Damkier's Travels: North & South Dakota

So, I did it. Not only did I finally visit North & South Dakota, but I finally completed my goal to visit all 50 states in the United States of America. Many people ask where I got the desire to travel. I grew up in a traveling family, often camping or flying to another new destination for vacation. As you can see, I have visited MANY places around the world including exotic places like South Korea and Australia and more approachable destinations like Ohio and Idaho. I try to have a good time in each place as every destination has something unique and interesting to discover.

So on to my latest adventure. Not too many people would describe a trip to South Dakota as an adventure, but I am keeping up the family tradition by heading to the Black Hills for a visit. Parts of my family are from eastern South Dakota, but that was too far away. Fortunately, the Black Hills were an excellent way to discover the region. Unfortunately, like many adventures, it started out on a sour note.

United Airlines is one of the few airlines to fly into Rapid City, and they cancelled my flight from Sacramento which forced me to rebook the next day and make a lot of last minute changes. Wildfire smoke from Canada also made much of the Dakotas unhealthy so I stayed in Rapid City where I could make an emergency box fan filter and hunker down until the winds changed. Smoke always aggravates my body, so I have to be careful.

I arrived late Sunday afternoon into the Rapid City Regional Airport on a small jet filled with military personnel heading to nearby Ellsworth Air Force Base. The airport was small and nice, and I shocked the rental car staff with my special California government rate on the car! Rapid City is a small city on the foothills of the Black Hills region. I made my base here as many destinations were within 1 hour of the hotel. Good tip. Target has online ordering that works anywhere, so you can order stuff on the airplane and have it waiting for you at the destination. Saves a lot of time and hassle, especially when you forget some items or want snacks for the trip.

My first day was spent driving around the Black Hills wearing a N95 mask. I was not planning on wearing masks in South Dakota, but the Canadian smoke made it a necessity. I am not a big motorcycle fan, but I stopped in Sturgis, SD anyway to visit the museum and town. It is a destination for a very specific person, and I am not that person. But it was nice to see some cool motorcycles and get an espresso before heading out.

Next stop was underground to escape the smoke and explore one of the many caves in the region. My rental Jeep helped on a rather long gravel road to Wonderland Cave. The cave was really nice, and I may have been one of the rare people who took their mask OFF when in the cave! Others on the tour mentioned that this cave was better than the national parks. The 167 steps did really make my legs hurt for a few days though!

Since I was in the area, I drove over to Deadwood, SD to see the old town. Deadwood was the first place in South Dakota with legalized gambling, so I visited a few casinos and stopped into a history museum. As you would expect, the HBO show did take some liberties with the story. However the town is a nice little destination for adults. Then it was back to the hotel to rest and escape the smoke.

After gambling in Deadwood, I took a gamble and headed to Mount Rushmore on my second day. There was still a regional haze and some pockets of smoke, but things were clearing out as the winds shifted. Driving to the park was fun as the highway has a lot of roadside attractions and a gentle climb into the pine forest. Once you approach the park, you can easily see the monument even without parking. However, I paid for parking and spent some time at the park walking around and seeing the visitor center. It is very impressive to see such an American icon in person. They have an Avenue of Flags heading to the monument that randomly had the Arizona and California flags together. I got my pictures and selfies and then headed out.

Next stop was the Crazy Horse Memorial. This is an in-progress mountain sculpture of Crazy Horse on his horse which will be massive. Unfortunately, the construction seems to be taking forever, so there is not much yet. There is a decent museum with regional Native American art and history and a restaurant that sells Native Fry Bread. I then continued on to one of the small towns in the hills for a stop to see some trains and get some local taffy. Since the destinations were so close to town, I was able to return early to see a local baseball game before heading to bed.

Wednesday was a long day. I originally planned to drive to Bismarck, ND to spend two nights in the state capitol. After changing my trip due to flight and smoke issues, I chose to take a day trip to Bowman, ND which was the closest town to Rapid City just over the border. There is not much to Bowman, but I had a nice lunch at the local diner and stopped by their museum to get a brief history of the region. The drive was very long through very remote country. Western South Dakota is mostly open range for cattle, so it is wide open grasslands with few trees or buildings. The wind was clearing out the smoke, but made driving a bit more difficult.

Seeing the North Dakota sign was an emotional experience as I finally reached my goal of visiting all 50 states in the middle of nowhere with the wind howling through the open plains. I also stopped in Buffalo, SD for a coffee which was a unique experience. It was like a city slicker walking into an old west saloon with everyone hushing and the piano player stopping to see the new guy. I ended the day back in Rapid City with a large bowl of bison ramen!

Thursday was more of a resting day as the smoke was still not completely gone and being tired from a long day of driving. I spent most of the day exploring Rapid City with a few museums and restaurants. The city is nice with a lot of parks and rolling hills. Most of the area seems to be current or retired military due to the Air Force base. South Dakota has video lottery machines everywhere that look very similar to slot machines, with a few casinos - some located next to medicinal dispensaries.

They have a lot of the Midwestern megastores - Fleet Farm, Menards, Scheels - that make Walmart look like a 7-11. I guess when it's below zero and snowing, spending the day inside a giant store helps. I did finally find a local restaurant that served walleye fish for dinner which is a local specialty - although most people catch and cook their own fish!

Friday was my last full day in South Dakota. The smoke completely cleared out, and I was ready to see everything. My day was a large loop hitting some of the outdoor monuments near Rapid City. I started with the Minuteman National Memorial which documents the history of nuclear weapons in the region. There were many ICBM pointed at the USSR buried in the ground around here with many soldiers at the ready to launch. After pondering global thermonuclear war, it was time to head to the Badlands National Park to see some natural destruction.

The Badlands were named such due to the lack of food in the area. Without much vegetation, there are few animals here making it difficult to survive. Now that we have McDonalds and ice chests, the Badlands are far easier to survive. I drove the main loop through the park stopping often for pictures or a quick hike. The views were simply spectacular with the clear air providing amazing views for miles. A lot of people were in the park too, but it was easy to escape the crowds and watch the morning clouds clear out. The area used to be under a large shallow lake, and erosion caused the formations similar to other famous area.

I had to stop in Wall, SD mainly to see the famous Wall Drug Store. This icon has A LOT of billboards and advertisements on Interstate 90 and a history of attracting tourists for many years with free ice water and cheap coffee. It's a fun stop with a lot of kitsch and a good kitchen for food. They also have a rather large Tesla charging station that is very busy with a lot of electric cars even in rural South Dakota. Good job!

Since my parking ticket at Mount Rushmore was good for a year, I ended my trip with one last drive up to the monument. The clear skies really were a treat making the drive and monument even nicer. Being based in Rapid City makes it easy to explore all these places without having to move around too much. The next day would bring further hassles with airplanes and travel connections, but I am glad the smoke cleared up to show off the beauty of North & South Dakota. Mission Accomplished!

Please enjoy the rest of my photos and plan your next adventure too.