Rapid City, SD

Our stop near Rapid City was simply to kill time before heading to Wyoming for the total solar eclipse.  We had no idea what a great time we'd have in RC.  We actually stayed in Hermosa about 20 mile south of RC.  The day we arrived the Custer County Fair began in Hermosa.  So we went and had a free dinner and some fun entertainment.  The next day we drove to Hot Springs to the Mammoth dinosaur dig.  It was fascinating.  Another day we went into Rapid City to do some shopping.  We also found a nice brewery and wine tasting.  We went back two nights later and heard a vocalist who was amazing.  We went back to Hot Springs and played golf.
We stopped in the RC Elks lodge and found out they have a golf course, so we played that a few days later.  They also have an RV park that, if we are in these parts again we will definitely park there.

We also connected with a friend from Apache Wells who lives near RC.  We had lunch with her.  The next day we played another round of golf at the Elks.

This turned out to be a great stop over!  Now off to see a total solar eclipse.

Theodore Roosevelt NP

TRNP is located in the western area of North Dakota.  The town of Medora is the starting point for the South Unit of the park.  The North Unit and Elkhorn Unit are an easy day trip from Medora.  The park is made up of mostly prairies and Bad Lands. It also includes what remains of Roosevelt's ranch called Elkhorn. The Bad Lands are different from the Bad Lands of South Dakota but similar.  Kind of like 2 children of the same parents, they are similar but unique.

They just seem to go on forever

While driving the North Unit we saw bison, prairie dogs and some wild horses.

We also got a look at some very cool rock formations

These formations are called cannon balls!

All that remains of the Elkhorn Unit is some rocks that formed the foundation of Roosevelt's cabin.  We took the drive there on day and hiked to the ruins.  Not much to see but the drive was beautiful.