Ahh, South Dakota! What a beautiful state it is. Quite frankly, when I set out from Iowa to drive out west, I thought South Dakota will be just plain boring, with a flat landscape and quite a boring drive until I reach the mountains out west! I couldn't have been more wrong, and I'm quite happy I was wrong.
South Dakota surprised me so much with beautiful landscapes, rolling plains, lots of attractions, and of course, the majestic mountains. I also got a real taste of the "wild west" while visiting one of the tourist attractions named "1880 Town". I loved South Dakota so much that we prolonged our journey for one more day and stayed back to take all that South Dakota offers, as much as we can!
Our route went through Iowa, Minnesota, and the entire length of South Dakota. We drove for about 1500 miles (~ 2400+ kilometers) in all! Along the highway were the ads for a certain "Corn Palace", something named "Wall Drug", 1880 Town and countless other tourist attractions. We figured we should first read about them and visit them on the way back.
My main goal was to visit Mt. Rushmore and see the July 4 fireworks. So, we started off early in the morning and reached Keystone, SD where Mt. Rushmore is. We were told that the parking lots up the mountain were full at 9 AM for the 10 PM fireworks! So, we ended up trekking up 3 miles up the mountain, to an elevation of 800 feet. It was quite a great experience. Finally, we were well in time for the fireworks. I leisurely chose a nice spot, set up my tripod and shot some nice shots.
Over the next two days, we set out to see the Crazy Horse memorial, Custer State Park, Black Hills, and Badlands National Parks, while stopping over in the nice little picturesque hilly towns along the way. One the way back, we made sure we stopped at the "1880 town" and got a taste of the wild west of the 1800s. We also stopped at the corn place and enjoyed the beautiful corn-made murals! Overall, it was one of the greatest trips I ever made! No kidding!
Trip highlights for me were: 1. The fireworks at Mt. Rushmore 2. Native American ("Indian") dances 3. Badlands National Park.
What a beautiful trip it was! This will stay as one of the most memorable trips. Be sure to check out the following 3 albums:
South Dakota Postcards: Mount Rushmore
South Dakota: Beautiful Places and Faces
Bad, bad lands of South Dakota
Labels: Life
OK. So, I turned a year older on July 15, just like every other year! But this year's birthday was something VERY special. I have had so much fun for this birthday, that I can say that this is one of the best, or probably the best birthday I ever had. I spent a lot of time with friends on the 15th; We went out for dinner with some close friends and then gathered with some other friends to have a drink. And later that week, I had a party at my house. Boy, what can I say about that party! It was a "Russian" theme party (to profess my love for Russian language and culture) and it was a BLAST! Everybody had a great time! Be sure to check out the photos!! The party also doubled as a good-bye party to my friends Lera and Vika, who left for Russia that same weekend. So long friends, we will meet in Russia soon!
I would like to thank those of you who sent me your warm, caring messages via cards, emails, SMS, and phone calls. Much love to you guys!
