Clayton Kitsch Trip

It's happening.  We're driving to Sioux Falls, SD with the sole intent of picking one of these bad boys up.  I planned an epic road trip around doing that very thing...this is the beginning of an incredible adventure!!

 I've seen this cowboy before...but it was Mike who pointed out his little companion!

Rest stop before heading to Lusk.

Mike's first siting of Mount Rushmore..."It's smaller than I expected?!"  That's what she said!

No, really.  That's exactly what I said the first time I saw Mount Rushmore as well...

We arrived with 30 minutes to spare before the cafe at Mount Rushmore closed!  Tasty buffalo stew and my very own mini bottle of Cabernet.  What more could you want?!

Which gave us plenty of time to witness the lighting ceremony.

Pressed Penny: obtained.

From there...we traversed to the heart of Rapid City!  They've done so much since I've been there - now almost three years.

We began our night atop the Alex Johnson hotel (where, seven years later, I finally stayed having wanted to since I first entered Rapid).  Glad that mystery is solved...unfortunately there are only two hotels right downtown in Rapid, and the only one really in the middle of it all is this one.  Overpriced, but the location can't be beat.

Vertex Sky Bar - best view in the entire city.  The fire pits were pretty sweet, too.

 We walked the streets a bit...and of course had to take a photo with President Ford and his pup.

I was busy admiring all the new shops and shop fronts in the newly renovated Main Street Square.  This book store looked lovely, even at night!  Unfortunately all of the boutiques, toy shops, and little mom & pop stores were closed for the night.  But the possibilities looked promising!

But the find of the day was The Wobbly Bobby.  The best pub I've seen in a long, long time.

The interior was all dark, rich wood, intricate light fixtures and floor tiles, peanuts galore, and good tunes.  It was truly what a little bar should be.  We absolutely loved it.

Day one could officially be recounted as a success...even if it really ran into (Last Call) Day 2!