Top 10 Historical Sites

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Alcatraz Island inmates

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Campground review -North Sioux City KOA

Our campground choices around Sioux City, Iowa were limited due to the terrible flooding they are having there. So we stayed at the North Sioux City KOA in South Dakota.

Nearby attractions - 7 - In Mitchell, an hour or so from Sioux Falls.

Staff - 8 - Staff was cordial. Helped us navigate around flooded areas.

Natural surroundings - 6 - Trees on sites, but close to I29.

Value - 6 - We paid $50 a night for for a pull-through gravel site with full hook-ups and cable using our KOA card.

Bathrooms - 9 - Clean, larger shower area, coded security.

Roominess - 9 - About as big as we have seen for an RV Park.

Facility fun - 8 - Swimming pool and playground. Other things to do like jumping pillow and bikes for extra cash.

Cleanliness - 8 - KOA clean.

Facility usefulness - 9 - Dump station, exchange library, laundromat, small camp store, free wifi.

Overall - 7 - Too expensive, but other than that....

Campground review - Sioux Falls Jellystone Park

We have stayed at Jellystone's in other places, but this is the first time we stayed at one during our big trip. We chose the Sioux Falls Jellystone because it was actually affordable!

Nearby attractions - 7 - In Sioux Falls.
Staff - 9 - Mostly younger staff members but everyone was super helpful.

Natural surroundings - 7 - Some trees, close to I90, but no serious traffic noise.

Value - 6 - We paid $46 a night for for a pull-through gravel site with full hook-ups cable included.

Bathrooms - 7 - Slightly above average.
Roominess - 7 - Not quite long enough for our car to be behind us. Picnic table at each site.

Facility fun - 10 - Swimming pool, jumping pillow, playgrounds and different activities including meeting Yogi, all for the cost of camping. For extra you can rent bikes or play mini-putt.

Cleanliness - 7 - Pool was sort of cloudy. Also for some reason we have had more trouble with obnoxious campers at Jellystones than any other parks. Not sure why, staff is nice, but there are always somebody we run into that is completely inconsiderate.

Facility usefulness - 8 - Dump station, laundromat, small camp store, free wifi.

Overall - 9 - Fun place, we have seen cleaner pools.

Kevin Shutterbug at Jellystone

Our family recently stayed at the Jellystone Campground in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Kevin had a fun time asking us about our favorite things to do here. Thanks to One Way Street for making Kevin’s reports a reality.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

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Campground review - R & R Campground

After our foray of fun at the Corn Palace our family stopped for some much needed rest at R & R Campground in Mitchell, South Dakota.

Nearby attractions - 7 - In Mitchell, an hour or so from Sioux Falls.

Staff - 9 - Very helpful staff who found the right site for us close to pool, dog run and with satellite access. Answered our questions with friendly attitude.

Natural surroundings - 8 - Some shaded sites, but we could still get our satellite!

Value - 8 - We paid $17.00 a night for for a pull-through gravel site with full hook-ups using our Passport America membership.

Bathrooms - 7 - Smaller but clean. Two showers to share.

Roominess - 8 - Very good sized lots for an RV Park.

Facility fun - 8 - Swimming pool and playground.

Cleanliness - 9 - We were impressed by how clean this place was.

Facility usefulness - 9 - Dump station, exchange library, laundromat, small camp store, free wifi.

Overall - 9 - This is a great place for travelers along I90!

Corn Palace

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50 McDonalds - South Dakota

We found a great little McDonalds in our 50 state quest in the town of Aberdeen, South Dakota! Not only was it clean, but the lady working the register was quite friendly and professional. Our family is the king family of special orders, and they got it all right the first time! Everything from the apples to the milks to the cheeseburger without meat and the Dr. Pepper without the ice.

There was also an older lady who came around an gave all the boys packages of McDonalds cookies! First time we ever saw that! Score on the free food.

Fun at the Fjeldheim Farm

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Campground review - Heartland RV Park

We stayed at Heartland RV Park in Hermosa, South Dakota because it is pretty close to Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park and Rapid City.

Nearby attractions - 9 -15 minutes to Rapid City within 20 minutes of Mount Rushmore and Custer State Park.

Staff - 8 - Talked to at least four staff members here and all were very helpful.

Natural surroundings - 7 - Some shaded sites, in a rural area.

Value - 7 - We paid $30 a night with a Passport America card.

Bathrooms - 9 - Very clean and they had a log cabin feel. Showers were hot, but a bit tight to change in.

Roominess - 7 - A little better than average.

Facility fun - 8 - Heated pool, hot tub, small playground.

Cleanliness - 9 - Very nicely kept-up.

Facility usefulness - 8 - Dump station, laundry, camp store, free wifi. Small exchange library.

Overall - 8 - We liked swimming here. Plenty of room to walk our dog and let the kids play across from our site.

Custer State Park

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How to make a rope lesson

Some fun in Rapid City at Fort Hays!

