We are in Custer, South Dakota for our second night. Including a good bit of sightseeing yesterday and today, we have covered 2,290 miles since home.
Yesterday we drove north from Nebraska up to the Badlands National Park in South Dakota. Much of the drive was through what is called the Sandhills of Nebraska, a vast area of grazing land with long mostly-straight two-lane highways. As we approached Interstate 90 in South Dakota, we suddenly came upon the dramatic landscape of the Badlands, with towering spires created over millions of years by erosion caused by water and wind. There was little to no traffic (or even towns) for much of the drive. We made good time -- speed limits are high in Nebraska and even higher in South Dakota. They were 65 or 70 on the two-lane roads and 75 on the interstates in Nebraska. Once we hit I-90 in South Dakota the speed limit was 80.
Visiting Badlands National Park was very special, and we tip our hat to our good friend Bill Thompson who directed us that way. The views are hard to capture with a cellphone camera, but trust me, it is worth seeing.
This morning we headed over to Mt. Rushmore, again recommended by Bill, and then had lunch and a short one-mile hike with the dogs around a lake in the Custer State Park. I know everyone has seen pictures of Mt. Rushmore, but we had to prove we were there to check it off our list.
We drove thru the Badlands and Custer on our way to Colorado one summer. It was a fabulous road trip! Nothing could prepare us for the beauty of the Badlands- we arrived at the golden hour with a rising full moon and it was breathtaking. A wonderful family memory made all the more fun by all the prairie dogs. Rushmore was more awesome than I had anticipated and Custer is worth returning to! One of these years we’ll head back that way with Jackson as our destination. Wishing you continued safe travels!
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