South Dakota Road Trip

“Reading is a passport to countless adventures.”

Mary Pope Osborne

After spending a year adventuring through the country in our imaginations – riding horseback with cowboys, following Sacagawea through the west, and playing with Laura on the prairie, there was one thing we all wished for – to see it for ourselves! When the school year was over, and the car was packed to the brim (quite literally), we set off!

OUR ITINERARY

Missouri

• Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site
• Gateway Arch National Park
• Pony Express Museum Stables

Nebraska

• Lewis and Clark Museum and Trail

South Dakota

• Sioux Falls
• Imgalls Homestead and Town house
• Badlands National Park
• Crazy Horse Museum
• Custer State Park
• Mount Rushmore
• Wind Cave National Park
• Jewel Cave National Monument
• Rapid City President walk

Knowing we would arrive in St. Louis late afternoon, we honestly added the Grant house to the itinerary just for something to fill our day. But we were all pleasantly surprised at how much Grant’s story (and home) grabbed our attention. Run by the National Park system, everything was in tip-top shape. We started by collecting the kids Jr. Ranger booklets and watching a short video on Grant, which was chock full of information. Afterward, we toured the house and grounds with a ranger, and then visited the small (but interactive and beautiful), museum in a renovated barn. It was a great start to the trip and we would all later agree, one of our favorite stops!

We started out the next morning bright and early at the Gateway Arch, grabbing their Jr. Ranger books first thing and then heading off to the museum below the arch. The arch is a representation of the Louisiana Purchase and pioneers heading west, celebrating the expansion of the US and the brave men and women who made that possible. The museum covers not only the history of the arch itself, but also St. Louis history and the role it played.

After finishing up in the museum, we rode in the tiniest (and coolest) elevator I’ve ever been in, to the top of the arch itself! We were given 10 minutes to explore and take in the view, it was breath taking. Literally. When they first announced we would have 10 minutes at the top I felt jipped, but at about 6 minutes I was seeing the wisdom there.

Driving straight across the state, we jumped out to stretch our legs in St. Joseph, MO. Here we saw The Pony Express Stables (for the Eastern most stop on the route), this is also a museum, but it wasn’t open the day we were there. It was still something to stand in front of it and think that this is where it all started. Across the street is a HUGE locomotive and a small park where the kids ran and played for a bit. St. Joseph is also home to Jesse James’ house – where he was killed! We drove past that and took some photos. It was truly the perfect little pit stop before driving a bit further.

The next stretch of the trip was a short 1 1/2 hour drive from St. Joseph to Nebraska City, NE where we were staying for the night. Y’all, it’s stretches like this, where you just aren’t expecting to get anything out of the trip other than distance, that just sometimes surprise and floor you. This hour and a half in the car was one of my favorite stretches of driving the whole trip! It was sunset and the fields of Missouri were just so beautiful! I wish I had taken photos, although I know they would never do it justice.

After a good nights sleep in Nebraska, we woke up early and got the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Trails and Visitor Center just as it was opening. This small museum (on the route of Lewis and Clark’s big expedition), took less than 2 hours, but was such a fun stop. They had life sized replicas of the boats used by the pioneering duo outside for the kids to play and imagine on and inside were many interactive exhibits. The kids still talk about the monster sized mosquito that would buzz when you walked past. We learned about the hardships they would have faced, reviewed the path they would take, and got to see many examples of the animals they encountered.

On to South Dakota!

Sioux Falls was our first stop in the gorgeous state of South Dakota. We spent a few hours there, playing in the falls that run smack-dab through the middle of the town! And then got a good nights sleep before the big day at the Ingalls Homestead!

Our day at the Ingalls Homestead will forever be one of our most favorite days together as a family… it was just like out of a storybook. We spent the whole day and slept over night in a covered wagon (a MUST do). This day of the trip truly needs its own post, so I’ll leave it at that for now and you can check out that post soon!

At this point we had traveled over 1,000 miles. But I have to tell you, with the trip being so broken up and with so many fun adventures along the way, it really didn’t feel long at all. This next stretch we started to feel it though. This was the stretch where the vastness of South Dakota became so evident. On our trip at the end of July, prime traveling time, there were still hours when we saw no one else on the road! There was literally no where to stop and eat. And if there was, trust me, it’s meat and potatoes from here friends. It was breathtaking and wonderful, but it was also long. I don’t know how the pioneers did it in a wagon!

Four and half hours later, one sketchy restaurant stop, and a huge thunderstorm later – the sun parted and we pulled into Badlands National Park and we instantly knew it was worth it. None of us had ever been out west before, the endless fields of cows and sunflowers, suddenly became pointy peaks of color and stone. We pulled off at the first overlook and stood alongside people who had journeyed from all the corners of the world, gasping together and saying over and over to these strangers who were instant friends, “can you believe it?”

We camped one night in a tent, one night in a cabin, attended a night sky program with the rangers, and the kids got their Jr. Ranger badges. Not to mention hiked, and hiked, and hiked. And somehow over the couple of days we were there, the wonder never wore off. Again, this really does deserve it’s own post… be on the lookout!

