Whether you go to South Dakota to “dance with the wolves” or see the “great faces,” you’ll discover an outdoor wonderland filled with natural wonders!  Now I understand why I was glued to the movie “Dances with Wolves” featuring Kevin Costner.  The beauty, scenery, and wildness of the area appeals to that wild place in my heart.   Oh,  Badlands!  Bad, bad, bad – of course bad is a term used for “very good?”  For those of you who have teenagers, you know what I mean.  This rugged area with spires, peaks, and crevasses is a rock climber’s  and archeologist’s dream site.  Understandably,  this area has afforded many learning opportunities for the scientific student.

RV’ers can learn much from this area such as a panoramic view of four American presidents or one man’s vision of Crazy Horse being sculpted out of the surrounding granite.  History tells us that Korczak Ziolkowski was asked by Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear to produce a monument to the Native Americans.  Korczak began working on the largest known monument in the world “Crazy Horse.”  He admired Chief Henry Standing Bear’s statement, “my fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know the red man had great heroes, too!”  Although the sculptor died in 1982, visitors to the area can still see work being done on this monument especially by the descendants of Korczak.  Each evening laser light shows highlight the 22 story high horse’s head which is now being sculpted.   www.blackhillsbadlands.com , www.crazyhorsememorial.org.  Another famous sculptor, Gutzon Borglum envisioned presidential faces in the granite creating Mount Rushmore National Memorial which enlivens the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. http://nps.gov/moru .  Visitors to the area may take a hiking trail toward Rushmore for better viewing and with Ranger guided tours learn more information regarding this great sculptor and see his studio.

If hiking and mountains aren’t in your vocabulary for pleasure, maybe you’d like to try birding!  South Dakota is becoming one of the nation’s top birding sites.  With over 300 species to view, you’ll be rewarded at each location designated for viewing.  South Dakota produces a “Southeastern Birding Trail Guide” and can be obtained at www.travelsd.com or view www.southeastsouthdakota.com  for more activities.  Remember that birds have feelings too!  This may be reflected by weather and season.  Just when you really wanted to find a Swainson’s hawk, you may zoom in on a pheasant.  Expanding agriculture sites and inhabited areas are causing environmentalists to carefully create a balance between humans and the bird population, especially the raptor families.

Let the kid in you go wild!  Discover the Land of Oz at Aberdeen.  Storybook Land is a great place for the grandkids traveling with you.  There, Mother Goose along with the Oz characters come alive.  More nature walks and birding can also be found at Aberdeen, South Dakota.  www.aberdeencvb.com

Due to the geography of the state (badlands and prairies), RV parks and campgrounds differ in all aspects.  Since much of the grasslands are preserved as state land, RV spaces are placed wherever one can find the available land.  At http://rvparkreviews.com/South_Dakota.html visitors and readers have rated each RV park in South Dakota.  While some may be rated as “poor and excellent” at the same time, remember that each person’s tastes, habits, and desires vary.  Many RV parks are well suited for those who want to stay for relatively longer periods of time; however, there are a few parks where readers felt the stay was acceptable for overnight only.  Some readers were overwhelmed by the prairie and camping in the open sites without trees away from towns and cities.  One reader wrote, “it’s fantastic to see the thunderstorms move across the prairie!”  Thankfully these RV parks exist or we would find ourselves weary of the road and dangerously trying to camp on the roadside.  Of course a seasoned RV’er would never try this type of boondocking!  RV’ers are serious about their travel and spaces!   

South Dakota can also boast of being the site for another movie track.  HBO (Home Box Office - cable) has created the 240 foot long set for the “Deadwood” series in the town of Deadwood.  Here the Adams Museum hosts an extensive collection of historic artifact.  Photographs and archived historical documents lend credibility to the show’s award winning drama.  Visitors can view the set and see a troupe of historical actors portray the Deadwood days.  www.deadwood.org , www.adamsmuseumandhouse.org.

As you can see, there is so much to entertain you in South Dakota.  From geological loving rock hound sites, granite faces, massive sculptures and prairie lands, beautiful lakes, winding rivers, hot springs – www.hotsprings-sd.com, and multiple fantasy play lands in a state rich with history combining stories of the Native Americans and gold-panning days, an RV’er will definitely find the gold in this state.  Just one more reason why the USA continues to be a great country to travel and see! 

Happy Traveling!

(All photos are courtesy of Google Images, Badlands National Park, and Jerry Boyer – Spearfish Canyon Foundation)