Mid-Western Adventure: South Dakota

OH MAH GAH it's been over two months and I'm ONLY JUST NOW getting around to recapping the last two states I visited during my mid-western bonanza! Unfortunately, the HI-LARITY has kinda escaped my brain so I think this is pretty much just going to be a picture post, but you never know...maybe the details will come flooding back to me.

So: South Dakota: Officially checked off my list.

Ninny and I were supposed to drive to Sioux Falls, SD on Tuesday afternoon but SOMEBODY missed her flight and instead of getting in at like 2PM, she wasn't going to get in until 11PM and night driving isn't fun when you actually want to see what you're driving through so I stopped in the middle of a bunch of corn in Nebraska and rearranged our lodging and BADA BING, it was all okay.

Plus, I should mention that this was the day I was wrestling with my post-whiskey-bonanza situation and that I was on rural roads the whole time and there aren't as many (any) bathrooms as you'd think and I was afraid I'd have to fertilize some corn except that the SWEET, SWEET vision of neon that was an Applebee's out in the freaking middle of NOWHERE was my saving grace. But that was Nebraska, not South Dakota. I'm backtracking.

Ooh, and one more birdwalk: Ben and Sarah had to get to Iowa early because they had to get their marriage license 72 hours before the wedding (so that Ben didn't kidnap the farmer's daughter out from under their noses, I think) and Ninny missing her flight actually worked out for the best because instead of heading for Sioux Falls, I went to Sarah's dad's farm in Iowa and helped Sarah, Ben and Sarah's brother Evan assemble wedding favors while Sarah's dad made us spaghetti.

The farm was a challenge to get to, but holy crap you guys...it was gorgeous. And the quality time with the in-laws was something I wouldn't have had if my day had gone as planned so I was really thankful that things worked out the way they did.

Back to South Dakota:

The ultimate goal for SD was the Corn Palace, but my extensive internet research indicated that there was a great and beautiful water fall in Sioux Falls. With an observation tower! And a gift shop! And views for miles!

Except that Sioux Falls, SD is not the quaint little town their tourism site would have you believe. It's kind of a hole.

And the falls themselves?

Windy and lackluster.

But maybe that's because my past trips to places like Yosemite and Niagara Falls ruined me, I dunno. But realllly, I think that the industrial backdrop of the falls was poor planning:



Proof that my hair and I were there:



Proof that Ninny and her hair were also there:



Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt.

ONWARD!

About an hour or so west was the Corn Palace:



I was surprised that there were so many tourists hanging around because all it really is is a building decorated with corn. There's some sort of basketball court inside and I think they sometimes have concerts there and the only reason I even knew it existed was because the kids on the first season of Road Rules went there.

There I am!



But it looks kinda conflicted, don't you think? Is it 2008 or 2009? OMG IDENTITY CRISIS!!!!!!!!!!! But actually, they were redecorating while we were there:



Size 11 corn:



I'm not about to go googling swastikas at work (apparently, blogging at work isn't a problem for me), but they had pictures of all the old themes and this one must raise a lot of eyebrows because it was the only one with an explanatory sign:





And then I bought a floatie pen and a couple of beer koozies, we had lunch and we zipped back to Omaha juuuuuuuuuuuust time time for me to drop Ninny off and then make my spray tan appointment. Very important agenda items, you know.