Custer, SD

Our next leg of the trip really could be it’s own trip, and in some ways, feels like a whole separate trip in my mind. We chose a central hotel in Custer, SD which is nestled in the Black Hills, and we ventured off from there each day on our various adventures.

Custer State Park is the brightest blues and the most gorgeous greens, a park so amazing in beauty that I’m sure it would be a National Park if it wasn’t already claimed by the state. But, I have to admit, we sure did miss the flawlessness of the National Parks System. It was the most challenging part of the trip to plan because the communication and overall system just wasn’t as fine tuned. In all honesty, I had a small melt down at this point. You can laugh at me, I’m laughing right now. My husband wasn’t though.

The town of Custer was a breath of fresh air after that long stretch of nothing on the way to the Badlands. The hotel was great and there were many great restaurants to eat each meal. The State Park itself used to be a big summer vacation spot for the wealthy back in the early 1900’s when Teddy Roosevelt had everyone wondering what was so amazing about the Dakotas. There are several old lodges, including one where President Coolidge spent an entire summer. The lodges also have restaurants inside, they are a bit pricey, but wow, they were good! And there is a feel being inside the lodges that you just can’t get anywhere else in the area. A timelessness that slows everything down.

Our most memorable hike was the Sunday Gulch trail. It’s only a three mile hike, but it was difficult for sure. We went “backwards” or counterclockwise on this loop trail and were so thankful we did. The first stretch is up a pine covered hill with beautiful views of the peaks. It’s quiet and serene. The second half of the trail is when it got tricky – it’s basically hiking up rock and boulders the rest of the way. But there were railings to hold on to and little streams to stop and rest. There was a bit of whining as we finished the last stretch, but when the kids look back now they only remember the amazing views and fun that was had.

If you aren’t looking for a strenuous hike, you can take in the park in many other ways. There are several visitor centers, including a kids center, where we took in a ranger led program and spent some time in the awesome lodge-like kids library. The kids dug through the books while Dale caught a quick nap on the couch. There is also the famous Needles Highway, a great drive to see the narrow peaks and, if you are lucky, some mountain goats! Make sure the most qualified driver is at the wheel, there is a portion of the road where the car goes through a tunnel it barely fits!

One of my favorite parts Custer was the Wildlife Loop road. We went first thing in the morning as the day was just beginning and we saw so much – a coyote, big horn sheep, antelope playing on the side of a hill, got stuck in a herd of bison on the road, and – the BEST part – stopped at the visitor center on the trail to feed carrots and apples to the donkeys! The donkeys (or burros), were once used for trail rides, but for decades have been roaming free through the park. Even though the original domesticated burros have passed, their relatives just instinctively go to humans, so we fed them and pet them, it was a highlight for me for sure.

Being in the same general area, we ventured out on several short trips to see: Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse Monuments, Wind Cave, and Jewel Cave while staying in Custer. Crazy Horse is a privately owned monument and Native American museum. The monument isn’t finished and you can’t get very close to it, but the museum was full of artifacts from various tribes, art, and a movie. It was interesting for sure, but to be honest with you, if we had to cut one thing from the trip, this would easily be it.

We had heard from so many family and friends who had visited Mt. Rushmore and it was funny how most people either found it inspiring or disappointing. We landed in the camp of the former. We grabbed some of Thomas Jefferson’s famous ice cream and sat in awe of the monument, taking it all in. Pierce and Dale just really couldn’t get enough. Aliza was thrilled that they had a bookshop.

Listen, I’m not gonna lie to you, I don’t remember much about the caves. Pierce is our cave enthusiast, I prefer life above the ground. It was kind of one of those things where we just didn’t know if we would ever be back, so we added them to the trip. The kids did the Jr. Ranger program at each and we took a guided tour. Both caves were very different from one another, and both tours were great, the guides were interactive and the kids loved it. Wind Cave also has a herd of bison, which we got to see on the drive in, which was neat. But that’s about all I’ve got for you there…

Mt. Rushmore being the last thing we had planned in the Black Hills area, we decided to stay that night in Rapid City to get us a tiny bit closer to the main highway that would lead us on our journey home the next day. This was a practical decision that proved to be a pleasant surprise.

We made it to the hotel by late afternoon and were trying to decide what to do next – the hotel was attached to an indoor water park, or we had heard that there were statues of presidents in the down town area. Tired of making decisions at this point, we put it up to the kids, and they unanimously voted for the president statues. Was I shocked, yes!

There is a statue for EVERY SINGLE PRESIDENT! And they are such a work of art, each one. We walked up and down the streets, taking in every detail. Stopping to talk about what made each one unique and specific to that president, quizzing each other on our presidential knowledge, Googling when we didn’t know, and taking silly photos with each one. About half way through, we grabbed some delicious dinner and then carried on. When asked later what their top three stops on the trip were, they both included this president walk! Who knew?!

Wow, if you made it to the bottom of this post, you deserve your own statue! I hope this gives anyone with an itch to travel to South Dakota a bit of an idea of what’s out there. It was an amazing trip, one that our family will always treasure. Not only did it reenforce so much of what we had learned throughout the year, it was just also full of so much beauty and many delightful surprises!