South Dakota; Temp: H: upper 80s L: 60s with breeze

This was an awesome rest area as soon as you cross into S. Dakota. Behind the building of the rest area was a drop off and a magnificent view!!Our first destination in S. Dakota was Mitchell. We needed to stop anyway and this was a perfect location. We stayed in a Cabela's large parking lot. There is an area for campers to stay over a night and includes a water station. We were nearly the first to arrive, but by 6pm the parking lot was full of other campers. After eating supper and going to the corn palace we shopped in Cabela's. The children loved the stuffed wild animals and fish tanks.

We visited the Corn Palace, a building that was first built in 1936 and the front wall is made of all corn. The couple that owned the building wanted tourist to come to this area, so they decided that having an all corn wall in front and decorated with a special design would draw them here. They were right and it's still popular today.

There are a lot of bikers in the area this week. It is the yearly biker rally in Sturgis, S Dakota, so the bikers are all around. There over half a million bikers to attend annually. On our way to the Badlands we ran into traffic. It was the kind of traffic where everyone turns off the engine and gets out of their cars!! We all got out too and Hunter made us our lunch for later. The photo of the bread is how much we use when we all eat sandwiches!!
We prayed for the bikers in the wreck and hope they are okay. We actually were not stopped too long because we were near the beginning of the traffic.


Back on the road headed for the Badlands!!