7/16/2019 – Keystone, SD to Elmore, MN
As I look back through our memories, I am amazed at how much we would get done in a single day… this was one of those days.
We got the kids dressed while they were still asleep, but Alexandria, our Plexus baby, was like Mommy and was ready to go as soon as her eyes opened. She got to explore our campsite for a few minutes before we left Rapid City South RV Park and headed to our first stop of the day.
Stop #1 – The Dinosaur Museum
I had seen the Dinosaur Museum online and thought the kids would probably love it. They don’t open until 9:00 am and we tried to get our days started as early as possible, so we didn’t add this to the agenda. Our goal was to get as much done as possible, in the time allowed, which was not enough. But, I did want to at least stop by so the kids could see the huge T-Rex out front.
Stop #2 Bear Country USA
Bear Country USA opened at 8:00 am and we were able to drive through in the RV, so it was a fun, comfortable drive, and we got to see tons of animals, right outside our windows!
After the drive through, we go to park, (they had RV parking spots), and walk through a little zoo area.
Then we were off to… Mount Rushmore!
Even though we saw it the night before, but it was even more majestic during the day! If Mount Rushmore is on your list of places to visit someday… you definitely need to make it happen! They had started construction the day before so we didn’t get to get as close as you usually can, but we still enjoyed it. And we will definitely go back!
Next stop…. Crazy Horse Memorial
We got another view of Mount Rushmore on our way to Crazy Horse. Like the Dinosaur Museum, Crazy Horse Memorial looks like a really cool place to visit. But, we didn’t actually have time to actually get out and really check it out. We pulled up to the entry window and found out it was $30 just to get in… so we asked them if we could turn around and leave, They let us pull up to the parking lot to make the big u-turn in the RV. We jumped out of the RV for a quick picture, then jumped back in and kept going on our way to Minnesota.
Dinner on the road…
Every day was a new adventure. This day we had planned to make it to Minnesota in time for dinner. I felt super bad because our friends Christopher and Brittany had prepared enough dinner for our family. Dinner for our family of 5 to join their family of 7 was a big dinner, and there was no way we would make it in time. 🙁 I mean, we could have made it… but we would have had to leave right after Mount Rushmore. And since we don’t get out to South Dakota very often, I thought we should see as much as we could before we pressed on. They have traveled with their kids before, so they understood.
After we passed the Missouri River we stopped for our not as delicious as a home cooked meal fast food dinner. Ryan and I picked up dinner from Taco John’s for us, it wasn’t anything to write home about. Then we made a second stop for old trusty (not saying it’s the healthiest by any means) McDonald’s for the kids. Then we were on our way again.
A beautiful sunset, more bugs, and more lightning storms on the way to Minnesota!
We saw another beautiful sunset, and even saw a sign with Alexandria’s name on it before it got too dark.
There were bugs… lots and lots of bugs. I’m sure you’ll see in plenty of pictures that there are bugs on the windshield. This day seemed to have more than the others. Ryan was always on the hunt for the windows washers with really long handles. Our friend Ashley gave us a tip that we should stop at the Truck Stops to get gas AND long handled window washers. We made a stop at T & C’s Pit Stop in Salem, SD and while Ryan cleaned the windshield, we got to watch this lightning storm from a little closer, but not too close for comfort.
Shortly after our bug cleaning stop we crossed the state line into Minnesota. We still had a ways to go until we made it to our spot for the night, or early morning hours, in Christopher and Brittany’s driveway.
Tips for Day 6:
- Tip 1: Plan ahead and make sure you give yourself extra time. Once we were there and saw all the fun things that were available, we wish we would have had more time.
- Tip 2: Be prepared to stop and clean your windshields if you are driving through South Dakota during the summer. And don’t forget to use your GasBuddy app to find gas stations with prices listed nearby. This station was not right off the freeway, but they definitely had the long handled window washer, so it was worth the little drive off of our route.
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