AP US Mini Golf Tour 2022 -- Keystone, SD

The AP US Mini Golf Tour continues. This time in South Dakota -- a state neither of us has been to prior. Going to a big touristy area, I knew I'd find several options for mini golf. It turns out our hotel had a mini golf course so that was an option. Then I found a place in Keystone that looked interesting -- Holy Terror Mini Golf. It said it was a challenge and not for the faint of heart.

The hubby said we were only playing this course because I liked the name. Honestly I didn't even noticed the name when I first discovered it. I saw that it was a challenging course and figured it was right up the hubby's alley. They advertised that you would be yelling mulligan. 

Challenging is an understatement. The course had your climbing stairs and going down hills to complete each hole. The real kicker was that majority of the holes were on top of very slight incline. The green may have been flat but to get the ball in the hole, you had to hit it just right or it would roll down the other side. VERY FRUSTRATING.

The hubby who usually can shoot near par kept using 4+ strokes to get it in the hole. This course didn't even have a par which tells you how messed up it is.

I did manage to get the only hole in one even without a mulligan. Alas even with that hole in one, I lost by one. I am currently 1-2-1 for the season. I have a slight hope that we will get another round in when we go to the UP at the beginning of October if the course in Munising is still open and we have time. Otherwise it is another losing season for me.

75. See Mt. Rushmore

Seeing Mount Rushmore has been near the top of my bucket list for a while now. On the original bucket list, it is the first one under the US Places and Things to Do heading which means it was one of the first things to go on the original list. 

Since driving straight through to Denver was not feasible and the Omaha Stormchasers were on the road at the beginning of our trip, it made the most sense to go through South Dakota to get to Denver. Then I could finally get to Mount Rushmore. 

The hubby was not exactly excited about going to Mount Rushmore. He begrudgingly agreed to go. I am not sure why he was not all about Mount Rushmore. Knowing this, I decided to keep our visit as brief as possible. Really all I needed was a picture of the heads anyways.

Mount Rushmore was completed in 1941 by Gutzon and Lincoln Borglum. There is museum of the Borglum father and son in Keystone if you want a really in depth look at the artists that created Mount Rushmore. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln were all carved out of granite by this artist duo and took over 14 years to complete.

Mount Rushmore, located in Keystone, SD, is open year round and the hours vary by season. There is no cost to visit the Monument but there is a $10 parking fee which is good for the entire year. It is part of the National Park Service but the National Park pass is not good for parking.

Like I said the hubby really didn't see more than the heads. We walked in and once we cleared the entry way, we took pictures at the start of the Avenue of Flags. We did not walk down the Avenue of Flags or around the monument. We did not check out the museums. Besides being ungodly hot, the hubby wasn't interested. I would have liked to at least walked the Avenue of Flags and find Wisconsin's flag. 

Besides taking a few pictures and trying to pick George Washington's nose, we checked out the gift shop, got my passport stamped, and got ice cream. The Memorial Team Ice Cream has the original recipe for Thomas Jefferson's vanilla ice cream which was sadly sold out when we got there. I had mint chip and the hubby had some caramel one. They were both very good. 

The hubby said the views of Mount Rushmore were better as you were driving into the park. I would almost have to agree with him.

Mount Rushmore is definitely one of those places you need to see in the US. It is iconic, full of history, and where else can you see 60 foot granite heads of presidents. When you go, do take time to explore all everything the park has to offer and not just snap a picture to say you were there.

4330. Go to Wall Drugs in Wall

 When planning our South Dakota trip, the hubby said he wanted to go to Wall Drug. I just rolled my eyes However when he suggests something I know I have to fit in the schedule especially since he usually goes along with what I want to do. 

Wall Drug is an iconic stop in South Dakota. It has been around since 1931 and ever since 1936 it has been luring people to their drug store with catchy signs on the freeway along with 5 cent coffee and free ice water. I counted over 75 of them from the time we got on I-90 to the time we got to Wall Drug.

Wall Drug is more than a drug store. It is a gift shop, diner, and an indoor mall. There is even a book store. It is also crawling with tourists checking out what Wall Drug is all about. The line for ice water, coffee, and donuts was longer than I wanted to wait in. So no donuts or water for us. 

There is also a backyard with a giant jackalope. 

If it is too hot outside and the splash pad is not your thing, you can head inside and check out the Mining Company, Arcade, or Emporium all which is open seasonally. Make sure you stick around for the T-Rex feeding. If the Backyard would have been open, it would have made the experience much better.

