Our Black Hills Vacation – Day 2

Vacation – Day 2

Warning – This is a longer post, because day 2 was FULL of lots of interesting stops!

I had planned to make you wait until Monday to recap Day 2 of vacation; since I still have mountains of laundry to do, but it turns out I love writing WAY more than I love unpacking. So, here we go, Day 2 of our vacation:

We checked out of our hotel in Sioux Falls and hit the road at 8 a.m. We had a BIG day ahead of us. The trip from Sioux Falls to Custer, SD is over 5 ½ hours, and we had stops planned along the way, so I wanted to get a fairly early start. We ran into Noel & Jen as we left and were able to say goodbye and wish them well on their journey.

After filling up the gas tank, we hit the road headed West. Did you know the speed limit on Interstates in South Dakota is 80 mph?! We had to slow down in construction zones, where the speed limit was 65. Those South Dakotans live on the edge, man!

Our first stop was about 30 minutes outside of Sioux Falls. We took the Montrose exit to the Porter Sculpture Park, which can be seen from Interstate 90.

 It’s essentially a field on a hill filled with over 50 welded metal sculptures. A gravel road took us to the entrance gate. We parked and headed towards a small shed where we were met by Wayne Porter, the quirky, talented, intelligent and friendly artist behind this unique roadside attraction. I paid $8 for my adult entry (kids 12 & under FREE!). The minimal entry fee was worth it to support this unique artistry found in an unusual setting.

We visited with Mr. Porter awhile before taking the self-guided tour on the mowed paths on this South Dakota hillside. The kids loved the art they were allowed and encouraged to touch.

   

We laughed at some of the hand-painted signs along the path, which highlighted Mr. Porter’s sense of humor and his deep philosophical thoughts. It really provided insight into the artist’s mind.

We stood in awe of the sheer size of some of the sculptures (there’s a 60 ft. Bull Head Sculpture!), and appreciated the whimsy in some of the other pieces. Some were thought-provoking, while others provided simple enjoyment.

   

We spent nearly an hour here, enjoying this unusual stop on our vacation. Before we left, we spent more time talking with Mr. Porter. He taught the kids the difference between the thirteen-lined ground squirrel and the other small chipmunk-like creatures that came to the shed for the peanuts Mr. Porter threw them. The kids were enthralled, but I wasn’t a fan of fast-moving rodent-like creatures.

We asked Mr. Porter which piece of art was his favorite, shared which sculptures we loved most, and discussed the 40 ft, 60 ton steel horse he constructed over ten winters.

Although the horse hasn’t been moved to the park yet, he had pictures on display. It will be a stunning addition to the Sculpture Park when it arrives.

Before leaving, we signed the guest book, played with “Bambino,” his albino Australian Shepherd dog and wished Wayne well.

I was struck by this artist’s life. He’s doing what he loves! He’s sharing joy and beauty with strangers! And he’s living simply. It appeared he takes up residence in an old RV parked near the shed. This isn’t what mainstream society would call living the dream, but to ME, it appeared exactly that. When you’re doing what you love, using your gifts & talents and sharing that love with strangers….what could be better? This was the first time I had this realization on this trip. There would be more. Doing what you love, while enriching others is exactly what I want to do. (Minus the ground squirrels and maybe closer to a Target store because I’m all about living simple but I am not a cave woman, I have needs the bullseye fulfills sometimes. Let’s be reasonable).

We hit the road again toward our next stop…The CORN PALACE in Mitchell, SD. This is an obligatory stop if you’ve never been to South Dakota.

Was it awesome? No. Am I glad we stopped? Yes, but I probably wouldn’t do it again. Maybe it’s because we live in Iowa, or maybe because my high school mascot was a corn cob very similar to the photo above, actually (I didn’t even go to HS in Iowa! Corn follows me!) but corn isn’t that thrilling to us.

The all things corn artistry on the exterior of the Corn Palace was intricate and pretty amazing, They create new artwork each year!

But inside the Corn Palace? Meh. The main auditorium was mostly a gift/craft shop. We perused through it, bought a bag of popcorn kernels and added a hatpin for our collection.

Have I ever told you about our hatpin collection? My husband collected them. After he died, I put them in a cute shadow box I found at Home Goods and bought a second box so the kids and I could continue the collection.

It’s a fun thing for us to do when we go places. And another way gift shops take all of our money. Speaking of gift shops, I caved to the 51-cent pressed penny collection at this stop, even though I swore I wouldn’t. Gman was excited to collect these and even picked up a special wallet-type thing to store them in. I’m weak on vacation, what can I say.

