South Dakota pt 3: Frolf w/ Uncle Lane

Disc golf is more popular than you would think in South Dakota - the up and coming sport is big on the West coast (especially where I’m from in the great, gloomy Pacific Northwest) but apparently they love it everywhere. It’s certainly one of the fastest growing sports (along with Pickleball - lots of talk about that sport lately - it originated on Bainbridge Island (in the Puget Sound near Seattle) in 1965 - people still visit that original court today, which is actually just someone’s driveway - it’s on my list of obscure tourist spots I would like to visit alongside the World’s Largest Ball of Twine in Kansas, Carhenge in Nebraska (like Stonehenge but with cars) and the lonely Prada store in the middle of the desert outside Marfa, Texas. 

Before enjoying a family meal of ribs, corn, tomatoes and cucumbers at Grandma Arne’s, Uncle Lane (my Dad’s sister’s husband) and I hit the chains (or at least gave it our best hurl). Lane told me about how he used to often compete in local league play and tournaments scattered around the state but his shoulder is banged up after years of huckin’ the disc (who’s the Tommy John of Frolf?) We had a good time walking the 18 holes and delving into Lane’s variety of discs, over 20 contained by his sweet cart, a mobile disc holder, cup holder and all around good time.

Oh and he has this enormous taxidermy elk head in his basement that I believe he must have bagged himself or he is just seeking stolen valor among hunting lodges in the Black Hills (EDIT: My Dad just read this and told me that HIS dad, my Grandpa Wally, who passed when I was 8, was actually the mystery hunting hero - he brought the beast down in the Bridger Mountains, a picturesque range outside Bozeman (Cats!) - the biggest elk he ever nabbed. My Dad has a poster of the Bridger Bowl ski resort in the garage - alongside a Police poster (the band) from the early 80s - Sting! Throwback!) Reminds me of Bar S in Great Falls, Montana, near my Grandpa’s house - that place is full of wildlife - go there if you have ever wanted to have a picnic with a bear while watching Sportscenter.

South Dakota pt 2: Sylvan Lake & Hill City

After Mount Rushmore we called a huddle and decided to venture on to Hill City (a tourist mousetrap) for an afternoon meal at the busiest diner in town - this quaint lil joint that only took cash and no BS. The key lime cheesecake dessert is a thumbs up for all you sweet-heads out there (although the key lime cheesecake desert sounds more appealing - like that one Microsoft screensaver but green and minty fresh.) I had a chicken salad but lamely it was spinach leaves instead of iceberg - they really need to warn you about that ahead of time like the iPhone weather app but there are lettuce leaves falling instead of raindrops. Alas, the diner was a good find, the hot spot in a hot town (but not as cool as the one I went to with my Mom & Dad in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho that the one and only Guy Fieri made the trek to - I’ll slap that photo below as well.) 

After eating most of Grandma’s potato salad (which was actually very tasty), we made the windy drive to Sylvan Lake (which charges $20 to enter - what a racket! Don’t think I’ve ever paid to go hop in a lake - but they know about those National Treasure diehards.) That’s right, this is the very same lake that was featured in the sequel of National Treasure, the Nic Cage dynamo caper in which he plays a golden nugget seeking lunatic. My Aunt Joc said when Cage came to town, he was a real jerk to the local waitresses - guess word spreads like wildfire around the Black Hills about how the big name Hollywood hotshots conduct themselves - like a Yelp review via saloon. Also, there was a cool single-lane tunnel (the first photo) that we drove through on the way up and down - people enjoy honking their horns when they enter the tunnel to alert any oncoming traffic or nearby mountain goats. 

Alas, this was a very enjoyable morning (Mount Rushmore) and afternoon (the Hill City diner and Sylvan Lake experience) and the best part is this day was not even over. I love how when you are home on a lazy Sunday you will just sit around and watch football, go for a lil walk, sit by the pool, read a few pages of your book, maybe hit the grocery store but then when you’re on vacation you’ll turn into Sightseeing Superman, packing 3 weeks of activity into 3 days, Rick Steves’s assistant coach. I do enjoy the way vacations seem to simultaneously speed up and slow down town - it goes by in a blur but you will remember it forever - good times all around. 

Grandma Arne: South Dakota pt 1: Rushmore

Having recently visited my nearly 86 year-old Grandma Arne (& Aunt Joc & Uncle Lane) in Rapid City, South Dakota on a road trip with my Dad, here are a few of my favorite things about my fun lil jaunt through the Rocky Mountains, high plains & beyond. 

- Going to see Mount Rushmore with my Dad, Grandma & Aunt Jo (Dad’s older sister) - this is a must-do, bucket list item for any red-blooded American or truly anyone from anywhere around the world (people travel from all over to see this behemoth artistic rendering of George, TJ, Teddy & Abe). It’s actually smaller than I remembered (George’s nose is 23 feet - there’s a fun fact for bar trivia night) but still it would be an insanely steep rock climb to get up there (like protesters have done). We learned a lot about the history, watched a 14 minute film in a cool lil movie theater about all that fun stuff (a nice pit stop for Grandma), walked around looking at all the great exhibits & artistic installments (lots of cool pieces-they used scaling & lil models to build & visualize the final product before carving the faces from rock almost entirely using dynamite-the Natives were pretty pissed…but they still are cuz they’re building their own “Rushmore” if you will, a Crazy Horse statue that will take them forever to finish cuz they won’t take federal money 💰 cuz they’re sticking it to ‘em…a pretty badass move if you ask me…how great would it be if Crazy Horse was flippin’ the bird) overall just had a really cool time. If you enjoy traveling (I love traveling), either take a road trip (road trips are always a fun way to see the country & experience small-town USA if you are big city folk) or go to your nearest airport & get on the first available plane to Rapid City, South Dakota then you’re gonna have to rent a car & find a tour that goes up to Mount Rushmore cuz it’s a bit of a drive but less than an hour, not bad - it’s a great time - definitely a recommended tourist stop.