Easter Weekend

Over the Easter long weekend, which isn't a long weekend in the USA so Ewan had to take some annual leave, we headed out West to Rapid City.

Rapid City is set at the base of the Black Hills and all around are amazing sights and scenery.

The almost 6 hr drive (including many rest stops) is interspersed with billboard sign posters making you aware of a place called Wall Drug. I think the philosophy behind this place is - if you build it, and sign post many, many miles, they will come!

And come we did.

It most definitely is a tourist trap, but one of the more unique ones. Here you can stop for a bite to eat, and we did. You can buy all your cowboy accessories from hats, to boots, to chaps and whips. Eat homemade fudge or pick up a souvenir or two.

The animals of Wall Drug

The hats of Wall Drug...fake racoon

We then headed onto our accommodation in Rapid City where we checked in and then went out to the Badlands.

The Badlands is basically an inland sea that has been eroded over many years and left a rugged landscape with amazing colour.

The day we drove through it (the drive will take you about an hour or so....actually I think it took as a lot longer than that) it was very windy so we mainly saw the sights from our car. Hopefully next time we go there we'll be able to get a little more up close and personal and take one of the many walking tracks.

A big highlight was seeing our first Prairie Dogs. They make their homes in the ground and survey what's going perched on top of their little mounds. Very cute. The kids all wanted a few for their birthday!!!

So that was Friday!

A long day but it was completely worth it.

After a play in the hotel's pool, which included a fun water slide, some dinner and a sleep we headed to Mt Rushmore.................tomorrow's post.