Hot Springs to Sioux Falls, SD

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Hello!

Up this morning in Hot Springs, SD to celebrate my 61^st birthday!  Wow!  Where have all the years gone?? 

Mount Rushmore

We had a quick breakfast at the hotel, then packed up and on the road about 7:30 a.m.  Instead of heading directly to Sioux Falls, we decided to detour past Mt. Rushmore just to make sure that the four presidents were still there…and yes, they are!  Took some pictures, then pointed the car downhill into Rapid City, and on to Sioux Falls.  In an attempt to avoid at least some of the freeway, we did get off and take side roads to the South Dakota capital of Pierre.   The less said, the better!

The Corn Palace, Mitchell SD

From there we headed back to the freeway, just so that we could make a stop in Mitchell, SD at the Corn Palace.  We had been by the Corn Palace several years ago, but wanted to see it again as each year the Palace changes.  In case anyone is unfamiliar with the Corn Palace (not sure if that is possible, but there is always a chance…) this is a very large building (think 2 – 3 stories, and the size of an old-fashioned movie theatre from the days before multi-plexes).  Each year, the citizens of Mitchell decorate three sides of the building with corn cobs forming different pictures, designs, etc.  Hence, “corn” palace!  The good news is that the cobs are removed each year and new ones put up in new pictures … not sure I’d want to be the person delegated to take a picture down … So, once around the Corn Palace, then back on the freeway for the last push into Sioux Falls.

Arrived at the hotel – Hampton Inn, Room 235, a little after 5 and got everything into the room.  Robert noticed that one of the fluorescent lights in the bathroom was flickering, and called the front desk.  One of the gals brought up a new light, and R, ever the gentleman, replaced the bulb.  However, in attempting to put the ceiling grating back in place, it slipped out of his hand and landed square on his head – whew…at least three really good gouges, and lots of blood…took quite a while to get under control, but scalp wounds do tend to bleed quite a bit… (Note from Robert – So, it seems that I have been scalped in the Dakota Territory!)

When we were finally ready to go out for dinner, we selected Foley’s, the #1 rated restaurant in Sioux Falls.  Fortunately, it was literally within walking distance (although at 100+ degrees, we decided to drive…).  To say that there was a HUGE difference between dinner tonight and dinner last night is really a mild understatement…R called it a parallel universe!!  Foley’s is quite lovely; a large place with linen tablecloths, silver and china.  We had lettuce wraps to start, followed by salads.  My salad was a wedge of iceberg lettuce with blue cheese, bacon bits and scallions.  R’s salad was a mixture of cucumber and tomato with red onion and some mozzarella cheese.  Both were great!  We both also ordered filets, which came absolutely perfectly cooked!  Mine came with asparagus and R’s came with mushrooms.  He had delicious garlic mashed potatoes; I had baked.   Everything was perfectly presented and cooked, and I was really sorry that we had accidentally left the camera at the hotel!  For once, we had something worth photographing!  Sorry about that; will try to do better!

Back to the hotel about 8:30 p.m. and early to bed…hopefully!

Tomorrow will be Sioux Falls to the suburbs of Chicago; a long driving day, but then we’ll have a few days in Des Plaines, IL to visit R’s brother.

More later!

m

xxx