July 5th
Wow what a busy couple of days it was!!!
We spent our 4th of July doing several very interesting things...
First we went to the Sioux Falls Sesquicentennial - 1856 to 2006 "4th of July " Celebration.
We were included in their entire celebration as though we were a member of their town. It was an absolute blast!!! We had Bar-B-Q sandwiches, chips, water bottled there locally, and ice cream and cake... at "No Charge"!!! What a generous town. We got to watch live demonstrations of what it was probably like to live there when their town was originally founded it 1856. The trip to downtown Sioux Falls, SD was serendipitous! We had only planned on seeing the falls the town was built around and weren't even sure how nice that would be... turns out they were absolutely GORGEOUS!!! On top of that we were able to enjoy the wonderful celebration that was going on. Around 1 pm it started to rain and everyone was running for their cars, but it wasn't so early that anyone missed out on a wonderful day. The temperature was fair, not sweltering... pretty pleasant actually.
If you are ever in the area, it is definitely a place to take the time to stop and see this historic little town. I know there was tons more to do there and see that would have been just as fabulous as the Falls... but we were on a deadline to get to the Badlands before it was too terribly late.
The next stop we made was originally scheduled in because as a child my husband had been to it on a family vacation back in 1976. He assured me that it was worth a looks'ie. I have to say that I totally agree with him!!! It was a very small town, but the town of Mitchell, SD held a couple of gems not to be missed. One of them being something that most everyone has probably heard about... "The Corn Palace" This place was absolutely stunning. It was first built in 1892... then a second building completed in 1905... the third and current structure was completed in 1921. Each year since the final structure was built, they have redecorated and adorned it in a "new theme". There have only been 4 time periods that they said this was not the case. Those were during the Depression, WWI, WWII, and Mitchell's Centennial Celebration. Any photos you will ever see of The Corn Palace will "Never" do it justice in my opinion. The reality of what it entails is lost just a little in a photograph. To see each and every item(corn-in 11 colors, grass, grain, milo, rye, oats and sour dock) in all it's detail -- up close and personal -- is beyond anything I've seen before. I am sure that the planning process lasts all year the previous year in preparation for the next years design. The organizational detail that must be involved alone to bring such a thing to fruition each year will astound you when you see it. Like I said I know my photos can't even begin to do it justice... but I hope you enjoy them anyways.
The other place that was a gem to any man... and any woman interested in camping, hunting, hiking, fishing, boating, etc... then you would absolutely love this place... "Cabelas" We just HAD to stop and take a gander for an hour or two when we found out it was there in Mitchell.
From what I gathered at the visitor's center is that Mitchell also had several other unique things to do if you wanted to stay a few days. They have an old-fashioned Drive-In theater... they have a small indoor water park at one of the hotels for the kiddos, they also have several antique shops, boutiques, art galleries, second hand shops... they also have other museums - the Enchanted World Doll Museum, the Oscar Howe Art Museum, and a Prehistoric Indian Village. We didn't get to do any of the other things because this was only a quick pit stop for us... Well, it started out that way, lol.
Three hours later... we were eventually back on the highway headed for Badlands once again. But... when we kept passing all the signs for a Historic 1880's Original Town... We just HAD to make another quick pit stop again!!! lol
At first, my husband was a tad hesitant to stop. He said that we were already running behind schedule and would be setting the tent up in the dark. I said, "pleassse... I have always wanted to see a true old Ghost Town in real life" He said OK... Well, it turned out I was the one having to remind him we needed to move on... since it was almost 10 pm and getting pretty dark... He was enthralled in so much of it, as was I.
** By the way, as a side note -- the sun seems to rise about 4:30 am and not go down until about 9:30 pm the further Northwest we went during these summer hours. It was great to finish doing things during the day, but not so much fun to be awakened to sunlight before 5 am when you were going to bed so late, lol. Sorry, a little off topic...
Anyway, one neat thing at the Ghost Town was that it was home to the horse "Cisco" that Kevin Costner used throughout the movie "Dances With Wolves". It is kind of the claim to fame for this teeny tiny town. No one actually lives in the Ghost Town its self... it's more of a tourist attraction... The buildings were amazing! They have been brought in from all over... and are restored or being restored to as close to the original as possible. There is a building that holds a ton of artifacts and memorabilia from throughout time in one of the buildings. In addition, you also get to tour the upstairs of the main building that houses a lot of memorabilia and props for the filming of Dances With Wolves.
So another 3 hours later... we were finally leaving the 1880's town... We were one of the last 3 people to drive out of this little town... lol -- We did eventually arrive at the KOA campgrounds in the Badlands area around 12 am, set up camp and were finally off to sleep around 1 am.
July 5th - We slept until about 8 am. After eating, packing up, and checking out, we arrived at Badlands NP about 11 am. What amazing things this nation holds that speak to the splendor of God's Creation. It seems like everyday of this trip I see an entirely different landscape. It just amazes me the variety just a few miles can change your view of the world.
Badlands
Wall Drugs
Mount Rushmore
We spent our 4th of July doing several very interesting things...
