That’s Right, We Badlands
We spent several weeks in South Dakota exploring different parts of the state. Two of those weeks were spent in Interior, SD (population 67) learning about Badlands National Park.
So what are Badlands? Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded. They are characterized by steep slopes and minimal vegetation.
I think the pictures speak for themselves, Enjoy!
We Venture into South Dakota
As we continued our western loop, we visited Sioux Falls, South Dakota. We were very impressed by Falls Park, which is a 128 acre public park located just north of downtown and sits on the Big Sioux River. People really seemed to like splashing around in the water and having direct access to the falls.
Downtown Sioux Falls has what’s considered the largest annual exhibit of public sculptures in the world. It’s known as Sculpture Walk. The walk features more than 60 sculptures spread along the sidewalks of downtown. Below are a few of our favorites.
Opened in 1931 and offering free ice water to road weary travelers, Wall Drug Store has become an iconic landmark. Located in Wall, SD (pop. 800), it now hosts upwards of 2 million visitors a year.
Many of you remember the duck and cover drills from our youth. Since we were close by, we just had to visit the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site. For thirty years, 1000 nuclear missiles located throughout the Great Plains were kept on constant alert. We visited one of the silos.
Putting a Round in Nebraska
We made a stop in Valentine, Nebraska. It’s a small town (pop. 2760) in the North Central region of the state with a very busy post office in February.
Nearby was a very nice Golf Resort called the Prairie Club. The Prairie Club has both the #41 (Dunes Course) and #88 (Pines Course) top public courses to play in the United States according to Golf Digest. I was fortunate to be able to play the Dunes Course.
We needed something for Catharine to do too, so we took a hike in the nearby Smith Falls State Park. The park straddles the Niobrara National Scenic River and contains Smith Falls, which is the highest waterfall in Nebraska.
Overall, Valentine was a very pleasant surprise and the Prairie Club has definitely made my list of future destinations for a weekend golf trip with friends.
If you build it, we will come
Our adventures took us next through Iowa. We started by staying at and visiting the Maquoketa Caves State Park, which is known for having the most caves of any state park.
We also made a visit to the Field of Dreams movie set. Honestly, not as cool as I would have thought. Without the corn in the outfield it just isn’t the same.
Finally, no visit to Iowa would be complete without a trip to world famous Effigy Mounds National Monument. Now I know what some of you might be thinking, “What the Effigy are you talking about?” Effigy Mounds are raised masses of earth created in the shape of animals by American Indians between 850 and 1400 years ago. They are best seen from above and since we don’t have a drone we were stuck with the ground level view. There are no written records and few surviving tribal stories so the mounds origin and meaning remain a mystery.
Blowing through the Windy City
We were both looking forward to exploring Chicago as we’d never spent any real time there previously. It is a pretty cool city. Big “Thank you” to Kyle who helped us curate a list of things to see and do while in Chicago. First up was the Shedd Aquarium and their featured beluga whales.
Next was the Field Museum with exhibits on dinosaurs, gems, microbiology and many other topics for the curious. We wanted to visit the Adler Planetarium but they were closed due to Covid.
We waited for a clear day to visit the Skydeck at Willis Tower and the 360 Observation Deck of the John Hancock buildings. The Skydeck is on the 103rd floor and provides great view of Lake Michigan while the John Hancock building faced the magnificent mile.
We loved the skyline so much we took an architecture cruise on the Chicago River. It was an excellent tour, but we were freezing the entire time.
No trip to Chicago is complete without a visit to Wrigley Field. We were fortunate enough to go see the Cubs play the Pittsburgh Pirates (a hometown team). The Cubs held on for a 3-2 victory.
Because of Covid the famous sculpture in Millennium Park, Cloud Gate, was blocked off to touch. I guess this is a unique photo since their are no people anywhere around this piece of art to mar the cityscape’s reflection.
While in Chicago we had some excellent food: Chicago style pizza, food from Greektown and more. We really loved the vibe in the windy city and will come back in warmer weather to enjoy.
Maintenance in the Midwest
MISSOURI
Branson, Missouri is usually a very busy tourist area. The pandemic really slowed that down, but the town is gearing up for a big 2021. We were there during the low season and got tickets to see a show with no problems. Also we were able to rent a boat and spend a few hours on the river.
KANSAS
While in Kansas City we spent a few days with our friends Don and Nancy. It was so good to see them and catch up. While in Kansas we stopped at Kaw Point. Lewis and Clark stopped here in 1804 during their expedition west. Kaw Point is where the Kansas and the Missouri Rivers join. Behind this point is the Kansas City, Kansas skyline.
While in KC, we stopped at the original Joe’s BBQ born out of a gas station and famous for their ribs. We definitely agree that the ribs were tasty.
INDIANA
Our next stop was Napannee, IN. Our RV home was manufactured here by the Newmar Corporation. The washing machine in our coach had stopped working a year ago. Unfortunately, we had trouble getting service because our washing machine was in an RV. The RV shops we contacted wouldn’t repair appliances which left us shlubbing to the laundromat every few weeks for over a year. We asked Newmar to look at some other service issues we were having and we left Indiana with a new washing machine and another new antennae for our TVs.
