After our very hot night that caused us to keep driving in the middle of the night, it was great to wake up to some cooler air. By lunch time we made it to Sioux Falls Park in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It wasn't too hot to enjoy the falls especially when we stuck to the shady areas. The only place it was really hot was in the stairwell/elevator area in the visitor's center going up to the observation deck. From the top of the observation deck Jennifer took the picture below of Jerry, our dog, and the parrots. The observation deck is one of the best places to see the falls and take some pictures (there was also a nice breeze). There are several spots where you can take good pictures up close to the falls also.
Because it was Sunday, the full menu at the Falls Overlook Cafe wasn't available. There were some grab and go options, and best of all, ice cream. Jennifer got a 3oz salted caramel pecan ice cream and it was some of the best ice cream we've ever tasted. The best part, it was only $1.84!
Next, we drove to the Louis and Clark Interpretive Center near Chamberlin, SD (exit 264 off I-90). The view here is amazing and it's the site of one of the Corp of Discovery's encampments. There is a visitor's center here has well as exhibits about Lewis and Clark's expedition with recreations of equipment which really helps a person visualize what it was like. One of the highlights of the visitor's center is a keelboat that serves as a second story so you can see the full sizes from under it. When you walk up the stairway to the keelboat (or elevator) there are some wooden boxes with more exhibits and an outdoor balcony. This is one of my favorite rest stops. There are bathrooms and picnic tables and would be a great place to stop for a lunch or dinner. There's also a lot of green space to walk around. Since the last time we have been here, the Dignity statue has also been erected. It's amazing in person.
We made a dinner stop in Mitchell, SD. Although we didn't stop this time, Mitchell is the home to the "Corn Palace" which is free and worth a quick pit stop if you've never been before. We continued driving and made it to Badlands National Park.