First we went to the Sioux Falls Sesquicentennial - 1856 to 2006 "4th of July " Celebration.
We were included in their entire celebration as though we were a member of their town. It was an absolute blast!!! We had Bar-B-Q sandwiches, chips, water bottled there locally, and ice cream and cake... at "No Charge"!!! What a generous town. We got to watch live demonstrations of what it was probably like to live there when their town was originally founded it 1856. The trip to downtown Sioux Falls, SD was serendipitous! We had only planned on seeing the falls the town was built around and weren't even sure how nice that would be... turns out they were absolutely GORGEOUS!!! On top of that we were able to enjoy the wonderful celebration that was going on. Around 1 pm it started to rain and everyone was running for their cars, but it wasn't so early that anyone missed out on a wonderful day. The temperature was fair, not sweltering... pretty pleasant actually.
If you are ever in the area, it is definitely a place to take the time to stop and see this historic little town. I know there was tons more to do there and see that would have been just as fabulous as the Falls... but we were on a deadline to get to the Badlands before it was too terribly late.
The next stop we made was originally scheduled in because as a child my husband had been to it on a family vacation back in 1976. He assured me that it was worth a looks'ie. I have to say that I totally agree with him!!! It was a very small town, but the town of Mitchell, SD held a couple of gems not to be missed. One of them being something that most everyone has probably heard about... "The Corn Palace" This place was absolutely stunning. It was first built in 1892... then a second building completed in 1905... the third and current structure was completed in 1921. Each year since the final structure was built, they have redecorated and adorned it in a "new theme". There have only been 4 time periods that they said this was not the case. Those were during the Depression, WWI, WWII, and Mitchell's Centennial Celebration. Any photos you will ever see of The Corn Palace will "Never" do it justice in my opinion. The reality of what it entails is lost just a little in a photograph. To see each and every item(corn-in 11 colors, grass, grain, milo, rye, oats and sour dock) in all it's detail -- up close and personal -- is beyond anything I've seen before. I am sure that the planning process lasts all year the previous year in preparation for the next years design. The organizational detail that must be involved alone to bring such a thing to fruition each year will astound you when you see it. Like I said I know my photos can't even begin to do it justice... but I hope you enjoy them anyways.
The other place that was a gem to any man... and any woman interested in camping, hunting, hiking, fishing, boating, etc... then you would absolutely love this place... "Cabelas" We just HAD to stop and take a gander for an hour or two when we found out it was there in Mitchell.
From what I gathered at the visitor's center is that Mitchell also had several other unique things to do if you wanted to stay a few days. They have an old-fashioned Drive-In theater... they have a small indoor water park at one of the hotels for the kiddos, they also have several antique shops, boutiques, art galleries, second hand shops... they also have other museums - the Enchanted World Doll Museum, the Oscar Howe Art Museum, and a Prehistoric Indian Village. We didn't get to do any of the other things because this was only a quick pit stop for us... Well, it started out that way, lol.
Three hours later... we were eventually back on the highway headed for Badlands once again. But... when we kept passing all the signs for a Historic 1880's Original Town... We just HAD to make another quick pit stop again!!! lol
At first, my husband was a tad hesitant to stop. He said that we were already running behind schedule and would be setting the tent up in the dark. I said, "pleassse... I have always wanted to see a true old Ghost Town in real life" He said OK... Well, it turned out I was the one having to remind him we needed to move on... since it was almost 10 pm and getting pretty dark... He was enthralled in so much of it, as was I.
** By the way, as a side note -- the sun seems to rise about 4:30 am and not go down until about 9:30 pm the further Northwest we went during these summer hours. It was great to finish doing things during the day, but not so much fun to be awakened to sunlight before 5 am when you were going to bed so late, lol. Sorry, a little off topic...
Anyway, one neat thing at the Ghost Town was that it was home to the horse "Cisco" that Kevin Costner used throughout the movie "Dances With Wolves". It is kind of the claim to fame for this teeny tiny town. No one actually lives in the Ghost Town its self... it's more of a tourist attraction... The buildings were amazing! They have been brought in from all over... and are restored or being restored to as close to the original as possible. There is a building that holds a ton of artifacts and memorabilia from throughout time in one of the buildings. In addition, you also get to tour the upstairs of the main building that houses a lot of memorabilia and props for the filming of Dances With Wolves.
So another 3 hours later... we were finally leaving the 1880's town... We were one of the last 3 people to drive out of this little town... lol -- We did eventually arrive at the KOA campgrounds in the Badlands area around 12 am, set up camp and were finally off to sleep around 1 am.
July 5th - We slept until about 8 am. After eating, packing up, and checking out, we arrived at Badlands NP about 11 am. What amazing things this nation holds that speak to the splendor of God's Creation. It seems like everyday of this trip I see an entirely different landscape. It just amazes me the variety just a few miles can change your view of the world.
Badlands
Wall Drugs
Mount Rushmore
posted by shawnyrvr | 7/05/2006 11:53:00 AM
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