Ryan, Mom, Dad and I recently traveled to our neighboring state of South Dakota for a little vacation. We traveled to the land of caves, mines, National Parks and chuck wagons – the great Black Hills. I’m surprised our family never made the trip to there before as it is only about 6 hours from home. Better late than never, however!

The voyage across Interstate 90 included a stop at Mitchell to see the Corn Palace. Unfortunately, the Corn Palace wasn’t so grand. Instead, it was under construction. This was a disappointing stop for everyone. But, hey, at least we got to get out and stretch our legs. And take our picture by a cartoon corn character!

Our next stop was the Badlands National Park. Click on the link to find out more about this stop.

After spending an afternoon in the Badlands, we stayed overnight in the town of Wall. Wall is known for Wall Drug, the large roadside attraction that includes free ice water, 5 cent coffee, the 6-foot bunny, rodeo attire and more. To learn more, just reference the gazillion billboards you’ll see on the way to Wall Drug. On our drive back from Rapid City to Wall (roughly 55 miles), we counted 50+ billboards (we made a game of it). About. Drives. You. Crazy. It sounds like this is something Wall Drug has been doing for quite some time. In reading about the history of Wall Drug, it started as a small pharmacy that lured travelers in with their free ice water during the Depression. I didn’t find it to have any of the historic charm you might expect, but we figured we should cross it off our tourist attraction list. Plus, we got some 5-cent coffee and delicious donuts on our way out.

Ryan getting to know the locals at Wall Drug.

After leaving Wall, we set our sights on our next destination – Mount Rushmore. Once we saw Mount Rushmore in all its glory, we stopped in Keystone for lunch (bison burger for me!) and then made our way to Custer State Park. It was here, we traveled along Needles Highway, a 14-mile-long route that winds through granite structures, tunnels, open meadows and pine covered forests. It was narrow, windy and stunning. We stopped at numerous spots to take in the view and shoot some photos. It was great being able to roll down the windows, let the breeze fall upon our faces and enjoy the view. After completing Needles Highway, we took the Wildlife Loop, which promoted sightings of buffalo/bison, prairie dogs, mountain goats, pronghorns, deer, elk, coyotes, hawks and more. We only were able to spot some deer, pronghorns, prairie dogs and solitary bison. That evening we stayed in a lovely, remodeled, modern cabin and enjoyed a grilled meal.

Here's a few examples of Dad getting up close and personal with nature.

Our driver through Needles ... thanks, Ryan!

The next day (Sunday), we went on a guided horseback ride through the hills. The ride included a stop at a small waterfall. The horses Mom and Dad rode, Bonny and Clyde, weren’t the fastest horses we’d ever seen, but we all enjoyed the ride. We were originally signed up for a 3-hour ride, but that particular path was cluttered with fallen trees (from a recent storm), so we opted for an hour and a half ride instead. With our newfound free time, we traveled north to the town of Deadwood.

Ryan and Dad getting acquainted with the horses.

Deadwood was established as a gold mining town in the 1870’s, attracting outlaws, gamblers and gunslingers. Wild Bill Hickok was killed in Deadwood while playing poker (ever heard of the dead man's hand?!). While there, we ate lunch and stopped at the Saloon #10, the place where Wild Bill was killed.

After Deadwood, we stopped at Wonderland Cave. Wonderland Cave is a two-level cavern containing the largest variety of crystal formations in the Midwest. Some things to note – 1) The cave was formed more than 300 million years ago. 2) The cave was discovered by two loggers in 1929 when searching for their lost dog. At first, the men tried to mine the cave for gold. When unsuccessful, they turned to tourism. 3) The temperature within the cave, year round, is 47 degrees. 3) The limestone stalactites and stalagmites only grow an inch or so every 175 years. I have to report that, sadly, my 99% in geology freshmen year at ISU didn't come through; I didn't know anything more about cave formations than what I had probably learned in grade school. At least I got that A! That evening we moved into our second cabin, which was a simple, one-bedroom with a loft. As you'll see in pictures below, it had a great view!

Entering the Wonderland Cave. Below are some inside views.

The last day of our stay started with a 10-mile run for me. Something about having great scenery makes a long run somewhat ... do I dare say ... enjoyable?! After I cleaned up, we all headed out for planned activities. The first thing we did was visit the National Presidential Wax Museum. The museum had displays of the popular presidents and busts of the remaining presidents. There was also an audio guide. Unfortunately, we didn't have the time (nor the patience) to listen to the segments for all the presidents.

After lunch in Hill City, we rode the 1880 train from Hill City to Keystone and back. The appeal of this train ride is the steam-powered engine used by the station. And wouldn't it be our luck that, as we are boarding the train carts, we're informed that the steam engine was overheating and needed to take a rest. Therefore, leaving us to a diesel engine. Ugh! Ryan was especially disappointed (probably because he could tell the difference between the two ... something I'm not confident I'd be able to do!). And, then, wouldn't you know it, as we pulled back into the station, the steam-engine was rested and ready to go again.

After sweating our little butts off on the long train ride, we decided it was time for a drink. We headed to a local brewery along the highway, known as Miner Brewery Company. We each ordered a sample flight of seven beers. Once those were empty, Ryan grabbed himself a t-shirt, and we headed next door to Prairie Berry Winery. I hadn't heard of the winery, but they have been very successful and have an extremely popular wine, Red Ass Rhubarb. The really cool thing is a lot of the wines are made of native prairie berries of South Dakota ... chokecherries, buffaloberries, elderberries and more. We then enjoyed a nice steak/prime rib dinner at a quaint restaurant and ended our last night in the Black Hills with the lighting ceremony at Mount Rushmore.

Here's the view from the patio of our cabin. Euchre tournament play in action.

I really enjoyed this trip for two primary reasons.

1) Western South Dakota really is beautiful. The Black Hills forests, the buttes of the Badlands, the man-made monument work were all breathtaking. The places we went were simple, down home and friendly. I've always had a passion for places that make me feel as if I've gone back into time (I believe I've inherited this from Dad). The Black Hills definitely did this for me. The train ride, the unsettled, preserved lands and historical sites made me stop and wonder what it would have been like to be one of the first settlers in the area.

2) Spending five days with my parents. Traveling with them is easy. It is fun. And, most of all, it is cherished so very much by me. Without getting overly sentimental, I just want to say I'm so lucky to still have my parents in my life and can go on little adventures like this one with them (and Ryan, of course! Can't forget him ... Dad wouldn't come along, otherwise!).