The Badlands and staying healthy

As we travel we do the occasional post on Facebook, and I’m sure some of you are saying enough already, but then we hear from others who would like more FB posts…. Go figure. What we usually post is the typical; we are here and maybe add some photos. Those of you who are reading this blog are getting all the photos you could ask for and hopefully some interesting stories to go along with them. You win! Wooo hoooo! I digress. The reason I mention this is that when we do post on FB we usually get comments from people who have been there, and how much they like it and what we shouldn’t miss. All of these comments are appreciated and we definitely take a look at them if we can. I only mention this because this trip was a first for me; Lynn had been in the badlands before. I have dreamed about making this trip. I had one planned 20 years ago but I never made it out here, so this was a big deal for me. So forgive me if our posts are numerous and maybe a little over the top. Now back to our adventures.

When we last left our travels we were at Badlands National Park soaking up the view.

 Let me backtrack a smidge. Enroute to the park we did something I have been avoiding. We stopped at a tourist attraction while pulling the trailer. Ahhhhgggg!. That wasn’t me screaming it was the other drivers on the city streets trying to get out of my way. Let me refresh your memory. My pickup truck is 22’ long pulling a 39’ trailer. Now with a 5^th wheel there is an overlap of the trailer and the bed of the truck but overall we are still 55’ long and 8’ wide. I have nightmares of turning down a street, driving 3 blocks and discover I can’t get through. So I have to back up 3 blocks. Ahhhhhgggg! That was me.

But this tourist trap was the “Corn Palace” in Mitchell SD,  which had RV parking, oh and did I mention it was under construction? Not the parking lot, The Palace. So we were not very impressed, but we did it. Another bucket list item scratched off, but at what cost…. not to us….. to all the drivers in Mitchell SD who had to deal with me driving on their downtown streets. I hope someday they can forgive me. Ok, it really wasn’t that bad; I only cut off one or two drivers that’s all. I wish I had a camera on the back of the trailer so I could see their faces. I am so bad. 

Inside auditorium Mitchell Corn Palace

When we arrived in the Badlands it was spectacular, better than I had dreamed.  The view just got better and better with every hill and turn. I am so glad that I/we finally made it. We wanted to do some hiking but Lynn was still not feeling well. So we did the driving tour so she didn't have to exert herself. 

Sign says "Beware of poisonous Snakes!" yikes!

The next day we planned on going to Wall Drug, but Lynn was getting worse and the closest clinic/hospital was in Rapid City, so off we go, and it was a good thing that we did. Lynn said the Doctor might have been old enough to have reached puberty, but he said she was right on the edge of have full blown pneumonia. So she got some antibiotics and back home we went.

The next day we took off, to give Lynn some rest and then went to Wall Drug the next day.  Lynn was such a trooper. I knew she still wasn't feeling well, but she insisted we go. It was a fun stop, had some great food, and a few laughs. It was a great day. 

Now that's a desert!

Jackalope ride!

Wall Drug had something for everyone

We took another day off, and then we did another driving tour of the park on the next day. This time however we stopped at all of the overlooks and points of interest. Towards the end of the day a storm was moving in and I was lucky enough to get a picture of a lightning strike.

Here is the lightning strike. Very cool. 

Still recovering

Yes it does rain in the badlands

The nice thing about storms is that afterwards there are rainbows. If you recall back in the U.P. we saw a double rainbow on Lake Michigan. Well the Gods must be smiling down on us because right outside our window we had another one, very cool.  This was a great way to end our visit to the Badlands. 

See you down the road.

Next stop The Black Hills.

Illinois and the beginning of our journey west.

After leaving the U.P. we headed down to Sycamore IL. to stay at the Sycamore RV Resort because our Florida friend Neal was spending the summer there,  and to get back to civilization, which was the main reason we left. Well we also left because my son was getting married in Chicago and if he asks, that was the main reason.

The resort was very nice. Two nice size lakes where you could fish and one had a beach for swimming. We did not utilize either of these amenities however because we were just too busy relaxing and enjoying electricity, satellite TV, and water. Ah the comforts of home.

The wedding in Chicago was unbelievable. Now I’m not saying that because it was my son. The pictures will speak for themselves because as you will see the ceremony was on a yacht as it cruised the harbor with the Chicago skyline in the background. 

The Happy Couple

Lynn and Tiff enjoying the trip.

Nice back drop for a wedding.

And the sun slowly sets. 

The view from our room at night. The Chicago River and Navy Pier!

The Air and Water show was going on while we were there. From our room we could see the Blue Angels practicing .

After returning to Sycamore we left for Sioux Falls SD. Enroute we stopped to visit our friend Heidi who lives in Iowa now. We had lunch and got to see her new apartment. Very nice!

When we arrived in Sioux Falls we accomplished another first. We stayed at a county fairground, Sioux Empire Fairground. Full hookup and centrally located to just about everything. There were two red flags however that we were not too sure about. We were right next to a train track and not too far from an airport. The train only ran during the day and not all that often so that was not a problem at all. The airport however was loud. But you know what? We didn’t mind at all. Why you may ask, well the planes stopped around 10pm and the ones that flew during the day were part of the 114^th Airborne. The Jets were F16’s. Really, really cool! I was like a little kid every time they took off or flew over us, One of my childhood dreams was to be a pilot flying fighter jets.

One of the bad things that happened was right after we arrived, Lynn got sick. She probably caught it in Chicago. So far I have dodged the bullet but living as close as we do I think it’s only a matter of time before I catch it as well. Oh joy. But we did manage to get out one day and visit  Falls Park which was the reason we were here in the first place. We also snuck in St Joseph Cathedral. Very beautiful.

As I’m writing this Lynn and I are sitting in our chairs outside our home looking at the Badlands. We just arrived and are taking a break enjoying the view. How can I be so lucky to have this as my view for the next 4 days?   

Well time for dinner.  Next post will be after we leave SD. See you down the road.