Summer Roadtrip Day 9: New Glarus WI to Sioux Falls SD

We loaded up the minivan with some dishes and a table and chairs from my mom, then started our trip towards home 

We drove through rain and wind this morning, with the rain letting up just before we reached Fennimore WI to stop at Carr Valley Cheese and stock up. We also posed with Igor the Mouse.

At one point, Steve rolled up the window and it made a loud bang. He suspected that the cable on the window controller snapped, and made a mental note to not roll down his window again. 

We then headed towards Prairie du Chien and then crossed the Mississippi River 

Once we entered Marquette IA, we saw a slightly different version of Pinky the pink elephant. 

Our route followed the Mississippi River for a few miles before heading west.

When we were near Waukon IA, we posed next to the Bull and Cowboy statue.

From there, we drove to Austin MN and saw The Power of Food / Big Fork statue.

It was really interesting to see that it was covered in smaller forks!

Then we went to the SPAM museum and spent a lot more time there than initially planned. (I don't even like SPAM!!!)

The next stop was in Blue Earth to see the Green Giant (and Sprout) and visit the related museum.

From there, we drove to Sioux Falls, where we checked out the lightly flowing falls.

Later that night, we went to a dive bar to hear Steve's friend play in a band.

Summer Roadtrip Day 10: Sioux Falls to Keystone SD

After leaving Sioux Falls, we visited the Corn Palace in Mitchell SD.

We saw a highway sign for the South Dakota Tractor Museum in Kimball SD. Steve wanted to check it out so we made the detour. Unfortunately, it was closed and wouldn't open for a few more hours. 

The Holy Trinity Church that is right next to the museum was having a yard sale to raise money to repair the roof. We stopped to see what was there. Steve talked on of the volunteers into opening the church so we could see inside. This church is considered to be an important example of Bohemian vernacular religious architecture in South Dakota and a visual survivor of Czech settlement history.

and then she even gave us a tour of the basement, which had a collection of historic items from the church and town.

We then stopped at the Dignity statue in Chamberlain SD

which overlooked the Missouri River.

We also visited the Lewis and Clark visitor center. 

A few more miles down the road, we stopped to see the giant pheasant made of railroad ties and other parts 

We then crossed the Missouri River.

From there, we headed further west, stopping to see the exhibits at the Minuteman Missile National Historic site.

Before the entry to the Badlands National Park, we stopped to see prairie dogs (real and giant).

We then visited several areas of the Badlands National Park.

We walked on a few of the paths to get a better look at the rock formations and scale of the area.

But it was really hot and humid, so we mostly just stayed at the scenic overlook areas.

We even saw a few bison as we left the park.

I think the highlight for Steve was seeing the military practice "rescue operation"

After leaving the Badlands, we drove to Wall SD. It was really busy at Wall drug, so we decided to skip it. Instead, we stopped at Dahl's chainsaw art to see the World's Largest Jackelope.

Steve paid the $1 admission to go inside.

While I stayed on the ground with Sasquatch 

From there we drove to Rapid City and stopped at Firehouse Brewery for dinner.

It was still light out, so we drove to Mount Rushmore. 

Unfortunately, the sun was setting behind the monument when we got there, so it was hard to get a good picture.

We thought about staying for the lighting ceremony, but that was still 1-2 hours away and we were tired, so went to the motel for the night. After relaxing a bit, smwe saw this lighted view from the motel.

Summer Roadtrip Day 11: Keystone SD to Cheyenne WY

Today we left Keystone and drove past Mount Rushmore. We actually got better pictures from outside the park today than we got yesterday.

We enjoyed the scenic drive through the Black Hills down Needles highway.

Including driving through the narrow tunnels.

On the way to Custer State Park, Steve accidentally rolled down his window. Because the cable snapped earlier in the trip, his window completely sunk into the door frame. When we stopped to pay the entrance fee at Custer State Park, he attempted to "fix" the window by pulling it up and taping it into place (and later jammed microfiber rags between the window and the door frame to keep it in place).

We drove the wildlife loop where we saw lots of prairie dogs and bison.

We also saw pronghorn antelope,

bighorn sheep,

and burros.

After leaving Custer SP we drove South to Hot Springs where we had lunch at a BBQ restaurant (delicious burnt ends!) and explored the town a bit.

from there, we drove to Cheyenne Wyoming, to spend the night. We saw lots of wildflowers growing in the grasslands.

While driving, we encountered a few sprinkles, but most of the rain was in the distance.

After we checked into the hotel, it started raining. 

Because we had a late lunch, we weren't hungry for dinner, so hunkered down in the room where we were warm and dry.