Day 21
Today, we’re visiting a state park and a national park!
Since we were in the area, we figured we’d just do a quick drive through Custer State Park on our way to our next destination. However, this turned into one of our most favorite stops of the whole trip! There was something about this park that gave me goosebumps, and I felt an almost spiritual-like vibe as we drove through the unique rock formations and narrow tunnels.
Then, we came upon Sylvan Lake with its perfectly blue, still waters, and this serene spot solidified it for us. We’ll definitely have to come back here to explore some more! Another gorgeous surprise!
I took so many pictures of this inspirational park, too many to post here. View a slideshow I made on my YouTube channel.
We could’ve stayed at Custer for days but for the sake of making it home in time, we had to keep going east today. We’ll definitely be back for a longer stay sometime though!
But, I was so touched by this place that we even bought a mug! Whoa! We don’t usually buy big souvenirs when we travel. Our typical souvenirs are postcards or magnets at most. The pics I take are usually our treasured momentos.
We next stop at an iconic road trip stop in South Dakota. Have you been to Wall Drug?
This is an almost 80,000 square feet complex in Wall, SD, just outside of Badlands National Park, that’s part roadside attraction, gift shop, restaurant, and museum all in one. It became famous back in the day as travelers stopped for 5-cent coffee and free ice water, which you can still get! It’s a unique place for a quick stop if you’re in the area.
We’ve arrived at our next National Park – Badlands National Park in South Dakota!
There are so many unique formations! This park is huge! This is your chance to feel like you’re walking on another planet.
See that pic at the top of this page? That rock looks just like the real prairie dogs we saw throughout the park!
Join us for a scenic drive through the park!
Here are some final views of Badlands National Park. This is quite the unique place and we could’ve explored for days, but it’s time to continue eastward!
Driving on …..
Have you been to the Corn Palace?
The Corn Palace was built over a hundred years ago and has become a part of legendary folk art and community center of sorts, as well as a popular tourist attraction in Mitchell, South Dakota. Among its many uses are industrial exhibits, dances, stage shows, meetings, banquets, graduations, basketball tournaments, and annual festivals.
The palace is redecorated each year with naturally colored corn and other grains and native grasses to make it “the agricultural show-place of the world”. A different theme is chosen each year, and murals are designed to reflect that theme. Ear by ear the corn is nailed to the Corn Palace to create a scene. The decorating process usually starts in late May with the removal of the rye and dock. The corn murals are stripped at the end of August and the new ones are completed by the first of October.
If you ever in the area, be sure to stop by to check out this fascinating work of art.
More driving ….
We made an interesting stop through Sioux Falls, South Dakota for the night.
Did you know that there’s a full size replica of the famous statue of David right in a park in town?!? The story goes that a rich resident was such a big fan of Michaelangelo that he commissioned this statue to honor his hometown! Whoa!
We also stopped at Falls Park to see the cascading waterfalls of the Big Sioux River in the middle of town. Unfortunately, the tower was already closed so we couldn’t go up, but it’s supposedly a great view of the town.
Then, we got stopped at a railroad crossing by what has to be the longest train eveeeerr! I think we were there for a good half hour waiting for the train to finish passing through! Sheesh!
And finally, we grabbed dinner at a good char-grilled steak takeout place. I know, you wouldn’t normally think of takeout for steak, but this place came up in our restaurant searches with high reviews so we wanted to check it out, and since we were in cow country, we figured we had to get some steak! It actually was very good – great charred, beefy flavor and very tender!
Time to call it a night at a nearby Best Western. More driving tomorrow!
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Adventures By Anne 