Another Trip to the USA / A Break in the Black Hills

About 6 hours drive west of Sioux Falls are the Black Hills and the state’s second largest city, Rapid City.

It’s a fast straight drive, speed limit mostly 130km/hr, across the flat prairie.

But there are a few ‘must do stops’ on the way, if you have the time, like the Corn Palace at Mitchell and the statue of Dignity of Earth and Sky at Chamberlain (more on her later) over looking the mighty Missouri River.

And of course there’s the Badlands National Park and for some good old fashioned kitsch fun, Wall, home of the Wall Drug Company.

We stopped there for our Buffalo burger and a poke about in some of the many stores.

In Rapid we oriented ourselves with downtown, got coffee and visited a quilt store and book shop until it was time to book into our hotel. 

The bookstore was offering for free books that had been banned at the local high school. Good to see the first amendment in action there. Not so much at the so called educational institution however

We were back in town later in the evening for a great Mexican meal at a restaurant whose sign on the Interstate made a visit irresistible.

Next morning we visited a coffee shop, run by a West Australian man, that had touted big Aussie breakfasts on their website. It was not to be. The menu had changed to standard American fare. Coffee was good however.

Then after a walk around the streets to see the Statues of the Presidents (see separate post) and another "five minute" quilt store stop, we headed out into the Hills for some tourist activity and to catch up with more family.