For as long as I can remember my family has been going on trips. mostly camping and road trips but those are some of the best memories I have of my childhood. As adults we’ve tried to continue to travel when we can as a family. Well we are going to South Dakota! I’m not sure why we chose August as it’s hot as shit where we’re going but oh well! Lets do it!
August 19th 2023
Katie and I pack up the 4runner and drop the dogs at the boarder and hit the road for our first stop at Lake Shetek State Park in Currie, MN. It has historic significance because of the US-Dakota war of 1862. Google it.. Lots of feelings after learning about more of these types of events. After that we went to Pipestone National Monument in Pipestone, MN. We saw dozens of bison on our drive and then headed to Chamberlain, SD to eat some dinner at The Smoking Mule which was pretty good! A classic bar and grill. We checked into our hotel and basically went to sleep.
August 20th, 2023
We woke up early and headed for the Badlands, SD. We parked at the Door / Notch trailhead parking lot, which was fantastic and brand new. They had bathrooms and picnic areas. When we got there it was 6AM, windy and chilly! Which was weird considering it was August. We hiked the Notch, Door and Window trails and wandered around the grounds. It was an awesome morning activity on the way to the Black Hills which is where we’d all be meeting at the Airbnb. When we left our hike we had an appointment to go tour a missile silo in Cottonwood, SD. It was called Delta-01 Launch Control Facility. It was one of the most interesting, eye opening, jaw dropping, informational tours I’ve been on. Also a little spooky. After that we went to the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site which was an amazing museum and informative stop! We drove through Hill City, SD and then got to our Airbnb a little early to make sure it was up to snuff and could handle the family. Then we went into town to the Mt Rushmore Brewing Company for a late lunch and a beer. We then settled in to the Airbnb and waited for everyone to arrive. The Airbnb was a little deceiving. The owners were definitely trying to maximize the nightly guest amount by converting the garage into an apartment and it was under construction while we were there and so that was not communicated and was pretty irritating as they were in our parking spots.
August 21st 2023
Katie and I got up early and hit the road before anyone was up. We drove all around Custer and Custer State Park. We then drove the Needles highway and it was amazing. We took a little break at Sylvan Lake and walked around for a while. Then we went into the little store right there and got some snacks and beverages. We headed back to the house and met with everyone for breakfast. My siblings have kids and the long drive from the previous day kind of took a toll on most. My parents and Katie and I went into Custer to have some food and walk around for a little while before returning and hanging out with everyone!
August 22nd, 2023
Today we woke up and had some breakfast as a family and then headed toward Deadwood, SD. It was HOT today.. Katie and I do not do well in the extreme heat so it was kind of a rough go. BUT we walked around Deadwood for a while and then decided to part ways as most of the family wanted to head back to the house. We went to Bridal Veil Falls on Spearfish Canyon Highway which was a gorgeous drive that we highly recommend. After Bridal Veil Falls we stopped between Maurice and Victoria at a little pull of of rapids. Then we went down to Roughlock Falls which was an amazing waterfall not too far from the parking lot. Then we went to Spearfish Creek Dam for a little stop which was also very very pretty. After that we headed back to our place to hang with the family and wind down. At this point I had been kind of suffering through with a sinus/ear infection and had gotten a prescription filled online(thank God for technology and Virtuwell). I was not feeling well at this point though. Ate some food and started a fire but didn’t last long. Katie stayed out at the fire with my brother in law as he brought his telescope and you could see Saturn and other planets that night!
Wednesday, August 23rd
I woke up feeling like complete shit. SO instead of waiting another day we decided to head on home that day. We were up early and packed up and basically as soon as people were waking up we were saying goodbye but were met with a beautiful sunrise so that’s nice. It was an unfortunate way to end the trip but I’m happy that we got to spend time together in a beautiful place.
