Short Stories: Schwieterman Summer Adventure Series - 2023 (Part 3 – South Dakota)
South Dakota is a very large state with so much to see, so we spent three nights, one on the eastern edge in Sioux Falls and 2 nights in the Black Hills, with a few stops in between. Nothing against Minnesota, but I couldn’t find anything of interest off I-90 (except the Green Giant, which we caught a glimpse of from interstate), so we buzzed through that state to get to Jellystone of Sioux Falls campground.
This stop was most certainly for the girls. It had an awesome pool and many activities for kids of all ages. It was a nice stop directly off interstate, but I don’t know if I would call it a must-do adventure. The following day was Sunday, so we drove into the city of Sioux Falls to attend Mass at St. Joseph Cathedral. It was stunning! Like I’ve said, I’m not one for man-made attractions, but when it’s designed to mirror the unimaginable splendor of Heaven, that is something I get excited for!
While in Sioux Falls, we also visited Falls Park, a cool place for waterfall enthusiasts (like me). It was a quick visit, and we were back on the road heading west to our next pit stop. As farmers, we felt obligated to stop at the world’s only Corn Palace. We enjoyed the stop, but I think it’s one of those places that a one-time visit is sufficient.
Next, we made another quick stop at the I-90 Chamberlin rest stop to see the Missouri River and were impressed by the enormous Dignity statue of a Native American woman. We stopped for the evening in Belvidere, SD near the 1880 Town. It wasn’t on our itinerary, but it was a welcome surprise. We got there just in time to dress up in frontier attire and take family pictures for a way more reasonable price than those Old Time Photos you see at tourist attractions. We really enjoyed the excursion and would recommend it.
We were up bright and early the next morning to take in the sights of Badland National Park before the heat of the day. The rock formations were unique and reminded me of eroded sand-like cement. It is very barren, but we did see some prairie dogs and a ram, who was not-at-all disturbed by our presence.
After touring the badlands, we made our way to Black Hills and caught the 1880 Train out of Keystone to Hill City, SD after a quick swim at the campground. Again, this excursion was one we can say we did, but wouldn’t do again. Our incredibly long day of tourism ended at Mt. Rushmore for the evening lighting ceremony. This one, we could do again! We all enjoyed the museum and the patriotic short film that preluded the lighting of the monument. The landmark is visually impressive, but there is something else about being in the presence of the images of our founding fathers that is harder to describe. It was inspiring.
Our final day in South Dakota was another early morning to drive through Custer State Park. We drove through two of the tunnels carved in the granite, Iron Creek and Needles Eye Tunnel. It was exhilarating! Driving Needles Highway is now one of my favorite memories! Next stop was a stroll around Sylvan Lake, another beautiful setting. It was our intention to drive the wildlife loop, but we skipped it in hopes that we would see plenty of wildlife in Yellowstone National Park.
As we headed back to camp, we passed the Crazy Horse Memorial, which was not on our itinerary. We decided to give it a try and were all impressed with the Native American history contained within the museum. We were informed of the laser light show each evening which turns the mountainside into a giant 500-foot screen where the Legends in Light film is projected, so we came back to the Crazy Horse Memorial again that night. In the meantime, our campground, Rafter J Ranch, had a nice pool, the last pool we would have on our journey, so the girls spent the rest of the day swimming, even our little trachie. Water and tracheostomies are a dangerous combination, so we are incredibly cautious when our girl is anywhere near the water. She loves jumping off the edge into Daddy’s arms, and everyone around her seems to love watching her. She attracts a lot of attention.
We had an amazing adventure in South Dakota and certainly hope that a return trip to Black Hills is in our future, especially Custer State Park. We would most definitely return to Rafter J Ranch Campground
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