NE-SD Road Trip Day #4

A few weeks ago, I had an idea to go one a two day road trip out to west Nebraska and back using the Nebraska Passport program as a guidebook. J chimed in questioning how much farther it would be to visit Mount Rushmore. Umm… like another 5 hours driving. This conversation continued and evolved into a 5 day, 4 night road trip through Nebraska, up to the Mount Rushmore area, back through South Dakota, and down hone. After deciding on a big plan, I got to work finding lots of optional activities and sites to see. I’m huge into weird roadside attractions and offbeat sites and made sure to include a ton in my planning. We just got back from our trip this weekend and now it’s time to document our trip. I plan on doing a mini scrapbook album with pictures and ephemera, but first I’m going to document our travels here.

Day #4: Rapid City, SD to Sioux Falls, SD

Stop #1: Wall Drug, Wall, SD - If we are going to be in South Dakota, you have to go to Wall Drug! I made sure to get pictures of all the kids riding the jackalope (Q’s pic is on J’s camera right now). Alex and I went hunting for a carved jackalope which we sadly did not find. We bought fudge, strawberry jalapeno jam, and bison jerky. And generally marveled at the ridiculousness. On our way out, I made sure to take a detour to see the 80 foot dinosaur by the highway.

Stop #2: Minuteman Missile Site Delta-09 - We had wanted to do a tour of a decommissioned minuteman missile site, but ran into two problems: 1) Q would not be able to go on the tour (ladders) 2) All tours were booked for the day we were going to be there. Beyond the tour, there is also a visitor center and a separate silo scattered along I-90. We opted for the silo for our stop. There was an audio tour to learn more about the site. Instead, I listened to a volunteer talk about the site with some other families. We got to peer into a silo with a dummy missile in it and read the informational signs. J took an amazing panoramic photo of the nothingness surrounding the site. Hidden gem!

Stop #3: Prairie Dogs, Phillip, SD - Right off of 90, on the way to the Badlands National Park (and scenic loop drive), there is this great random attraction. You can buy peanuts from the store and feed real prairie dogs in a field. We didn’t buy any food, but did watch other families feed the animals. Arthur was super excited to get down low and check them out.

Stop #4: Original 1880 Town, Murdo, SD - J and stopped at this Wild West Town on our way through SD to CA 7 years ago. We had to take the kids! It was weird to go when there were actually people in the town. Last time, we went in April and it was a ghost town. This time, we grabbed lunch at the 50s Diner on the train cars and headed into the town to explore. They’ve added a few little things, but it’s mainly the same.

Stop #5: Dignity of Earth and Sky, Oacoma, SD - This beautiful statue is a recent addition (2016) to the area. The craftsmanship of this piece was breathtaking. I loved how the panels on her back reflected sunlight from the Missouri River. We also admired the view of the river before heading out. (Note for travelers: this is located at a rest stop / scenic view area right off of I-90)

Stop #6: Corn Palace, Mitchell, SD - Of course we had to stop here! They’ve added a few interesting displays in the lobby since I was last here.

Stop #7: Jackalope, Mitchell, SD - On our way out of town, we made sure to stop and get pictures on this jackalope.

And then we were off to Sioux Falls for dinner (at Granite City) and on to our hotel for the night.