Whoops, I was thinking it was in SD. Even as I post a Utah.com link… :rolleyes:
With a Lead Pipe.
At least, that’s what would happen in my case. That’s why, when my father offered to accompany me across country, I politely turned him down.
I love my Dad, but I think only one of us would’ve completed the journey, Especially after the six flat tires, two broken rims, and the failure of the trailer spring. But that’s another story.
Another vote for Deadwood. Mt. Rushmore was kind of underwhelming for me, but all the Black Hills historical sites are cool. Deadwood does a good job of preserving some sense of the old west feel. It’s too bad the Gem isn’t there anymore, though (I think there’s a casino on the site now), but there’s still a lot of cool stuff to see.
Humm - we actually have the Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump in Alberta that we’ve all seen a few times so it will have to be a pass for this trip - interesting for a future trip though - both the Mr. and I really enjoy exploring ‘Small Town America’ so a trip to Wyoming is not unrealistic.
The Fishery sounds kind of neat too but I’m afraid my mom might have the squick out factor happen (as per the reptile thing) so we may need to pass. Mom’s a bit of a wussy. 
I grew up near there…
There really isn’t all that much around there.
Mt. Rushmore is a must…but it won’t take all day.
Crazy Horse monument is pretty cool, for it not being done yet 
Still worth checking out IMO.
CAVES! See at least 1 cave - 2 if the family likes it, preferably not the one nearest Rapid City. The caves are very cool to see. I think this is better than Mt Rushmore myself.
There is a Geolgist digging…can’t remember the name of it…basically a museum owhere they built the building around a rich finding of fossils and they are still escavating it. Very cool. ALSO!! In the same town there is a swimming pool. Swimming pool you ask? Well…it is a naturally heated indoor pool where the water comes from underground and replenishes at an astounding rate. It is large, has slides, a basketball hoop and the bottom is made of river rocks…it feels great on the feet.
See Mount Rushmore…see Crazy horse…see a cave or 2…head over to the museum mentioned above then take the family swimming. Will make a great day.
DO NOT get suckered into the Flintstones village…it is a joke. I mention this because it is right on the way to one of the caves (Wind?) so you will see it.
Reptile Gardens is ok…especially if you’ve got someone really into reptiles.
The ?mystery mountain? (not sure of name) is also ok, but skippable.
You will also pass a few rock shops. Black hills has some nice rock shops.
Deadwood is cool to see. Pop in there if you can. You can also do some gambling there. If you want to see it, try to get a hotel there so you can bum around it in the evening before bed.
Let me know if you want more info.
You just don’t know how to do it right. Sure, if you park down below and view it from the NP viewing area its kind of a donk, but if you recreate the penultimate scene from North by Northwest then it can be quite fun.
I second Devil’s Tower, where you can also recreate the final scene from *Close Encounters of the Third Kind if you find a passing UFO.
Stranger
Wall Drugs is kind of the ultimate tourist trap. Many years ago, when people first began touring in automobiles, Wall Drug used to post signs declaring “Free Ice Water at Wall Drug.” In those days, free ice water was not something to scoff at. The expression itself became sort of a catch phrase, like “Kilroy was here” or “Burma Shave” and one could find “Free Ice Water at Wall Drug” signs literally around the world; WWII was responsible for many of them. It remains true today; they will honestly fill your water container with free ice water. You can also get a real buffalo burger there; pretty tasty, IMHO. The place has a ton of mechanized objects; monkeys beating on drums, an entire band, cowboys twirling ropes, etc., etc. It also has the usual tourist trap photo ops and all sorts of glitzy touristy junk for sale. There are a lot of antique farm implements and a lot of antique cooking devices hanging around, plus jillions of license plates from all over. It’s worth ONE visit, especially if there are kids in the party, otherwise it isn’t worth going out of your way to see----but you’ll probably be sorry if you don’t.
Another vote for Bear Country. Never been there myself, but my mom and stepdad are currently on their second tour of duty there. Here’s a pic of my mom holding the bear cub they named after her.
Free ice water in the near desert of SD is STILL nothing to scoff at!
Sorry about your Dad, alice. 
I hope you have a wonderful time. I get along with my parents like a house afire, so “traveling with the 'rents in a motor home” doesn’t sound like hell on earth to me, either. Guess we’re the lucky ones in that regard.
True dat. The best drink I’ve ever had was an ice cold Squirt from Wall Drug after a hot day doing touristy stuff. That stuff was cold!
See either Wind or Jewel cave. Most of the others are private, small, expensive, and underwhelming.
I believe you are referring to Evans Plunge. A king among swimming pools, and the highlight of my first SD trip when I was 13.
Yah, me too. However, he’s been seen by a few folks at the MayoClinic (if that’s how that’s spelt) and they’ve suggested some treatment options so all hope is not lost - I just want to spend as much time as possible with him in case.
I think it will be fun. I actually kind of like camping around in a motor home or trailer once and a while, and I’ve never been to South Dakota. Honestly, even if it turns out that Mt. Rushmore is a 12 foot high cement sculpture I’m still kind of keen to see it. (It might be a Canadian thing - most of the folks here I’ve been mentioning it too think it sounds pretty neat).
It’s actually papier-mâché.
Stranger
SWEET!!
Honestly, monuments in Canada tend to be massive perogies, as opposed to old Prime Ministers.
i thought there was a huge ukrainian pascal egg… there’s a perogie as well?!?
what a country!
Not to mention a nickle, a dump truck, and of course, a hockey stick. A friend of mine actually produced a show all about it that was on CTV travel for a couple of seasons.
And the huge moose. And the big, dirty hoe.
(Have you SEEN the huge dumptruck? It’s just so freakin’ BIG! We messed around there for a good half-hour.)
We just got back from driving through South Dakota (drove from Calgary to Chicago, and back by way of Kansas). We give the Crazy Horse Memorial site two thumbs waaay up - we spent hours there. We parked at the side of the road and took pictures of Mt. Rushmore, and that felt like the right ratio to us. No offense to you Murkins, but big heads of your presidents don’t thrill me to my core. We didn’t spend a lot of time in the Black Hills because they are the sacred lands of the Indians, and it felt a little sacrilegious to be doing touristy stuff in another nation’s holiest of holies, but your mileage certainly may vary.
We also went to the South Dakota Museum of Geology in the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City, and I loved it. I recommend it for rock nuts. It was certainly worth the price of admission (free!). The minerals and rocks exhibit was comprehensive and fascinating. The paleontology section, for people who live two hours away from the Royal Tyrrell Museum, was underwhelming.
We went to Chicago from Regina, so we went through North Dakota, too, but I can’t recommend anything there - even for a prairie state, there didn’t seem to be a whole lot going on in North Dakota.
My take on the states we visited - they’re big on three things - pro-life, God, and Harley Davidson. Oh, and try the Flaming Hot Limon Cheetos - very tasty. 
Another recommendation for Custer State Park. If you’re a hiker, make sure to trek to the top of Harney Peak.
Ah yes, I almost mentioned it in my first post, but wasn’t sure. Three mile hike from Sylvan Lake, lots of UP, especially the last half mile. Though you can set out from a couple other places it you want. I’ve done the hike three times. Have to say it’s been a lot more fun in cooler weather when there are a LOT fewer people at the top. Hordes of idiots with cell phones at the top of a mountain in a wilderness area tends to make Chimera feel homicidal.
We just won’t say much about the road to Sylvan Lake, because we don’t want to scare alice. 
Lots of shorter trails around the park, but not quite as spectacular.