This was not a highlight of my trip. The hubby said "You can keep Wall Drug". There were too many people lining up for t-shirts and free ice water. The backyard was not that exciting since everything was closed. We enjoyed browsing the other shops that were less busy around the town square. 

Even though we were not impressed with Wall Drug, everyone needs to stop there at least once just to say they have been there, get their free water and bumper sticker. 

4340. Go to Badlands National Park in Interior

Being the National Park Geek that I am, I tried to fit in as many National Park sites as time allowed. Badlands National Park was perfect for this trip. It was an alternative to take I-90 and you could drive SD 240 through the park and end up at Wall Drug.

Badlands National Park is located in Interior. It has two entrances, the NE Entrance in Interior and the Pinnacles Entrance in the NW near Wall Drug. It is $30/car for 7 days or if you have the National Park pass you get in free. If you are planning on visiting more National Park sites in and around South Dakota, I would get the National Park Pass since it's $80 and is good for a whole year. 

There are plenty of overlooks to stop at and trails to hike. We stopped at many overlooks so I could take pictures. The formations were unbelievable. The yellow rocks was my favorite.

This is probably one of my favorite loops we've driven. There are not crazy switchbacks to get to the loop. The park is almost right off the highway so you are not wasting time trying to get to the park when you're on a time crunch. There is plenty to see right from the car and don't have to get out. It would rank up there with the Painted Desert/Petrified Forest as my favorite National Park drives to date.

It is 104 out. We did not do much hiking. I was afraid my flip flops would melt to the ground. I wanted to hike the Notch Trail which is a trail with a ladder at the end but not in that heat. We did walk part of the Window Trail. It was the only time the hubby got out of the car. That is a nice trail.

We did not see any wildlife. There is mountain goats, buffalo, prairie dogs, and wide variety of birds and other wild life. Like usually we did not see even a squirrel. We saw some birds but no buffalo or goats. I think they smell me coming and go hide. 

I've talked to several people that are not impressed by the Badlands and others that are in awe with it.  We thought they were amazing and can't wait to go back. It is a personal preference but The Badlands are definitely worth checking out at least once even if you are not into hiking. 

4349. See the Dignity Statue in Chamberlain

 Always looking for a quick stretch break, our next stop on a trek across South Dakota definitely fell into that category. Someone posted about stopping at the Dignity Statue in one of my Facebook groups and I wanted to see it.

The Dignity Statue is a statue of a Native American women. It is  located at a rest stop on I-90 outside of Chamberlain, SD. It is accessible from both eastbound and westbound I-90 thanks to the crazy interchange they built.

We stopped, stretched our legs, and took the required picture of the statue.

We also took in the view of the Missouri River.

We did not check out the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. I wish we had more time but it was just not feasible this trip. We also did not walk any of the additional trails besides the one to the statue. This is an impressive rest area for all it offers.

This is definitely worth the stop on your way across South Dakota only if for the views of the Missouri River. 

102. Visit the Corn Palace

 When planning our vacation, there were two places in South Dakota that were must sees for me -- Mount Rushmore and the Corn Palace. Both of them are on the original bucket list. 

The Corn Palace is in Mitchell, SD. It has been around since the early 1900s and is one of the iconic tourist attractions in South Dakota, not that it all that exciting. The Corn Palace is open year round and is free to visit.

The Corn Palace is multi-use building that the exterior is decorated with corn. The outside murals change year to year. This year's theme was Under the Big Top so circus themed. 

Inside the Corn Palace is a basketball court and stage. The Corn Palace is the home to several basketball teams as well as High School Regional and State Tournaments. For the hubby this was a big deal. He can say he stood at center court in the Corn Palace. For most people, they would not understand how cool this is. 

There is also pictures showing the different corn palaces throughout the years along the walls upstairs. The sides of the main floor also have murals depicting South Dakota History.

Like I said the Corn Palace is not that exciting. It is a building decorated with corn. Since it has been around for over 100 years and decorated with corn is what makes it unique. It is a great place to stretch your legs. If you are basketball fan, just standing on the court can give you bragging rights or not. 

Across the street is a souvenir shop where you can get all things Corn and South Dakota. There is a Deli called Corner Stone that my friend recommended. We went really hungry after having popcorn so we skipped it. 

Even though your teenagers may roll their eyes at you, the Corn Palace is worth a visit even if it is to say "Been there, done that." It's a piece of Road Trip History that you just have to embrace. It is a quick stop. You don't need more than 20-30 minutes there unless you are going to check the deli and grab a bite to eat.