Rapid City, SD / Mount Rushmore & Custer State Park

We headed to Rapid City instead of staying longer at the Badlands as we needed some repairs done on our RV before we could go any further. Luckily for us, it was a beautiful decision.

Site:

Rapid City SD KOA

Site: 190 & 194

Wifi: Verizon - 26.4 down, 20.7 up / ATT - 37.1 down, 9.8 up

Cost: $89/night for the premium site, and $69/night for the normal site

Noise: Nothing. Even though we were surrounded by people, we never heard anything. 

The KOA in Rapid City is a sprawling campsite on top of a hill right off the highway. It was very easy to access, and almost all of the sites are pull through. The prices were insanely high due to Sturgis still taking place, and after the rally was over the campsites went from packed to maybe half full. The attendants were friendly, though I didnt like the bathroom setup much of single shower rooms and small bathroom stalls. There was also a weird smell in the shower rooms. However they had a breakfast special going on where you could get all you could eat pancakes for $2.99, which is hard to beat. The man making the pancakes to order made me a pancake shaped like a rose, so clearly I have a new boyfriend who is retired and living in an RV park. 

Rating: Can’t beat the wifi signal, but something about it still feels off. 7/10

City:

Rapid City, SD

Rapid City looks like a kid started Sim City and just went crazy with the terrain brush. Some parts are so hilly they border mountainous, and other parts are flat grasslands as far as the eye can see. It’s a medium sized city at around 70k residents, but because it such a sprawling town it doesn't feel metropolitan at all. It has all the amenities you need without any of the charm. Its saving grace is that it’s an access hub for amazing sites like Custer State Park and Mount Rushmore, with scenic drives that will take your breath away. 

Rating: Drive through and keep going. 

Restaurant:

Shooters Wood Fire Grill

Though Ron had his heart set on Burger King, we went to a local grill called Shooters. The entrance door handles are shaped like single shot rifles, so you know they’re going for a “lewk”. It was almost empty, but we were there at 3pm on a weekday, so I’m sure it gets busier at normal eating times. Our server was both attentive and friendly, and we got prompt service without it being overbearing. We started with the chislic (this time deep fried) and it was tender with a very sweet house bbq sauce. Ron ordered the burger he had been craving, and I ordered a french dip. While neither blew our socks off, they were filling and not overpriced.

Rating: Give Shooters a shot

Badlands National Park/Nomad View, SD

Ready for anything (or so we thought), we drove to Badlands National Park (4 hours according to Google, 8 hours IRL). It was time to go off the grid and be as self-sustainable as possible.

Site:

Nomad View, Badlands SD

Site: None! We’re boondocking, baby!

Wifi: Verizon - 4.25 down, 5.39 up / ATT - 1.96 down, 2.24 up

Cost: Free

Noise: Nothing but the wind

When you think of stellar views, what you don't know you’re picturing in your head is the Badlands. From a state of flat terrain and being sure you can see across to the other side, suddenly you come upon these gigantic cliff formations that seemingly rise out of nowhere. Nomad View, on the outskirts of the Badlands National Park, is a boondocking haven where you can be far from your neighbors and perch next to the edge. It wasn’t without its sore points. The wifi is sporadic at best. There were times we would get 30up and 40 down, and the next minute it was like the hotspot was dead. There didnt seem to be any pattern, and it was incredibly frustrating to work and take video calls knowing you may get kicked at any minute. It was also fairly questionable to even access the area. The drive up after pulling off the highway was rutted and swampy, and when we pulled in we almost tipped when another RV tried to pass us to leave. If we werent jostling around we were spinning our tires trying to get through the massive mud slick. Not to mention all of this taking place NEXT TO THE EDGE OF THE CLIFF. On trips to town we had to drive the motorcycle down the same path. It was treacherous and we determined that we wouldnt be able to go anywhere for at least a day or two after it rained to give the path time to firm up. Of course in our week there, it rained every other day. The feeling of being trapped was real. The weather is unpredictable. One day we woke up and the fog was so thick around us we thought we were in Silent Hill. This lasted for hours and once again we could not leave. It’s hard to beat a free spot with killer views, but this is probably the only time we will come to Nomad View, unless we return with a tank.

