South Dakota: Crazy Horse, Badlands, Mitchell Corn Palace

Thursday was a long day in the car. But driving across South Dakota, we had to loop around Mt. Rushmore again, drive slow enough past the Crazy Horse Monument to snap a photo, wind through Custer State Park, and then tour Badlands National Park. And all of this before hitting the highway.

Once on the road we couldn't resist a detour through Wall Drug. Its scope/magnitude was very impressive. And what self-respecting Mitchell could have passed the Corn Palace without a quick inspection of this year's theme?

Mt. Rushmore from the car

Crazy Horse from the car

In the Badlands

     

Sometimes the Badlands looked like a moon scape

At other times the Badlands were more colorful

Connor reaching the summit of a majestic Badland mount

Famously self-promoting Wall Drug--how could we resist a 6-foot jackalope?

Mitchell, South Dakota's Corn Palace

The theme changes each year, and this year's theme is travel through the ages. If you click on the small picture,  it will open up to a larger resolution photo and you can see details of the corn murals. It's actually pretty cool up close -- the colors are beautiful.

TG sampling some of the corniness of the Corn Palace. (TG was making a joke about Mitchell's sports team being the kernels, and Connor said, "Man, that's so corny." We cracked up and Connor asked, "What's so funny about that?")

Lesli's photo from the car of the rising moon taken somewhere on the eastern edge of South Dakota

  

All in all it was a good day of sightseeing, but we didn't put away as many miles as we'd expected. We were going to try to get past Sioux Falls, maybe as far as Madison, but that didn't happen.

So Friday we made no stops except bathroom and snack breaks, and we passed through 4 states with no pictures! South Dakota's 1880 pioneer town? Next time. Pipestone National Monument? Next time. Groovy organic and veggie restaurants in the hip town of Madison? Next time. So we boogied instead, and now we're in the outskirts of Chicaco. Hopefully we'll get a few great pics over breakfast in Grant Park, and then onward to Nashville. 

Connor thinks we could get all the way to Decatur today, from Chicago,  but this is from a kid without a driver's license. We'll shoot for Nashville today and then plan to be home Sunday evening.

xox