trip report, 8/29 - 9/1

This was a spur of the moment trip to Mr Rushmore for us. We decided on Wednesday and left Thursday.

Didn%26#39;t leave Kansas City until about 2 in the afternoon. Arrived in Mitchell about 9:00 that night and got a room at the Ramada Inn. Indoor pool, small room and teeny, tiny bathroom. You were hard pressed to open the bathroom door without it hitting the toilet.Headed back out and stopped in Chamberland for Breakfast at Casey%26#39;s Cafe. Good, cheap breakfast with breathtaking views.

Arrived in Rapid City about 1:00 and went straight to Mt Rushmore. What an incredible experience. Ate a snack in the cafe there and pictured in my mind the scene from North by Northwest that took place in the cafe.

As we were leaving Mt Rushmore, we found a little town called Keystone, and decided to base there.

What a pleasant surprise this little town was!

We took a room at the Mt Rushmore White House and I have posted a review on the hotel, however, my experience with reviews is that it will probably take about a week for it to be posted.

Things we did in Keystone: Alpine Slide, fun-fun-fun and great views of the monument and country side at the top. They also have a little place at the top for hotdogs, hamburgers, drinks, etc., and you can spend as much time up there as you like, then choose to ride back down on the lift or do the slide.

Did the walking tour, the Borglum museum, and the president%26#39;s wax figures display.

We took the 1880 train to Hill City-This was not our favorite thing that we did, but we wanted our 13 yr old dd to experience what travel was like back before, cruise control, a/c, mp3 players for entertainment and reclining seats.

Lots and lots of bikers in town, after the Sturgis Rally and they were fantastic! Made for a really fun atmosphere. Bikers were all so friendly, polite and considerate and boy did we see some beautiful bikes.

Saw the Comedy Western Show at the Red Garter Saloon, what a hoot! Family friendly and funny show. My daughter liked it so much, we went back the second day for an encore show. The guys in the show, Jerry, Big Dave and Michael were so nice and friendly and if you take a table in the front, chances are you will be incorporated into the show. They also come out to the boardwalk and will visit and talk to the tourists. Kids are welcomed in the Saloon as long as they are with their parents.

The shops are all great, all false front buildings and all had ';End of Rally'; sales. Both my husband and I bought Black Hills Gold rings at really decent prices.

Went to Custer State Park (beautiful) and did the wildlife loop. While stopping to observe the Buffalo, we saw a large male take a dislike to one of the bikes and he started charging them. It could have turned really ugly, but luckily the bike got away. You should have seen the young woman on the back of the bike as we were all yelling, ';Watch out, he%26#39;s charging!';.

did the Needle highway, going through all the granite tunnels and when we came to the ';Eye of the Needle'; witnessed 5 girls rock climbing the Eye.

We went to Reptile Gardens and don%26#39;t recommend it, cost us over #40.00 and it was just like the reptile house at your local zoo. The bird show and Alligator show were fun, informative and interesting, but we felt the amount of money it takes to get in wasn%26#39;t worth it.

Bear Country was fun, saw lots of bears and the baby section there is great.

We didn%26#39;t get to do half of what we wanted to due to the short amount of time we had, so plan on going back next year and taking a full 2 weeks. We ran out of time before we had a chance to drive up to Deadwood.

Our 13 loved Keystone and didn%26#39;t want to leave. We bought taffy and fudge, had ice cream every night at the little ice cream shop and had a really great time. On the way home we had to stop at Wall Drug. They must have spent at least 2 milliion dollars on signage, for starting in Iowa we started seeing signs for Wall Drug. Basically a huge tourist trap, but isn%26#39;t that what road trips are all about?

Normally every summer we go to the beaches. This past July we spent a week in St Croix, US Virgin Islands and were planning on going b ack next summer, however, after this trip, we all agree this was the best family vacation we have ever had. We will be back, the beaches are history and from now on Road Trips will be on our agenda. No more TSA hassles, no more connections, flight delays, baggage fees and worrying about something fitting in your suitcase for the flight home.

Thank you South Dakota for a wonderful experience. Can%26#39;t wait to get back!

trip report, 8/29 - 9/1

Sounds like a great trip, MemphisBelle. Thanks for reporting back! You did many of the things our family did, and it brought back some great memories.

It%26#39;s funny; many people say they don%26#39;t care for the touristy feel of Keystone. We really didn%26#39;t mind it, and I see your family didn%26#39;t either I admit for a young teenager, I think it%26#39;s ideal. Most teens like the ';boardwalk'; feel of the town. It all depends on what you like.

