From East to West, SD has been Traveled

Day #4
Date: 07/23/11
Traveled: Sioux Falls, SD to Rapid City, SD
Interstates: I29 & I90
Miles Driven: 352 Miles
Hours on Road: 12:00pm - 7:00pm
Weather: Cloudy then clearing (85 degrees)

The long days and nights caught up with us and we decided to sleep in today. We ended staying in bed until around 10am. We then got ready and begin our normal routine of taking everything down and preparing the camper for travel. Things were going good until I opened the toolbox in the back of the truck and noticed a container of oil I had placed there had lost it's lid and there was now a quart of oil soaking everything I had in it. After 30+ minutes of cleaning things up we were finally back on I29 and then I90 headed to Rapid City.

We had planned for a 6 or so hour drive and that's what it turned out to be. The scenery changed drastically from the days before though and everyone was happy to see something other than corn and beans. We were now treated to green fields of grass and amber fields of wheat. As we progressed west those fields began to change into slow rolling hills. We made a pit stop at Al's Oasis for diesel and for food. Here, myself and the boys had our very first bison burger, which we all agreed was very good! Once everything and everyone was refueled, we headed back out for the final 3 hours of our drive. Along the way, the scenery continued to change as we approached the black hills. In the distance we could see the "Badlands" to our south. This and the miles and miles of rolling fields in every other direction made for some outstanding views... The type of stuff you would find in a good western movie. After exiting I90 in Rapid City, we made what was our highest and hardest pull uphill so far on the trip. We slowed to a mere 30mph as we climbed and climbed and climbed until we finally arrived at our destination at the top of the mountain, the TeePee Campground and RV Park. From here we were treated with a beautiful sunset. We ventured out for just a few to see what we could find before dark and ended up letting the boys try their hand at rock climbing before calling it a night.

Tomorrow's agenda is pretty full as we plan to spend at least a couple of days here. We hope to start out at Bear Country USA, then on to Mount Rushmore and if time permits, Custard State Park. Cameron has had his heart set on seeing a bison/buffalo and this should give him a good opportunity to do so. Below are the links to some pics and videos of today's adventure. You may need to copy and paste them into your browser to get them to work.

I90 Pictures & Video Links:
http://s1100.photobucket.com/albums/g414/faithtothe49th/Traveling%20to%20Rapid%20City/

We'll be sure to report in the next day or so on how the excursions around Rapid City went.

God Bless & Good Travels!

The Moores