We’re on the road again…..heading for the Wild West!

We have finally hit the road again!  Our plan is to be gone for almost 4 months, traveling through the Dakota’s, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana and back home again to Naples.  Originally we were to spend a month in the Banff/Lake Louise area but due to Covid, the border remains “closed”.  So we scrambled to make alternative plans, adding Idaho to our trip.

We are so excited as we now have traveling companions…..my sister, Marj and her husband, Larry, bought a 5th wheel and are on the road with us.  It took several months for Marj and I to agree on an itinerary but we’re excited with our efforts.  They left a day ahead of us and headed toward Indiana to visit their kids for a few days.  We drove our Honda CRV (our tow car) to Ottawa, IL where our motorhome was stored.  Then we spent a few days with my daughter, Amanda, helping her and the kids settle into their new home.  On July 7th, we met up with Marj and Larry in Rockford, IL before heading toward Minnesota.  There we spent one night, before continuing  on to South Dakota.

On July 8th, on the way to the Badlands, we stopped in Mitchell, SD at the Corn Palace,  worthy of a visit if you’ve never been there.  They decorate the walls with murals made from the different grains.  After lunch and a quick little tour, we arrived in the Badlands on July 8th, staying for 2 nights at White River KOA at Interior, South Dakota.

 

Of course, a stop at Wall Drug is a must when traveling west on route 90.  We enjoyed breakfast in their cafe and did a quick round of shopping.

The Badlands are stark and desolate but carry a beauty all their own.  We saw some mountain goats and a LOT of prairie dogs.  And of course, much beautiful scenery!

Our cameras were kept busy as a new and beautiful scene revealed itself with every turn

We came across a genuine sod house and homestead – so hard to imagine living in such rustic conditions through both harsh winters and blistering summers!

Next stop is Mt. Rushmore!  We stayed at Holy Smoke RV Resort in Keystone, SD.

 

The day after visiting the monument, we had a quick but furious hail storm.  I now know what they mean when they talk about golf ball size hail stones!  Our Honda received a few dents but didn’t fare too badly.  Again, that night, another quick hail storm came through – no damage this time!

 

 

We also stopped at Crazy Horse Monument and were disappointed to see no more work had been done to this mountain carving since the last we were there which was years ago.  We took a nice drive through Custer State Park and again enjoyed seeing some wildlife, especially the bison!

We all had a great time in South Dakota, but it’s time to move along.  North Dakota, here we come!  It will be a quick stop there but I’ll catch you up soon.  Until then, Happy Trails.