Driving West Part II!

Hi from Nevada!

Back to the midwest. Rockton, Illinois was an adorable and tiny small town to spend a night in. We walked the quiet main street, enjoyed a local cafe, and I ate the most delicious waffle cone I'd ever had. The ice cream was pretty tasty too. From there, we headed through a giant chunk of Wisconsin and on to Minnesota. Both states were quite green, full of farms, and flat. 

We've managed to take a picture together in nearly every state (we forgot Wyoming!) and creativity has been the goal. The Medical Pioneers of Minnesota plaque might be a favorite.

Ah, South Dakota! The only state we spent two nights in. When we arrived in Sioux Falls, we found that even as the largest city in the state, it was so walkable and scenic. There were sculptures throughout the downtown and we had a delicious dinner at a restaurant that served South Dakotan food. We both ordered burgers, which neither of us have a huge fondness for, but they were DELICIOUS! When in Rome. Sioux Falls also provided a really fantastic airbnb experience in which we met other travelers and learned so much about the region and state.

The following day we drove west to Deadwood, outside Rapid City. We stopped at the tourist attraction Wall Drug for a chocolate doughnut and the sprawling business did not disappoint between its pharmacy museum and vast western wear offerings. Once in Rapid City, we loved finding 25+ statues of presidents on street corners throughout the city. Jimmy Carter seemed to be one of the happiest looking. We also enjoyed an art gallery and bookstore called Prairie Edge which featured an enormous amount of Native American art, clothing, drums, literature and culture. The image on the top right shows a small selection of the gallery. Seeing each piece or browsing the vast library of Native American literature, history and resources saddened us as we were reminded of how invisible Native Americans remain in our country. 

After a night in Deadwood, we traversed the Black Hills (also called the Badlands) of South Dakota and found that while smaller, their beauty really did rival Yellowstone's or Zion's. Driving through the national park with it's tunnels, cliffs, and high rocks had us both mystified. The region truly brought the most awe-inspiring and magnificent views of our entire journey.

Also magnificent was visiting Crazy Horse, the in-progress memorial being built in rock in the badlands to the Native American Lakota warrior Crazy Horse. When finished, the memorial is expected to resemble the marble depicted below on the bottom left. The entire museum was dedicated to Native American preservation and was beautiful to see and learn from.

Also beautiful was Mount Rushmore! The intricacy of the carving and the nature surrounding it was gorgeous.