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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