Mount Rushmore

We felt especially patriotic visiting Mount Rushmore around the July 4th holiday. We actually went there twice. Our first visit was on July 3rd. The monument and grounds were very crowded on the third because the National Park Service holds special events on July 3rd and 4th. We saw actors playing the four presidents on the monument, interacting with the crowd. There were special performers like a hula-hoop dancer and singers. Add to this the weather was a perfect 83 degrees and the tourists were all over. We still go some pretty amazing views of the monument.

We went back four days later in the evening to see the night lighting of Mount Rushmore. This time the kids did the junior ranger program. Actually we had picked up the books on our first visit and did many of the activities in Howard. We had to look a few things up on the internet. Some of the questions though could only be answered by visiting the exhibit hall and attending the movie.

The movie was actually quite good. We have attended so many of these info films we are becoming critics of them. The Mount Rushmore film has some great footage and facts about the four presidents, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt, as well as footage and facts about Gutzon Borglum and his crew. Borglum was a passionate, patriotic visionary who also headed up the Stone Mountain project in Georgia. He lived to see most the work at Mount Rushmore finished, and his son Lincoln Borglum oversaw the finishing touches.

After watching the film and finishing the junior ranger program we settled into their outdoor auditorium and watched the evening program which includes another movie, lighting of the monument and singing the national anthem. Very stirring to sing the national anthem with the presidents looking down on you!

Fort Hays

By Patsy
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Badlands NP

No trip to the Black Hills would be complete without some time well spent at Badlands National Park. This park is filled with some amazing formations, stunning colors, and views that will flood your heart with wonder. We visited on the tail-end of an electrical storm and the multi-layered rocks and hills set against the dark, foreboding sky to the east and the bright blue sky to the west had our cameras clicking away.

Sadly you can not capture he beauty of this place with a mere 35mm digital camera set on autofocus! But you can get a few glimpses of the touch of the Master's hand here. We enjoyed driving in the midst of the beauty, climbing on the strange rocks (they were a bit muddy!), doing the junior ranger program and watching the film on life in the Badlands. It is hard to imagine that not so long ago sodbusters tried to make a life of farming here in this land.

The human desire to live and have a few acres of land gives so many the will to take on some pretty amazing elements.

Hope you enjoy some of these photos. We saw a few bighorn sheep here with their babies, as well as some new bird species like the rock wren and loggerhead shrike. We again saw a large prairie dog town. They had signs posted saying prairie dogs carry the plague! Hmm, makes you think twice about feeding the critters.

We have dug Wall Drug

We are sorry, but we have removed this post because it is a part of our new book entitled Napkin Dreams.

 

 

 

 

Campground review - Elk Creek Resort

We stayed at Elk Creek Resort in Piedmont, South Dakota through the Independence Day weekend and saw some of the area's sites.

Nearby attractions - 8 - 15 minutes to Rapid City within an hour of Mount Rushmore and Devil's Tower. Close to Deadwood City and Sturgis.

Staff - 8 - Nicest guy we talked to was an older gentleman named Scotty!

Natural surroundings - 8 - Some shaded sites, nice views of surrounding valley and Black Hills. Only a mile from I90, but you felt it was much farther away!

Value - 6 - We paid $34 a night with a Passport America card..

Bathrooms - 6 - I felt they were a little run down. Not worthy of the name resort for sure!

Roominess - 8 - Our site was big on one side for sure. Plenty of room for a July 4th cookout with friends. Not every site was this big though.

Facility fun - 9 - Pool, hot tub, small playground, horseshoes. A petrified forest attraction is also on site and is free to guests of Elk Creek Resort!

Cleanliness - 7 - Pretty decent, but some areas needed some refreshing.

Facility usefulness - 8 - Dump station, laundry, camp store, free wifi. They also received a package for us.

Overall - 7 - Pretty good place, I wish the bathrooms had been a bit nicer.

Mt. Rushmore Black Hills Gold

My wife has always had a fond affection for the look of Black Hills gold. The tricolored, delicately formed leaves are "pretty and shiny," according to Patsy. She loves the intricate nature of the works. So we took advantage of the the free tour of one of the factories where the jewelry is made, Mt. Rushmore Black Hills Gold.

According to their website, the tour is quite fascinating! Take a memorable FREE Factory Tour to see and learn how this historic jewelry is made. Discover the ancient process of lost-wax casting and how diamonds are cast in molten gold! As one of the area’s only "on the floor" up close & personal jewelry tours, you're guaranteed a fun and fascinating vacation experience!

We did enjoy the tour and our guide was very nice. It was quick but had some nice hands-on opportunities. My favorite part was learning how they "recycle" every bit of gold, even filtering the water where the employees wash their hands to catch the gold specks. Gold is currently $1500 or so an ounce, so it makes sense.

We did buy Patsy a small necklace with the signature leaf on it. Overall she seemed quite happy with the tour, and we all learned a little bit about jewelry making!

July 4th festivities

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