Under God the People Rule. - South Dakota's Motto

We arrived in Sioux City, South Dakota on Saturday night and spent our 1st day  (Sunday) in South Dakota with a day of rest in that area. Then on Monday  (our 2nd day) we began traveling I-90 which goes across the State. Here is a recap of our 2nd day!

Did you know that Butterflies do not grow? Their size is determined by how much they ate as caterpillars. -- Butterfly House Facts

One of our first stretch-our-leg stops was the Sertoma Butterfly House in Sioux Falls.  My Aunt Sydney and Uncle Laurence suggested it thinking that the Little Ones would probably enjoy it! With hundreds and hundreds of butterflies, I will let you figure out by the Little Man's cheesy grin how much of it was a hit!

The butterflies were very beautiful. One of the Ladies that worked there pointed out this Moth. (picture on the right) She said that it is the biggest of the Moths and said it only lives about 5 days. The Moth was about the size of a large man's hand.

The Butterfly House also had a Children's Book Room, Photo contest room, and an Identification room. Here is the Little Lady and the Little Man checking out the collection.

We enjoyed our time at the Butterfly House. It was a lot of fun for my little ones. But, we need to put some more miles behind us. So, as we were cruising I-90, one of the places that I remember going to as a Child was the Corn Palace. My Parents took my Sister and I across the US several times and when we went through South Dakota , I distinctly remember going to it. So, Beloved pulled over for one of our other stretch-our-leg stops right in the city of Mitchell.  

Today, the Corn Palace is used for Basketball games, Public Speaking, Concerts, Indoor Festivals, etc.--Corn Palace in Mitchell

The Corn Palace was established 12 years after  the City of Mithell was established and 3 years after South Dakota became a state.   www.cornpalace.com  (You must see the picture of the Palace it looks a little Russian to me. It is very large)  The Corn Palace is amazing really. It is a large building that is decorated each year with a different theme of corn murals. This year the theme is American Destinations.  To decorate the Palace they use 13 different colors of corn. They keep the colors separate in the fields to insure the purity of the corn color.  Approximently 275,00 ears of corn are used in decorating the Palace each year. The Corn Palace begins it's decorating process in late May and it is finished in Oct. Since, August is harvest, each year the Corn Palace and the city of Mitchell has a huge festival.  

A few Corn Murals.

Hanging out with some "Corny" People in the Corn Cessions.

Now, although there is a lot of Corn Morals to see, and several things to do at the Palace, one thing is a MUST!  You can't go to the Corn Palace with out eating something with Corn in it! We decided on Popcorn. Because I like my popcorn boring with just butter and salt,  I decided to just do the "theater" pop corn. But,  others tried the fun flavor varieties such as caramel and/or cheese.

Badlands National Park  has over 224,000 acres. The Badlands were called by the Sioux Indians, "mako sica".  (mako, land and Sica meaning bad) - The Badlands National Park Facts.

While still driving across South Dakota, another place  that I remember going to when I was younger was the National "Badlands" Park.  I remember thinking as a little girl that we will never get out of the "Badlands".   So, I wanted to see if my memory served me correctly. (giggle) My memory was very good. The Badlands have a rugged beauty all of its own but you don't want to be stuck in them. The term badlands generally refers to an area that is difficult to travel through primarily because of the rugged terrain and lack of water. (I would say because of the heat and snakes too.)  The landscape within the park erodes at a rate of about 1 inch per year, so this provides an ever-changing landscape. 

It is sad to me that many Indians were expected to live in this type of land. So many of them hid out here to prevent from being moved or killed. This area is rich with History!

Our drive day on Monday ended up at a Campground in the Black Hills of Dakota, near Keystone and Rapid City area. Now that we had made it to the other side of South Dakota,  Beloved stopped at the Airport and rented a SUV so we could set up "camp" (which means eating yummy caste-iron outdoor cooking and allowing the little ones to cycle and play) and also so that we could use the SUV instead of the RV to drive around some of the "Black Hills" area. Beloved also wanted us to be able to do some of the tourist attractions in a little bit more easier way. So, with our big day ahead, we needed to get some dinner, some fun play time for the Little Ones at the Park, and a good nights rest. 

(Gigi we are eating your Chicken and Rice Recipe. It was so good that the Little Gentleman needed two forks!)