New England part 2: Rhode Island

We made it to the smallest state: Rhode Island! Did you know Rhode Island covers an area of 1,214 sq miles?! Its distances North to South are 48 miles and East to West are 37 miles! 

We spent most of our time in Newport doing the cliff walk. The cliff walk is along the eastern shore of Newport and it famously combines the beauty of the shoreline with architectural history. The entire walk is 3.5 miles. (one way) About 2/3 of that is considered "easy" walking condition. 

We started at the North End so we saw: Easton's Beach, The Forty Steps, the Overlook, Ochre Court, Vinland Estate, Salve Regina University, and made it all the way to the Breakers. So basically, it was viewing the coastline and mansions. The coastline was pretty, but I don't care too much for viewing mansions. I would say the walk was just okay. I also did a coastal cliff walk in New Zealand which I think was a hundred times better so I might be a little biased. :) Here are some pictures I took from our cliff walk:

After our walk we went to Castle Hill Lighthouse. This lighthouse is still an active navigation aid for vessels entering the east passage.

There were a lot of shops and restaurants in Newport near the cliff walk. I'm sure you could spend a good deal of time walking around there, but since we had done part of the cliff walk we decided against more walking for the day. 

Connecticut and Rhode Island were both fine states to visit, but not states I want to go back to. It was nice that they are so close to Massachusetts and we could easily make day trips out of them. I think that's all you need, really... just a day for each. 

If I'm missing something that is super worthwhile in either Connecticut or Rhode Island let me know in the comments! 

Next blog will be on our last New England state: Massachusetts! 

New England part 1: Connecticut

So... a day and a half after we got back from the Dakotas we headed out again! This time we headed to New England and Melissa's boyfriend and my husband got to tag along this time too! The actual order of events is different from what I'm about to describe. 
For those curious about our actual itinerary...

We flew into Boston on a Friday night. 
On Saturday we drove to Salem and spent a couple hours there then spent the rest of the day in Connecticut. 
On Sunday we drove to Rhode Island and spent the day there.
On Monday we drove to Plymouth and then to Boston 
On Tuesday we had a half day before we headed home (which was also spent in Boston) 

THIS blog, however, is just covering Connecticut.


Connecticut has never really been on my list of states I had to see, but in order to get all 50 states I had to find something to do there!  I did some research and found Gillette Castle and Sleeping Giant State Park. 

From their website, "[Gillette Castle] looks like a medieval fortress, but a step inside the stone castle reveals the built-in couches, table trackway, and woodcarvings that all point to the creative genius that was William Gillette." William Gillette was an American actor and playwright. He is best remembered for playing Sherlock Holmes on stage and in a silent film. 



The castle itself was beautiful on the outside. However, we did not get to go inside because they were sold out. I DID have a slight problem with this because I checked their website throughout the day and it showed tickets were still available, but when we got there they said they were sold out. I asked the woman behind the counter about the discrepancy and she said the third party probably hadn't updated the website in real time.  Here's the thing... had I known this, I WOULD HAVE BOUGHT TICKETS EARLIER.  It was disappointing to drive all that way and not be able to go in. 

Gillette Castle

up close

view from window looking in

After Gillette Castle we went to Sleeping Giant State Park. Sleeping Giant is unique because it has two miles of mountaintop which resemble a sleeping giant. 

Stolen from their facebook page. Here is the Sleeping Giant.

We arrived at the park and I was hoping there would be more scenic views. I at least hoped to be able to see the "sleeping giant."  Mike and I found a trail and decided to hike it- the Tower Trail. I didn't want to come all this way to just drive through the parking lot so we did it. Since the other two were waiting for us at the bottom we went up the trail as fast as we could. It was 3 miles roundtrip and is generally considered an "easy" trail. HA! Easy going down maybe. Mike and I were huffing and puffing trying to make good time. I'm sure it would have been more relaxing and leisurely if we weren't on a time crunch. The views were pretty and I loved it when we finally reached the tower! I was a little disappointed I still couldn't see the sleeping giant, but it was a nice hike. (Nice views, anyway)

we finally made it!

loved the views

so pretty

view from the tower

the tower

part of the trail 

After all this we drove to our Airbnb. We quickly realized that it wasn't in the best part of town so there were many jokes to be had. We found a place to eat called Frankie's Diner. We had the absolute best waitress there named Laurie. She was the sweetest thing and we all talked and talked and talked. It was great getting to know her! 

Go see Laurie at Frankie's Diner!

Stay tuned... Rhode Island blog is coming up next! 

South Dakota

This blog post is all about South Dakota. We spent two full days in North Dakota and 3 full days in South Dakota.

The next stop on our Dakota tour was the city of Deadwood! It is such a cute town with lots to see and do! We really wanted to see a shoot out, but there are "no killin's on Sunday's" so we missed out. :( 
You could probably spend a full day here if you wanted to, but we were only there for a couple hours. 

The city of Deadwood

On our way to Mount Rushmore we drove past a sign that said CandyLand so of course we had to stop! It's claim to fame is that it's the largest candy store in South Dakota. They serve ice cream, coffee, italian sodas, hot chocolate, and of course tons of unique, nostalgic, and traditional candies and chocolates! 

Huge selection of candy at Candyland

Someone suggested going to Mount Rushmore after 3:30pm so it was less crowded and we probably got there around 3pm. Crowds weren't bad at all and we probably spent 1-2 hours there. We learned so much and it was exciting to see such an iconic sculpture. Mount Rushmore took 14 years to complete and had about 400 workers. From NPS.org,

"Gutzon Borglum (a famous sculptor) chose four presidents to carve on the mountain, because to him they represented the first 150 years of American History.