Rating: 10/10 for the view, 1/10 for the actual fear

City:

Wall, SD

If you are ever in South Dakota, literally anywhere in the state, you will see signs for Wall, SD and Wall Drug. They range from “Free Water!” to “6 ft Rabbit!” to “YOLO” (seriously?). Wall itself is a sleepy town with a 24 hour laundromat, an Ace Hardware, the famous Wall Drug, and… not much else. The people were once again incredibly friendly and the 3 giant gas stations right off the highway were really convenient, but we saw no reason to explore for anything other than the library that is open for like 4 hours a day on Weds and Friday. 

Rating: Get your gas and get going

Restaurant:

Wall Drug Cafe

You know when the Dairy Queen is listed as the #4 restaurant in your town that your options are rough. (We actually went to the DQ, and it was just fine). Since Ron had never been to Wall Drug, we went to the Wall Drug Cafe for breakfast before exploring. It was really confusing once you get in there, as there are signs that say there is service in the back, but when we asked an attendant if it was sit down service they pointed us to an ordering counter. They also had a buffet available that we never saw. The venue is old timey, like everything else in Wall Drug. The cafeteria food tasted like just that, but had high, touristy prices. 

Rating: Hard pass

Sioux Falls, SD

We started our adventure five hours late, Murphy’s law style, and ended up at the Sioux Falls KOA exhausted, hungry, and slightly questioning life choices that had led us up to this point. The cats have no idea what is going on and have prepared for the apocalypse.

Site:

Sioux Falls SD KOA

Site: F3

Wifi: Verizon - 38.4 down, 35.9 up / ATT - 10.9 down, 6.14 up

Cost: $59/night give or take

Noise: Significant, but nothing a hard sleeper couldnt handle. 

We pulled in to the Sioux Falls KOA, located right off a main highway, after hours and slightly delirious. The after hours check in spot unfortunately didnt have our reservation, so we called the night support number and were immediately greeted and taken to our spot by Penny. We had a pull through site with full hook ups. Being right next to the highway, we consistently hear engine breaking of large vehicles, as well as the nearby air base. Though near transport, there isn't much else nearby save a Camping World. The facilities were sparkling clean throughout our stay, and the hosts Micki and Penny were friendly and helpful. While there was not any real privacy between neighbors, they were friendly and there was a good mixture of full time folks as well as people just there for a few days. 

Rating: I mean, we don't have anything to compare it to. So 10/10 as far as we can tell!

City:

Sioux Falls, SD

We would stay in Sioux Falls permanently, if it were not in Sioux Falls. Literally every person we encountered was friendly, the prices were cheap, and the city was easy to navigate. The city itself can be summed up by the lovely DMV employee we talked to when he said, “Yeah, there’s nothing here.” The city itself ended up being quite boring, with the falls themselves being described as “something to skip”. The most interesting thing we found was the Parks and Recreation building, which resembled a sunken warship. But the people here are proud to be here, and are friendly and welcoming. From the DPS employee to the waitress at Original Pancake House to the random old guy in the parking lot who commented on our Minnesota license plates even though you reeeeally have to try to even see it, we felt very comfortable and at home with a small town feel. 

Rating: Stay for the people and the prices, leave to go do something

Restaurant:

Safari Bar & Grill

Safari Bar & Grill was 4 miles from our campsite, and was recommended to us by our camp host Micki when we asked about local cuisine. Being we are from only a state away from where we were camped, we thought there wouldnt be anything we hadnt tried before (wild rice, anyone?). We were told we had to try chislic, which ended up being steak bites with special seasoning. The Safari Bar & Grill was pretty packed for 7pm on a weeknight, with a raffle going on in the corner (nobody won). We ordered grilled chislic, the buffalo burger, and the Big Pig. The chislic was tasty but nothing groundbreaking (just steak tips), but both the burger and Big Pig sandwich were filling and flavorful. And the tv monitors actually had subtitles on them!

Rating: Would go back to win the raffle