Yesterday my family was off to Mitchell, South Dakota to see the World’s Only Corn Palace, a site visitors of our area often stop to visit. I spent a day in the office, with no excitement and lots of paperwork, but such is the life of an administrator.
Today we traveled West to see two of South Dakota’s most memorable sights, the Badlands and Mount Rushmore. Parts of the Badlands look like sand castles built by giants. Abundant moisture has made the fields and mesa tops a brilliant green, further highlighting the layered earth tone colors of the exposed soil. We stopped at many of the scenic pull offs to explore the unique landscape.
At the end of the scenic Badlands Loop is Wall Drug. After seeing literally hundreds of signs along the way, my niece had to experience it for herself. We quenched our thirst with the free ice water and took home the free (one per family) bumper sticker to further spread the word. John climbed up on the same giant jackalope statue he rode on as a kid 34 years ago when we visited as a family, and I sent the picture on to the rest of my brothers and sisters.
I’ve been to Mount Rushmore many times. It’s a joy to be with someone experiencing it for the first time. When I visit National Parks, I’m always impressed by the knowledge of the Rangers. On the tour we took, besides learning a lot about the four presidents, there was a good overview of Lakota (Sioux) culture and the land disputes over the Black Hills that are still unresolved.
Fr.Steve – 47 years ago I took my family ( wife & four children) on our first Camping vacation – to Yellowstone. On the way we visited the Corn Palace and the Black Hills with the Monument. I remember staying at the Arrow Camp ground because they had a swimming pool. We then visited Spearfish and saw their Passion Play. The Black Hills were a distant background for the three crosses on the little hill and as we watched the Crucifixion scene , a thunderstorm was going on in the Black HIlls with flashes of lighting back lighting the Crucifixion – AWESOME!!
Izzy Loepker
I’m finally catching up on my emails and enjoyed reading of your brothers’ visit.I’m glad you had a nice time together with family.Sounds as though you did alot of sightseeing.I’m sure they all enjoyed it.
I hope you have some time to relax before the school year begins.You are in my prayers.