Summer 2020 was the year of the Great American Road Trip. We headed out west to get out of town for a while and enjoy some open air.
Our first day was the longest driving day - we stopped only as needed, but we tried to make the stops fun. This Iowa 80 Truck Stop is the biggest in the world!
Day 2 started in Mitchell, South Dakota where we'd stayed the night. We made a quick morning stop at the Corn Palace before getting back on the road. The outside is decorated in murals of corn cobs - it was pretty impressive!
We drove for just a few hours and made it to Badlands National Park in South Dakota. The first overlook took our breath away - amazing that just the day before we'd been in green, field-covered Indiana!
We did the Notch Trail hike which took about an hour and a half and was a lot of fun, even though it was really hot. I wished we'd brought more water, but we enjoyed the interesting landscape and beautiful vista at the end. It had a rope ladder in one section to help you scale a steep portion of the trail - it was a bit trickier than it looked!
After our hike, we drove through the rest of the park and enjoyed the beauty from our comfy air-conditioned seats.
Next, we headed over to Mt. Rushmore and saw the presidents. Not everything was open, but we did get to see the video explaining how it was made - so impressive! Sidenote - I can't believe how grown up Jackson looks in these pictures. Blowing my mind!
We stayed that night in the adorable town of Custer, South Dakota. We had dinner at a local pizza place and Jackson and Brandon took advantage of the hotel pool. The next day was Sunday, and we started our day with a relaxing drive and short hike in Wind Cave National Park. Unfortunately, the cave itself was closed, but the above-ground park is stunning, and I loved that it wasn't crowded or hot. It was peaceful and beautiful, and was a perfect way to feel closer to God by enjoying his creations.
We also saw a pronghorn, a couple bison, and a bunch of prairie dogs!
On the drive out of the park, our GPS took us on a dirt road - we were pretty much off-roading. But we got to drive by an area that had been hit by a forest fire. Crazy to see such a stark contrast between the burnt trees and the new growth.
The rest of Sunday was spent in the car until we reached our final destination for the day - Dubois, Wyoming. We stayed in a cute, rustic roadside motel straight out of the 70s. It was well-kept, though, and we loved the area.
No comments:
Post a Comment