Well, we made it to Rapid City, South Dakota, the last stop before we reach Red Lodge. Heading due north from Omaha, we traveled along the Iowa-Nebraska line (aka the Missouri River) until we reached Sioux City. We crossed into South Dakota at some point, but I'm not exactly sure where; each time I thought we had crossed a state line, I saw a sign for an Iowa Welcome Center. Along the way, corn fields gave way to cattle ranches and large stretches of prairie land.
Once we started heading west on I-90, the rolling prairie really began. Once we passed the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder (of "Little House on the Prairie" fame), the towns and rest stops became few and far between. Imagine crossing this vast plain on a wagon or by foot (and no place to get a Coke Zero!). We passed the "world famous" Corn Palace in Mitchell, but postponed visiting until our return journey.
By far, the best part of the day was taking a detour through the Badlands. By chance, we stopped at a gas station/store that happened to be at the entrance of a 40-mile loop road that goes through some of the most beautiful parts of the Badlands. The road has incredible views and lots of "scenic lookouts." It was spectacular and the boys were thrilled (and a little scared; some of the drop offs were steep and high). I've included a few pictures in this post, but you can go to my Picasa album to see all of them.
Here in Rapid City, there are still a ton of bikers hanging on for the last day of the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Mostly, it's middle-aged men and women dressing up as outlaw motorcycle gang
members. It's really a funny scene, but at least at our hotel, the riders are pretty tame.
Tomorrow, we're off to Red Lodge. Whether we stop first at Mt. Rushmore or try to drive through Deadwood will depend on a number of things, including what time we get up and what the motorcycle traffic looks like. At any rate, we hope to make Red Lodge by early evening.
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