South Dakota Chronicles: Day 2

Day 2 was rough, but not as rough as it could have been.  We all were up and out the door and on our way to the local WalMart to pick up snacks and beer for the rest of our journey.  Typically there aren't many differences in shopping out of state, yet we all had mild panic attacks because we didn't bring reusable bags with us.  Please insert your laughter here.

Another thing we learned on this trip is that hard alcohol has to be sold at a separate counter.  You can purchase beer and wine all day long, but not the hard stuff.  It is like that in Canada and most red states and for whatever reason, it makes me laugh.  One great thing was the assortment of local breweries and Leinenkugels.  It was like I hit the lotto and now I need to plan a trip to Chippewa Falls, WI.

Before we knew it, we were on our way to the Badlands.  If you haven't heard of the Badlands, it is part of the National Parks where rugged mountains, spires and prairie grass meet and the bison, long horn sheep and prairie dogs roam.  It is absolutely breath taking and a moment of pure "aw" at how beautiful our Earth really is.  We trekked through a few places of wilderness, passed bison, and drove curvy mountain roads... Well not overly curvy since it is a Plains state.

After the Badlands, we headed to Deadwood, the town of my heart.  I don't know what it is about this little town, but I love it and each time I go I can envision myself becoming a local and walking down the street greeting the business owners like old friends... (I must have watched too many Hallmark movies at Christmas).

We stayed at the Historic Franklin Hotel.  This is where I am an awful blogger, I have zero photos of the gorgeous hotel.  Built in the early 1900's, the hotel has kept its luxurious charm.  The rooms have been updated, but are still small.

After checking in, we headed out on the small town.  We found The Deadwood Distillery had opened and was connected with The Bloody Nose Saloon.  Jeanine, Sam and Paul were amazing to us.  Paul handles the moonshine tastings at the Distillery and has a boat load of stories to share.  I highly recommend the Distillery and the Bloody Nose.

We even made friends with a family from Montana while we tasted the variety of moonshines.

We finished the night at The Bloody Nose playing pool, the punching bag game, eating popcorn and making new friends.  One thing I learned, Deadwood is the Vegas of the Midwest.  We met a bachelor party of 35 guys from Minnesota.  They were absolutely hilarious and became our buddies.

I absolutely love the friendliness of the Midwest and can't wait to tell y'all about Day 3!