I%26#39;m sorry your Reptile Gardens trip was disappointing. We actually had a lot of fun there, especially with tic tac toe with the chicken. It%26#39;s definitely a ';roadside'; America attraction. :)

We spent 11 days here in 2006 and loved every minute of it. We had so many people ask us, ';Do you have family there? Why did you pick SD? What is there to see there?'; I remember close friends travelling to SD years ago, and when they brought me the travel guide, I was shocked to see all the attractions in such a small area. From that moment on, I knew I%26#39;d visit SD one day.

The beaches and Disney have a tendency to get old, so our vacations are ';road trips'; in which we fly to our destination (usually out west) and do the road trip from there. This past year, we spent 12 days in Oregon (we got the same questions...do you have family there? What%26#39;s there?), but we have NEVER regretted any of our trips and agree they are the BEST vacations! I have told people on many occasions that if they%26#39;d just give it a try, they%26#39;d be hooked, just like you were!

You will have plenty to do when you return to the area, like Deadwood and the caves. Some people even incorporate Yellowstone into a Black Hills trip, especially since you have already seen some of the area. Enjoy your future road trips!

trip report, 8/29 - 9/1

Sirtravelplanner;

When we go back next year, we plan on going to Deadwood, then on to Devil%26#39;s Tower, Yellowstone and driving through Colorado back to KC. This time, however, we will allocate more time to see all there is to see.

It%26#39;s only a 10 hour drive from here to Rushmore and a very easy drive at that. We basically drove only 2 highways, I29 North to Souix Falls, then I90 West into Rapid City, and boy oh boy was there alot to see on the way.

We are definately hooked on road trips now, we have always flown to all our vacations, but the road is the way to go as I mentioned in my report. I feel so good to be free of the hassles and restrainments of flying.

Beautiful country and our 13 year old couldn%26#39;t have had a better time!

We all loved the smaltzy feel of Keystone and are very happy we stayed there.

You are going to have a great trip next year! Your teenager will love it. Yellowstone is such an amazing place---Colorado is great too. The wildlife and thermal features of Yellowstone are must sees for everyone. You will get a lot of good tips on these forums. Keep in touch with your trip plans. We will look forward to hearing all about them as they develop.

OMG-you two are making me tear up at the memory of our trip we took out there with our 3, now grown kids, about 7 years ago. We loved that trip, so much to see and do and experience in a fairly small area. We also combined our trip with a visit to Yellowstone, Devil%26#39;s Tower and Grand Teton. We drove back to Michigan via Montana (Billings, Custer attractions), N. Dakota (Teddy Roosevelt National Park), Minnesota (start of the Mississippi River) etc. Nothing beats a road trip, nothing. Doesn%26#39;t matter if you drive there, or fly to your destination first and then commense driving to all the great sights. Sometimes, with gas now the way it is, flying first and renting is more economical. We have done both, and done so with our kids, some of our kids and by ourselves. We enjoy it all. We love the USA-so much to see and do. So glad you have made this decision.

Reptile Gardens is just one of the roadside attractions one must stop to see. You never really know whether such a place will be worth it. Some will have great memories of such, others will hate they went. I remembered it from my childhood visit, and thus we had to stop for our kids. I spent a lot of time in the gift shop-lol. It was HOT. The kids all enjoyed it, the DH liked it, the mother in law was hot and tired, but wanted to see it all, so I guess she liked it too, I was disappointed, as it didn%26#39;t live up to my ';memory'; of it. LOL.

Have a great time on your next year%26#39;s trip and future trips. He is 13-you only have 5 or 6 more summers with him doing such things, so keep to the road trips and save the beaches for the empty nest years. Or combine them, that can be done too!!

Hi all! I didn%26#39;t want to make it seem that the Reptile Gardens thing was horrible, it wasn%26#39;t. I just thought it was a little pricey for what it offered. But, as I said in a previous post, that%26#39;s what is so great about a road trip, all the roadside attractions, and no matter how tacky or money wasting they are, we still have to see them. It%26#39;s all a part of Americana that I love. I also wanted to stop in and see the Corn Palace in Mitchell and the ';Museum of Religious Artifacts, but hubby put the brakes on those in his zealous state to get to Mt Rushmore.

Our daughter enjoyed this trip so much. She is a beach person and we love snorkeling and swimming in the ocean, however, this was the first vacation we decided to just hit the road, and she is totally hooked. She loves the beach, but hates flying, she does get air sick, but she will put up with the air sickness to get to our destination. The road trips however don%26#39;t have the drawbacks that flying has and you just don%26#39;t see our country from the air. She is homeschooled and there is nothing better than actually experiencing something rather than reading about it in textbooks.

We can%26#39;t wait for next summer! I am 59 yrs old, dh is 44 and our daughter is 13, so basically I am the only one who is at the age of doing the tropical beach thing in m y retirement years, lol.

Even if ( and they most likely will ) gas prices go up, we will still be hitting the road next summer. However, instead of taking 2 summer vacations, it will be one long one.