Sioux Falls to Rapid City June 29

 Today was another day of driving and stopping.  Shocking, huh? Todays agenda was Minuteman Missle Center, Badlands National Park, and Mt. Rushmore. We took a few detours - but had a great day.

Minuteman Missle Center:

Not what I thought. Sadly I think it could've been better. Xander at one point actually ASKED it get back in the car and start driving again. Wasn't super kid friendly, but I think Christopher enjoyed it. I really wanted to actually see a missle or a silo, but apparently that wasn't on our agenda.

Prairie Dog Land:

Not actually the name. A total tourist trap that I kind of loved. These things were so fat and over fed people would purchase peanuts to free feed them and they would just walk away from them. They were cute to watch run and play and we heard them talking to eachother which was a first for me! Was I afraid I was going to fall through the ground because there were so many underground tunnels? Yes. Did I? No. Win!

 

The Badlands National Park

The National Badlands did NOT disappoint. 😍 The colors, the peaks, the landscape—it was absolutely insane. Pictures honestly don’t do it justice.

But as incredible as the Badlands were, they weren’t even my favorite part of the day.

Watching Andrew ride his motorcycle through that landscape was everything. ❤️ Seeing him in his element, doing something he loves, soaking it all in, and just being Andrew made me so happy.

So yes, the Badlands were absolutely stunning… but nothing compares to watching someone you love completely light up doing what makes them happy.

The Badlands were beautiful.
But watching Andrew be Andrew? That was the best part. 🏍️❤️

Wall Drug

The signs for Wall Drug were EVERYWHERE, so naturally, we had to stop. 😂

I’ll be honest—I actually thought Wall Drug was the home of Walmart. (Nope. That’s Bentonville, Arkansas. 🤦‍♀️) So imagine my surprise when we pulled in and discovered that Wall Drug is basically an old Western town that never threw anything away. 😂

For those who don't know, Wall Drug started as a tiny drugstore in Wall, South Dakota, in the 1930s. It became famous by putting up roadside signs for miles and miles advertising free ice water and eventually grew into this massive, quirky roadside attraction filled with shops, food, souvenirs, old Western-style displays, and just about everything else you can imagine.

And when I say quirky, I mean QUIRKY. 😂 They even have an outdoor courtyard where you can climb on and ride these absolutely ridiculous, giant animal sculptures. Because… why not?

It was definitely an experience—that’s for sure! Some things were surprisingly fun, some were completely random, and pretty much everything was WAY more expensive than it had any business being. 😂

But honestly, I’m glad we stopped. It’s one of those places that is so weird you kind of have to see it for yourself.

Would we stop again? Probably not as a destination… but if we were driving through Wall and needed a bathroom break, you better believe we’d pull in. 😂

After Wall Drug, we finished the drive to Sioux City and checked into my favorite hotel of the trip—and let me tell you, this place had a WATER PARK INSIDE THE PROPERTY! 🤯🌊

It was EPIC! Definitely not what we expected to find on our road trip, but we were all about it. 😂

We grabbed some pizza to-go, settled in, watched the World Cup game, and eventually headed to bed.

But not before making a little nighttime recon mission to check out Mount Rushmore. 🇺🇸✨

Seeing it lit up against the night sky was absolutely magical. There’s something about seeing Mount Rushmore for the first time at night that just hits differently.

A pretty perfect way to end the day. ❤️

Our family turns 24 year old

We seem to never be home on our anniversary. 😂 Today marks 24 years of marriage, and we celebrated by continuing our drive across the USA toward Idaho and Utah for some summer fun. ❤️

Today’s adventure took us from Carthage, Illinois, to Sioux Falls, South Dakota—and, most importantly, we had a successful day with ZERO car trouble! 🙌🏻

Since we missed all of Saturday in Nauvoo, we decided to at least drive by all the sites and take some pictures. Unfortunately, everything was closed, so we couldn’t actually take the kids inside or do any of the tours.

I think I was the only one who was genuinely sad about this. 😂 I LOVE Nauvoo and was really looking forward to showing the kids around and sharing some of the history with them. But I guess that just means we’ll have to try again another year!

Our Airbnb 🏠

My favorite quote of the stay came from Nick:

“Mom, this house is so old it should just die.” 😂

Also noteworthy: this absolutely massive door that led to the bedroom.

And then there was the four-poster bed… Every time I opened my eyes in the middle of the night, one of the bedposts looked exactly like a person standing in our room staring at me. 😳 Needless to say, I did NOT sleep peacefully. 😂

Not exactly the romantic anniversary getaway you picture when you hear “24 years of marriage,” but honestly, I wouldn’t trade it. ❤️

Carthage Jail:

Nauvoo Temple:
Funny story, I loved Nauvoo so much I really wanted to get married there. We would have been married on July 2, 2002 - but moved it to SLC temple, June 28th.

American Gothic Painting:

This was the spur of the moment side visit - which I love. This is the house from the American Gothic Painting depicting an Iowa farmer and his daughter. Fun fact...that wasn't a farmer and that wasn't his daughter and they never even met until 12 years after this painting was completed. The guys was a dentist in the town who was assured that nobody would know it was him and when people reconized him their relationship was forever damaged. The girl in the painting is the artist's cousin. The artist made $300 in awards which is equivalent to $8000 today.

Then we got back in the car and drove to Sioux Falls. We pulled in around 7pm. Christopher took the littles swimming, Andrew caught up on his phone, Zack skateboarded, I went to the store for dinner supplies then made dinner for everyone. Easy day.