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Girl Gone Travel

North America, Travel
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August 5, 2009

From Sioux Falls to The Badlands, South Dakota

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Another early morning, but not as early as the ones before, and definitely slower in pace.  We woke up almost used to the routine already, on the fifth day into our Road Trip Adventure.

We arrived to Sioux Falls yesterday afternoon.  I spent most of the day dozing off in the car.  My husband loves to drive, so getting him to agree to let me take the wheel is hard, though, yesterday I was fine with him driving the whole way so I could sleep.  Funny thought, sleeping in the car.  The second I am falling deep into it I hear, “Mama! Maaaaaaaama!”  Almost as if the “Mom is relaxing” alert button goes off warning of them of it.

We arrived to the Holiday Inn in Downtown Sioux Falls.  Though the hotel was fine for one night, and we enjoyed the pool, but my first impression was not very good.  If you’ve read my other hotel reviews than you know where I stand on first impressions with hotels.  The hallway to our room had bags of garbage waiting to be picked up by the cleaning crew, the carpet at the entrance to our room was coming undone, and the lounge chair was stained.  I took pictures to share, but really, it’s not a place I would recommend, though it was inexpensive to stay there.

We exited the hotel and walked down Philips Avenue, and took in the scenes of Downtown Sioux Falls, including the Sculpturewalk.  We loved it.  They’ve done a wonderful job at preserving the history of their town.  It offers great little shops and businesses for every need, restaurants and even cigar bars, but still maintain their identity and signs of their culture.  I personally have great respect for the people of Sioux Falls for this.

We ate at Philips Avenue Diner.  It was “Burger Day”, which meant we could order a drink and get a burger, any burger 50% off menu price.  My husband ordered “The Spread”, a burger with chili sauce and the works.  My oldest and I ordered “The Champion” (ham, cheese, a fried egg).  Both were incredible.  Service was quick, great, and food was wonderful…price couldn’t be beat.  We sat outside and enjoyed the great weather and scenes.

The Sioux Falls Waterfalls were beautiful.  We did that early this morning, around 6AM before hitting the road and it was by far the best way to start our morning.  We made our way to Mt. Rushmore, stopping at the Corn Palace, which was a bit of a tourist trap, but still a cute stop along the way and a must, with it being the World’s only Corn Palace and all!  The ride was really pretty, which was great because it helped distract the boys.

We also found out that we are heading to Mt. Rushmore around the same time that the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is happening.  We have seem biker after biker everywhere we go.  The boys get super excited to see them as they pass by (and sometimes we pass them by too!) and are now wanting a motorcycle for themselves!

The 2009 Volkswagen Routan continues to be a dream.  We’ve adjusted to the not having DVDs, though I have taken out my laptop a few times, and are managing without the GPS system.  It remains a wonderful driving experience.

I will let the video speak for itself regarding the rest of the trip, but let me just say, I spent most of the day in awe of the beauty we have in this country.  It’s one thing to read about it or watch on television, it’s another to be there and witness it.  My 11 year old especially was really struck by it all.  The little ones were excited and asked a lot of questions and also seemed to really appreciate the wonderful beauty surrounding them.

Words cannot describe how I felt today, so I hope my video can communicate it best.  Mt. Rushmore, then camping for two days in Yellowstone!

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Carol Cain

Brooklyn native Carol is happiest when on an adventure, whether close to home or farther away. She is a small business owner and travel writer. In addition to creating Girl Gone Travel, she is the Founder and Principal of Brave World Media, a social media marketing, communications, and branding agency. She's mom to three wonderful sons and wife to a handsome Irish/Scot. She lives, works, and plays in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of NY.

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7 Comments
  • Lisa
    August 5, 2009

    Didn't know Sioux Falls was so beautiful. I guess there's so much to see out in the US. I'm trying to convince hubby to do a road trip too. At least to Indiana (where my uncle lives). As of now, since he drives to work everyday, he's like heck no! Maybe I can convince him for next year. LOL

    I can't wait to see video & pictures from Mt Rushmore.

    Thanks for sharing your awesome adventure.

    Reply
  • Ace
    August 5, 2009

    Great video! I really enjoyed watching that! (I'm at @musiccitace on twitter)

    Reply
  • Anonymous
    August 6, 2009
    Reply
  • Linda
    August 10, 2009

    Glad you enjoyed my little corner of the world!

    Reply
  • Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND | NYCity Mama
    November 10, 2010

    […] Park. Situated in the North Dakota Badlands, we had stumbled upon a 70,447-acre park and like the Badlands in South Dakota, the views were […]

    Reply
  • alagraham
    February 24, 2011

    I am glad you enjoyed South Dakota…it really is a beautiful place to live and visit. Next time you come back email me and I will geive you more suggestions. I am glad you enjoyed downtown Sioux Falls…my husband and I live in Sioux Falls and it is so nice to hear an outsiders perspective. Keeping our downtown alive is so imprortant to us! When I take my next trip to NY I will be calling on you for some advice! 🙂

    Reply
    • Carol Cain
      alagraham
      February 26, 2011

      Sure!! Would be fun to give you tips on my city!

      Reply

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About me

Hi! I'm Carol! I am an award-winning travel blogger, a keynote speaker, and the Principal and owner of Brave World Media, a social media marketing, communications, and branding agency. I a wife to a handsome Irish/Scot and a mom to 3 sons and 2 puppies. Welcome to my blog where I share stories of my travels and professional public relations insights and advice. Thank you for reading and for your support!

Carol Cain

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Hubby and I recently went to check out office spac Hubby and I recently went to check out office spaces for our business. We (I) started getting caught up in the perceptions of what other people might think about our business, or rather, how successful or serious it was with us operating it from our home. So, in order to keep up with the Joneses, we went out and searched. And immediately were like, "Nope."

One, it was an additional expense that we were taking on to convince other people of whatever we (I) thought they needed to be convinced of. And two, it felt like....well, like working out of an office, something which I personally haven't done in over a decade (almost two now) and which my husband just escaped from!

And lastly, we like to go out into the communities that our clients serve, but also that we live in, and get to experience it all ourselves. It makes us a great agency.

I share all of this because I am slowly coming to accept that there will always be those who will make a determination of who we are as people, as professionals, as a business simply from what they think they know, not from actuality...and..we (I) am still working on breaking down the toxic traits of corporate / professional influence and narratives.

As once a full-time travel blogger, I experienced first hand what it is to be dismissed and not taken seriously. But, because of my travel blogging work, I have visit over 40 countries (and still counting) and have been published and spoken on stages around the world. That doesn't just happen.

All this to say, as I (we) move away from renting an office in order to be taken more seriously by the corporate world...and save ourselves some money in the process...we are reminded to work on ourselves and on being our own biggest cheerleaders and advocates. Sure, we seek out support and mentorship and always work on learning and refining our skill. But can't pay attention to what others might be thinking. It will never be an accurate portrayal.

And a lesson to never, ever spend more money than we have to just to convince others how serious we are in our commitment to our work. In the meantime, our current office spaces are working out just fine.

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To my LGTBQIA+ family and friends, know I adore you, would fight for, and support you always. You make my life and the world a more beautiful place. I celebrate you today, this month, and always. 

Thank you for being you. 🌈

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