• George Washington, the first President of the United States from 1789 to 1797, represents the birth of our country.
• Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States from 1801 to 1809, symbolizes the expansion of the United States made possible by his purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803.
• Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States from 1861 to 1865, embodies the preservation of the nation in confronting the challenges of the Civil War.
• Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States from 1901 to 1909, represents the development of the country because of his support of the construction of the Panama Canal."

Beautiful day for Mount Rushmore

That night we stayed at Keystone boardwalk inn and suites which was very centrally located! So many shops and dining options were within walking distance. One fun surprise of staying at the hotel was that there was a place called Dahl's Chainsaw Art right next door. 

The two Dahl brothers are award-winning and internationally recognized chainsaw artists. They create amazing chainsaw carvings and we were able to walk through a selection of their work. SO COOL!

What an amazing display of art!

Largest Big Foot!

The next day was probably my favorite -we went to Custer State park. 

We started out with the wildlife loop road which was about a 1-2 hour drive. We saw lots of bison, prairie dogs, etc. Definitely fun to be so close to the animals again! (Just remember to stay safe and keep your distance!! Don't get out of your car like some idiots did when we were there.)

A bison saying hello

Then Needles highway was next which was about an hour drive roundtrip. It was so scenic and beautiful! There were winding roads, forests, meadows, mountains, tight curves, tunnels, and more.

One lane only in some tunnels

Another tunnel

The "needles" from Needles Highway

We then took a break and went to the Crazy Horse Memorial. I didn't know much about it and I honestly don't even think I had heard of it before our trip. Crazy Horse is the world's largest mountain carving located in the Black Hills of South Dakota. "The Crazy Horse memorial honors all indigenous people of North America and stands as a reminder of the importance of reconciliation, respecting differences, embracing diversity, and striving for unity." 

Crazy Horse himself (Tasunke Witco) was born as a member of the Oglala Lakota. He is known for his bravery and humility both as a warrior and as a person. 

The craziest part of this memorial is the fact that it was started back in 1948 and it is still a work in progress. They're hoping to have it completed by the year 2035, but I'm a bit skeptical of that. 

This is what the sculpture should look like when finished

Crazy Horse Memorial now (2023)

After Crazy Horse we headed back to Sylvan Lake. Sylvan Lake is probably the most recognizable and most popular of the five Custer State Park lakes. After doing a hike around the lake I could see why. It's absolutely beautiful! 

That night we stayed at Comfort Inn and Suites Custer. 

Our final full day was spent at the Badlands National Park which was about an hour away from the hotel. We might have gotten a little lost - we kept entering and exiting the park which was a tad confusing.  :)

The scenic drive is about an hour long, but of course you can get out for scenic overlooks and hikes.

My favorite part - love the yellow color

As the water level dropped and the sea floor became land, the Pierre Shale crumbled into soil and created the yellow mounds formation.  

Part of the scenic drive

Had to get a picture of the Badlands sign!

And finally, on our final day in the Dakotas, we stopped at the famous Wall Drug. I don't even know how to describe it. Yes, they have a drug store, but it's also filled with tons of gift shops, eateries, and more. It's 76,000 sq. ft. and, for me personally, I would say it's slightly overrated, but maybe that's because it was just really overwhelming. 

Overall, we had a great time in the Dakotas! I think I prefer South Dakota to North Dakota just because there was a lot more touristy things to do, but I would say both states are severely UNDERRATED. 

North Dakota

I know I'm behind in blogging again so here we go... North Dakota was my 29th state in my 50 state challenge! 

My friend and I decided to take a trip to the Dakotas and started out by flying into Dickinson, North Dakota. (Very tiny airport!) We stayed at the AmericInn by Wyndham Dickinson on our first night which was about a 15 min drive from airport. 

We spent two days in North Dakota. Day 1 was Theodore Roosevelt National Park (north unit) which was about an hour drive from our hotel. This park is basically a scenic drive with overlooks and hikes along the way. When we first entered the park, BAM! There was our first bison standing there to greet us! We were very giddy! We enjoyed our time and ended up staying at Roosevelt Inn and Suites which was about 20 min from north park entrance. All in all we probably spent 3 hours-ish inside the park. 

Entrance to the park 

Bison

One of the coolest and most unique things about the north unit was the cannonball concretions. I'm no science expert so I'm stealing from their website: "Jutting out from the landscape, these large, round stones don’t appear to properly fit into the badlands. The secret lies in the large butte located nearby.

When mineral rich water seeps down through the porous layers that make up the badlands, it can deposit those minerals in spaces or gaps in the sediments. The minerals act as a kind of glue, holding these sediments together, often forming around a core. As more and more layers are deposited, the concretion builds outward like a pearl, before being exposed by erosion."

Yep, still over my head, but so cool to look at! 

Cannonball!

Day 2 was the south unit of the park. It’s about an hour and 20 minute from our hotel that was near the north unit. Both park units were nice drives where you could see a lot, stop for scenic overlooks, and even do some hiking if you prefer.

Beautiful views

We got to see lots of bison and prairie dogs which was really cool! We loved looking for all the different animals along the drive. We also saw Theodore Roosevelt's cabin. Did you know that Teddy spent his formative years in the badlands?

Teddy's Cabin

The park (both the north and the south unit) were great. North was less crowded, but I think we both preferred the south unit. 

Side note: Medora is a cute little town close to the south unit. We were told we had to see the Medora Musical while we were in there, but unfortunately the show had not opened yet. 

We ended up driving to Bowman so we could stay there for the night and have less driving in the morning. Bowman Inn and Suites was the name of our hotel. There was literally nothing in this town so I don’t know if I would recommend staying here. HOWEVER the hotel has the cutest little dog named Charlie and we became fast friends. Go to Bowman to see Charlie! 

South Dakota will be my next blog so stay tuned! 

See you next time, TRNP!