South Dakota, May 2023

by Lisa · Published May 23, 2023 · Updated July 2, 2023

The Trip that ALMOST wasn’t…

Travis and I finished packing at about 9:00 the night before our departure. As usual, Travis was checking all of us in to make the arrival smoother in Memphis. Little did we know, the flight had been canceled and they had moved us to a different flight which left 2 hours before we had planned to leave. The new flight went through Dallas instead of Chicago. We received no email of the change by the airline. Glad we checked in or we would have missed the flight all together. After a slight panic attack, Travis got everything confirmed, the Digbys notified of the change, and the baggage paid for. Time for bed… with 3 and ½ hours of sleep. I don’t think Becky slept at all.

Planning Overload

I had been planning this trip for a while. A South Dakota notebook was created with all the places we wanted to see, places to eat, and things we wanted to do. I am always flexible but don’t want to leave anything out either. Pinterest blog links are the best at seeing what other people have done and enjoyed or not enjoyed and vetoed.

I did get a PDF only copy of the Dirt in My Shoes Itinerary for South Dakota at the last minute. The full itinerary is not scheduled to be released until June, but when I emailed them, they sold me what they had up to that point. I was impressed that my itinerary was very similar.

Early Morning fun

Digbys arrived at our house at 4:00 a.m. to pick us up. After a quick photo and goodbyes to Jet, we headed out. No trouble getting parked and into the airport. We had about an hour wait to catch our breath before the flight left out of Memphis at 7:45. Everyone found something to read, look at, or work on.

Go with the flow in the airport and just have fun. Travis was tired of taking pictures already as you can see. Eat the snacks, hold hands and just enjoy the flight.

We made it. Our rental was a black Dodge Durango for the week. Rapid City here we come, ready or not.

Sickies Garage for Lunch

I found out about Sickies Garage in a Google search for places to eat in Rapid City. It was a GREAT choice.

Burgers for the WIN!!

The ranch seasoned fries were also fabulous. I had the Eggstraordinary Burger (minus cheese) and the only picture of it is in the background of the Sickie Burger that Travs ate. It was GREAT!! Travis said any burger you have to finish with a fork is a winner.

Open Up..

The strawberry shake was actually Travis’s and Becky shared a Butterscotch with Kenny. Shakes are not my favorite so I was wandering around taking pictures and making new friends.

Fun Decor and New Friends

My new friends told me to try out the Skyline Loop around Rapid City for the views.

Skyline Loop

We drove the loop, just killing time before we could check in our hotel. It was a good recommendation.

Home 2 Suites

This hotel was a great choice for us. It was in a central location for all the places we had planned to visit. It also had a free breakfast everyday.

Family Food Truck Night

We planned our arrival perfectly to take part in the first Family Food Truck Night of this season. Those who know me and my eating habits know that I LOVE a great Food Truck. I had Thai and a fresh Strawberry Lemonade. Travis had Red Chicken Curry with a Fresh Limeade.

Local Entertainment

Since we did not have lawn chairs, we just camped out on the hillside for a while, listened to the music, and people watched. This was a happening place. FYI, Becky knew the words to ALL the songs they sang.

Canyon Lake Park

We did a mile loop around the park before heading back to the hotel to get ready for Day 2. We saw many beautiful flowers and very established trees. The park was well kept and a great way to spend the evening with friends.