This will be the last blog post about our US travels for a while as our Italy excursion is next! Until then, we are amped to tell you about what a shock South Dakota was for us. How many people in the US even know Mount Rushmore is in this state? To be honest, before we got there we thought the stone heads would be the highlight. We had Badlands on the agenda as well, but didn’t know what to expect. With a name like Badlands it didn’t sound all that great. However, we ended up doing so many things that were beyond fantastic they made us forget the scorching hot weather.
We stayed in Rapid City, the perfect base for checking out the best of SD from one location.
If we had known there were so many amazing things to do in this state we would have come a lot sooner. It is hard to pick just one as the best thing we did. By the way, when you are RVing full time you have great stops, mediocre stops, and sometimes crappy stops depending on things like weather, things to do that are open, food/groceries in the area, etc. But this was one of those stops where everything just clicked and worked out perfectly…yay us!
Visiting Mount Rushmore National Memorial kicked off our South Dakota adventure. Most people we talked to beforehand told us it was way smaller than they expected. But, we thought it was pretty damn big.
If you think about all of the intricate detail carved into the side of a mountain, it is super impressive. Also, don’t just take a head on look and turn around. The best part is walking along the presidential trail and figuring out that you see something different from each view point. Like in this peek-a-boo shot you only see one president.
Next, we headed to Badlands National Park. We expected a desolate, treacherous, Mars-like landscape. But, actually it is quite beautiful. This view of the yellow mounds stands out as an example there is a colorful side to Badlands. Although looking at it now, with Halloween around the corner, it does look a little like moldy candy corn.
We were itching to do a hike in the park since it had been a while. We chose Notch Trail to really get our blood pumping.
Warning, hiking here in summer you are going to sweat like a pig! We recommend avoiding the hottest part of the day which is basically any time after sunrise.
This trail was a goody, but not nearly as exhilarating as our Angels Landing experience.
It surprised us there are so many animals roaming around South Dakota. hat are they eating? The Badlands goats do look a little bad ass. Must be if they can survive this, they can handle anything.
In Custer State Park we even saw wild burros.
Although, not sure how “wild” they are anymore since they practically stuck their heads into people’s cars for a mid-day snack.
Of course these guys were out in full force. We saw several herds and they didn’t hesitate to cause traffic jams while taking over the road. This one was staring us down making sure we knew we were just visitors in his territory.
The nice thing about this park is that it shows a very different side of South Dakota. Sylvan Lake was a welcome reprieve from bone dry and wind eroded landscape of Badlands.
Although you do have to thread the eye of the needle to get there.
Luckily we didn’t do it with the Airstream or we would probably still be wedged in there.
Best thing we did?
A visit to a wild horse sanctuary was something on Gary’s bucket list. Here we found Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary. It was a bit of a drive from Rapid City (over an hour), but totally worth it to get an up close view of these beautiful horses that they have rescued.
The tour money supports taking care of the horses and those that work with the horses actually give the tours so you can see their connection. You do stay in the vehicle because they are unpredictable, wild horses. However, you can totally see how they interact and look out for each other. Here you see two horses who have bonded and buddied up. Our guide explained how they were brought in together and they continue to be a support system for each other.
Even though we didn’t get out of the vehicle, the horses who were brave enough and have built a relationship over time with our guide would come up to the window for a treat. They could only get treats from the front window from the guide, but this guy plastered against our window didn’t seem to get the memo.
Best thing we ate?
TJ’s vanilla ice cream. This ice cream is based on President Thomas Jefferson’s original recipe. Gary and I have distinct and opposite opinions on ice cream flavors. While Gary loves a good vanilla with a simple peanut butter ribbon or some sliced banana on top, I am a fan of chocolate. The more ooey-gooey and crunchy inclusions the better. However, we both agreed that this vanilla ice cream deserved five stars in flavor. It may have gotten an extra star since it was a hot day and it totally hit the spot, but being able to enjoy it sitting in front of the national memorial is pretty sweet.
What we learned?
Humans need routine. Even nomadic humans need daily rituals. Being able to know you are going to do something every day is comforting. Yes we love exploring and adventure, but in our day to day life we need to do something that gives us a bit of order to avoid chaos.
One of the things we found that works for us is a morning and evening walk. This helps us to bookend our days with a bit of reflection. No matter where we are now, we always try to find a trail or path that allows us to get into a daily groove.
In South Dakota we were lucky enough to be beside a creek with a great walking path. Any sidewalk or dirt path will do, it is just a bonus when we have a babbling brook or stream to walk along.
We now recognize this daily act grounds us and reminds us we on a journey to learn and grow. This journey is a marathon, not a sprint.
Next Stop: Italy