South Dakota and the Badlands

Start: Adrian, Minnesota
End: Rapid City, South Dakota
Distance: 425 miles (680 KM)
Gas: Mitchell, South Dakota 4.301 gal @ $3.559: TOTAL $15.33; Kennebec, South Dakota, 2.869 gal @ 3.659 Total $10.50; Cactus Flats,South Dakota 3.14 gal @ $3.984 Total $12.53;

Campsite: KOA Campground, Rapid City, South Dakota
Cost $45 per site; a small KOA campground with very nice facilities; nice showers, laundry, game room, heated pool, hydro & water. The lot was the size of a dime and had no trees, just a small place to set up and a nice picnic table with a shade covering. Expensive, but quiet.

We started off from Adrian quite early as we knew we had a long ride ahead of us. We were only 25 miles from the Minnesota/South Dakota border, so were anxious to ride down the Interstate 90 to get into South Dakota. While the speed limit on the Interstate 90 is 75mph, we only rolled along at 65-70mph.
Western Minnesota was not what I had expected at all. I always thought of Minnesota as a land of 1000's of lakes and thick forest. Travelling thru south western Minnesota was like you were going thru Saskatchewan. Large plains as far as you can see, with very few trees. There was a shift from the corn fields to more cattle and hay.
Once we got into South Dakota, the landscape started with rolling dells and treeless hay fields and later turned into incredibly large plains, as far as you can see. There were a fields of hay bundles and many herds of grazing cows. The landscape seemed to go on forever and you would swear you could see the curvature of the earth, so expansive were the plains. Nothing but grasslands as far as you could see, in all directions. It was an amazing sight. I kind of chuckled because we were given information about taking scenic route 16 across the plains, but the interstate had exactly the same scenery...grasslands going on forever. Scenic 16 would have been a slower road, but not difference in landscape.

When we arrived at Chamberlain, South Dakota, we crossed the Missouri River. It too was stunning, but we could not take photos as we came across a hill top, started down a large hill and there was the Missouri. We had no place to pull over. Once again, like the Mississippi, it was breathtaking to see (but no proof in photos). We also came across some large lakes that seemed so out of place. Later I found out that they had damed the Missouri River to create 4 large lakes that they call the Great Lakes...no wonder our water levels are getting low!
About 100 miles from Rapid City, we decided to detour through the Badlands National Park. It cost $10 to ride through the park, but it was worth every cent. Even before entering the park, we were blown away by the huge outcroppings of barren rock structures. The land structures, made of peaks, buttes and gullies were everywhere and seemed to change colours as the sun came out or as we turned a corner. There were many little turn-offs where we were able to stop and take some great photos. There were a lot of paths that you could take if you wanted to climb some of the peaks or into some of the buttes. It really reminded me of the old west movies. Once we started heading out, there were more awesome views, at different angles. The badlands seemed to go on forever and we finally climbed a very large windy road on our way out of the park. This is definitely a place to visit!

Once we left the park, we rode down the 90 to Rapid City and set up our tents in the KOA in Rapid City.
Tomorrow, we plan on going to Mount Rushmore which has the sculpted heads of 4 U.S. presidents. We will also tour some of the other sites in the area.
It was a great day and we look forward to more days like this.