciate and learn about our National Parks just as I have been lucky enough to. It is IMPORTANT we take care of them. *climbs off soap box*
In other news, I am really looking forward to returning. I want to hike through the Badlands, possibly in the fall . . . with lots of water . . . and in better shape that I was during the hike you will read about when I get to Montana.
At the end of our short drive through the Badlands, we stopped at Wall Drug in Wall, SD. It was . . . overwhelming. There is SO MUCH to look at and do. I would say it is definitely a spot to stop at if you have youngish kids. They will have a blast. My favorite part was their photo collection. It is huge and you can see so many photos from the area’s history, both of Native Americans and settlers. It is a wonderful dip into another part of America’s past we do not often focus on.
It was then time to start our drive toward North Dakota. We stopped for a small lunch next to a water fall before continuing on to the Geographical Center of the United States. First we visited the monument in town, which included flags of all 50 states and was a nice site, continuing on to the ACTUAL center which I loved. It seems fitting it’s in a large field with very little to the monument other than an American flag. Simple and elegant. A perfect and quite touching view of the flag flying in the exact center of the wonderful country I call home. It is difficult to find and must be done in day light, but you can find directions here (it’s what we followed). Side note: There was an insane number of birds dive bombing and fluttering across the road. If you are not careful you may end up driving while crying, concerned you just hit some baby bird’s mother or father 😥
From here we moved on to North Dakota, returning to South Dakota in a couple days time to see the Corn Palace. I had no idea what to expect, but the building was pretty impressive. The design team has quite the task to create something new every year and they were re-designing while we were there. We took a short tour before heading on our way. It was a nice visit and would like to return someday to see a finished product. The town was also having a free concert later on that day, so if you are planning a visit, I suggest you check out what other local events are happening at the same time. If we had been able to stay for the concert, it would have made for a perfect day trip.
On the way back to dropping my mom off in Nebraska, we stopped in Sioux Falls for a lunch and to celebrate my mother’s birthday with sangria (yum) and live music at Falls Overlook Cafe, located in Falls Park. It has a beautiful view over the falls and the food was delish as well. Then in true Midwest fashion we raced a storm home, only getting caught in flood-worthy rains once, thank goodness.