We posed for a selfie outside the Palace and that is where our beloved vacation selfie stick broke.

Two stops in and it was busted. We found a Walgreens in Mitchell and paid $10 for a new selfie stick so I could be in pictures WITH my kids on vacation. I”m slightly embarrassed that I didn’t do my hair or makeup during the trip, but we did not have time for such things! Oh well, I give you real-life Jodi every post, so why not in pictures too. I’m glad we found a new selfie stick, because how were we supposed to look super dorky and touristy if we didn’t have a selfie stick extended three feet into the air at each landmark? Having one was mandatory for vacation. A quick stop at Subway for lunch paired with the chips and water bottles we had packed and we were back on the road. We ate Subway a lot on vacation. I still gained weight.

Our next planned stop was about an hour west of  The Corn Palace. The Chamberlain rest area was FANTASTIC! Sitting high on a hill overlooking the Missouri River, the views were grand! Even more majestic was the sculpture named “Dignity” (technically Dignity of Earth & Sky), which inspired our pit stop.

She sits high on the bluff overlooking an area explored by Lewis & Clark and she will take your breath away.

The blue in her quilt shimmers in the sunlight and flutters in the wind.

She is a MUST-SEE!

The tourism center rest area was top-notch as well. Clean, large restrooms, helpful volunteers offering help with questions, free maps an informative and well-done Lewis & Clark exhibit and a place to collect a thousand more vacation brochures. Well done, South Dakota! While we explored a walking trail overlooking the river, I miraculously received a text from my high school band teacher. She and her husband had stayed with us on their way to South Dakota from South Carolina the weekend before. It was our first reunion since I was a teenager! Her text said they were just 50 miles from the Chamberlain rest area. She didn’t know we were there when she sent the text! Since it is vacation and we don’t care about clocks and schedules, I decided we would wait there and surprise them when they arrived. Worth the extra time at the rest area! We posed for a quick picture in front of Dignity and then said our goodbyes.

It is at this point of the trip Lolo the almost-teen might have started to get the shakes from cell phone/Wifi withdrawal. I’m happy to report she survived. I should mention the kids were very appreciative starting Day 2 and this continued throughout the trip. That makes a Mom’s heart happy!!

Back on I-90 Westbound towards the Black Hills of SD we go! The signs for the famous Wall Drug in Wall, SD begin hundreds of miles before the mandatory tourist trap, which gave us a way to pass time on the Interstate. I had Gman tally marking each Wall Drug billboard he spotted. They are corny signs that build anticipation for this Mecca of kitsch. Free ice water, five cent coffee, famous homemade donuts and pie were promised with each passing mile. When we finally made it to Wall, SD, it was easy to find Wall Drug. I’m pretty sure it’s about the only thing in this town besides a few grain bins.

Another hat pin, touristy t-shirts for the kids, a picture on the giant Jackelope,

Lolo’s $1.49 plastic tiny hand souvenir choice (SOOOOOO Lolo) and three delicious donuts later, we were ready to move on.

At this point I was beginning to worry we wouldn’t get to Custer before sunset. We had over an hour and a half to go and it was getting late in the day. I needed daylight to find my way to the tiny house! So we pressed on, no more stops planned. (I don’t care how bad you have to pee; you’re holding it, kids! We need to get to the tiny house before dark!)

About an hour outside of Rapid City is where the scenery really started to change. The kids kept yelling “Scenery Alert!” and we’d marvel at the changing landscape. It was hard to keep my eyes on the road, but curves and steep inclines and all…I didn’t have much choice. We passed by The Badlands, but didn’t stop. I decided we would hit that on our way home because daylight was dwindling! When we got to Rapid City, Lolo exclaimed, “Yes! Signs of civilization!” The speed limit was now 65 (sane people would go slower through this terrain, but, SD is crazy that way). An hour or so to go until arrival in Custer, SD, our home base for the week.

We finally found the tiny house around 8 p.m. (that felt like 9 p.m. because somewhere after the Missouri River we switched to Mountain Time – YES!!! I can’t wait to tell you all about the Tiny House. SUBSCRIBE if you haven’t, so you can read all about it! I’m excited to share photos of the tiny house with you, but not today. Stay tuned though…The Tiny House is coming up next! It gets a post all of its own because it was THAT amazing!

Extra Grace,

Jodi

** extra grace on any typos – I still have a vacation hangover. (the condition in which all the excitement and activity catches up with you and you can barely function back in the real world).