As for the Rest of South Dakota...

We spent the night at the Sunshine Inn, a small motel in Wall, SD. Normally I'd pick a chain place, but this one was half the rate and even still, had excellent reviews on TripAdvisor. I'd definitely agree with the other reviewers - the room was clean, the couple who own the motel were nice and gladly filled up our ice chest, and it was only a block away from Wall Drug! I'm also going to take some space here to give the TripAdvisor website two big thumbs up! It has been invaluable in choosing places to stay, as well as finding things to do -- not only for this trip, but also for others that we've taken. The forums are also a great place to get advice from local experts.

All done with the public service announcements, now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

There's nothing like starting off the day with an early breakfast at Wall Drug.

Biscuits 'n gravy for Mom & Dad,
pancakes for the boys

We had reservations for a 9:00AM tour of the D-1 launch control site at the Minuteman Missile NHS, about 20 minutes east of Wall. Here's what my hilarious DJ husband was spinning as we drove:

• The Final Countdown - Europe
• (The Future's So Bright) I Gotta Wear Shades - Timbuk 3
• Rocketown - Michael W. Smith

And he would have played REM's "It's the End of the World As We Know It," if only we had it loaded onto the iPhone.

The ranger met us at the gate for our tour, took us through the living quarters and the security area...

...and then down in a service elevator to the control room.

The commander's station

Well worth the 30 minute stop! Very cool!

From there we kept heading east on I-90. Since everyone else was napping, I queued up "Dances with Wolves" as my soundtrack for the drive through the tallgrass prairie of South Dakota. One of my favorite movies!

After a few hours, we stopped at a rest area just east of the Missouri River in Chamberlain, SD. They had a great interpretive exhibit on the Lewis and Clark expedition. 

Not too long after that, we reached Mitchell, SD -- home of the world famous Corn Palace!

They were in the process of redecorating the outside.
Everything used in the murals is from corn!

Old Stone Face

Our last stop for the day was just past the border, Pipestone NM in Minnesota. This monument preserves quarries of red pipestone, which is used by many Native Americans to carve pipes for use in their sacred ceremonies. We arrived just before the visitor center closed, so we picked up Jr. Ranger booklets for the boys (we'll turn them in tomorrow morning) and hiked the Circle Trail on our own.  

Winnewissa Falls

We had dinner at a local bar & grill that the front desk recommended (Swanny's - it was good!) and then back to the hotel. The boys swam in the pool, and I parked myself in front of the room air conditioner. UGH, it's so HOT and HUMID! I've gone soft after 11 years in CA!