South Dakota Road Trip - September, 2010 - Part 1

This year we decided to take a road trip to South Dakota via Thackerville, Oklahoma. (Pause to wonder about the sanity of Joel and Kim.)

Saturday morning we dropped off our babies at the vet and set out south on the turnpike.

Sights along the way to Thackerville

Turner Falls

Arbuckle Mountains

Lake Murray State Park

Nice park with ATV trails

Thackerville

No, Joel and Kim are not high rollers.  We went to see Lewis Black and his show was well worth the drive to the Oklahoma-Texas border.

Next morning we set off for South Dakota by way of the scenic byways of Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska.  (Yes, there are scenic byways in Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska.)

Sights along the way to South Dakota

View at an Oklahoma rest stop

An old gas station in Plainville, Kansas

Billboard in Broken Bow, Nebraska

South Dakota

Bison in Badlands National Park

Badlands National Park

 

Badlands National Park

Badlands National Park

 

Prairie Dogs in Badlands National Park

Badlands National Park

Badlands National Park

Badlands National Park

Bighorn Sheep in Badlands National Park

Bighorn Sheep in Badlands National Park

Badlands National Park

Badlands National Park

The view on one side of the road...

and the view on the other side of the road.

Time to find a hotel for the night

South Dakota Road Trip - September, 2010 - Part 2

South Dakota

Wall Drug in Wall, South Dakota

In the middle of this tourist trap there is still

a real drug store complete with soda fountain

and pharmacy.

Downtown Wall, South Dakota

Downtown Wall, South Dakota

Who could go to South Dakota

and not go to Sturgis?

A month before we were there this street

was full of motorcycles.

Side trip to Wyoming

Devils Tower

Devils Tower

Devils Tower

View at Devils Tower

Back to South Dakota

Spearfish Canyon

Spearfish Canyon

Spearfish Canyon

Spearfish Canyon

Spearfish Canyon

Deadwood

Notice the period stop light by the sign

Deadwood

Gambler's paradise

Pactola Reservoir

Pactola Reservoir

Pactola Reservoir

South Dakota Road Trip - September, 2010 - Part 3

South Dakota

Mount Rushmore

Mount Rushmore

Kim at Mount Rushmore

Joel at Mount Rushmore

Pigtail Bridge on Iron Mountain Road

Entering one of the tunnels on Iron Mountain Road

Notice what's perfectly framed by the tunnel?

Another tunnel on Iron Mountain Road

View at Norbeck Overlook

Iron Mountain Road

View at Norbeck Overlook

Iron Mountain Road

View at Norbeck Overlook

Iron Mountain Road

View at Norbeck Overlook

Iron Mountain Road

View at Norbeck Overlook

Iron Mountain Road

View at Norbeck Overlook

Iron Mountain Road

View at Norbeck Overlook

Iron Mountain Road

Third tunnel on Iron Mountain Road

Custer State Park

Joel's new friend

Custer State  Park

Begging Burros

Custer State Park

Give me all your Bugles or else.

Custer State Park

There is more than one fee at this park...

Custer State Park

...a fee at the gate and food for the burros.

They will not let you pass until they are fed.

Custer State Park

We stopped to wait for the bison herd to pass.

Custer State Park

Bison at Custer State Park

Bison at Custer State Park

Bison at Custer State Park

Bison at Custer State Park

Bison at Custer State Park

Bison at Custer State Park

Bison at Custer State Park

Custer State Park

Prairie Dog at Custer State Park