South Dakota & Michigan Trip Wrap-Up

In 2022 we took five months to travel up the East Coast. In 2023 we took four months to go to the Western US. In 2024 we enjoyed our new home in Georgetown. This past summer we took two months to go straight up the middle of the country.

We left our daughter’s house in Argyle, Texas on June 14, 2025 heading to Rapid City, South Dakota where we would spend a month before heading to Michigan for an additional month. On the way to SD we spent the night in Oakley, Kansas. The rolling hills and grasslands in Kansas and Nebraska were beautiful. As we made our way into South Dakota, we got a small taste of the Badlands before arriving to Rapid City. See more about that drive here. Here are the highlights of our trip.

Rapid City, South Dakota, June 15-July 13

Mount Rushmore – We visited Mount Rushmore for the first time the evening of the first Wednesday in Rapid City. We ended up visiting the memorial three more times before we left because it was only 30 minutes from our apartment. Read more here.

Black Hills Driving Tour – Dale was off on June 19 so we explored the Black Hills, which are a small, isolated mountain range primarily located in southwestern South Dakota that has abundant beauty and wildlife. We drove the Needles Scenic Byway, Custer Wildlife Loop, stopped by Sylvan Lake and had a picnic lunch. The following weekend we returned to this area to see what we missed. Read more here.

Black Hills Playhouse: Murder in the Mountains – I came across the Black Hills Playhouse during my research and thought it sounded like a really neat thing to do on a Friday night, so we headed back towards Custer State Park to watch a play featuring my favorite detective, Hercule Poirot! Read more here.

Our first Sunday in Rapid City we attended Rock Point Church, played disc golf at Jackson Park and got ice cream are Armadillo’s Ice Cream Shop.

During the week we explored more of downtown Rapid City including a park that has a piece of the Berlin Wall. We also attended a painting class.

On Saturday, July 28 we toured Badlands National Park, which is located about an hour east of Rapid City. It was unlike any environment I’d ever been in. I spent several months in the Mojave Desert in California, but that’s entirely different than this terrain. Read more here.

The following day we went deep under ground in a cave tour at Jewel Cave National Monument, which is about an hour southwest of our apartment. It was a very unique experience! Read more here.

Friday was Independence Day and the day of the horrific floods in Texas. We saw Vice President Vance and his family at Mt. Rushmore, attended a rodeo in Belle Fourche and watched a western shoot out in Deadwood. Read more here.

Caves Creek Trail was our activity for Monday after work. It was a very nice walk through pines, down to the river, passing cows along the way. Read more here.

The Spearfish Scenic Byway was our destination for Saturday’s adventures. Unfortunately a rock slide blocked the road so we were unable to complete the whole drive. However, we were able to do a very beautiful hike, explore the Deadwood Cemetery and get a Blizzard from the DQ. Read more here.

We were pleasantly surprised by a hike we did Monday, July 7, after work. Just a short 14 minutes from our apartment we found a wonderful trail, called Buzzard’s Roost Trail, that lead to some beautiful view. Read more here.

Tuesday after work we went to see the movie Formula 1 at an old, local theater. We spoke with a couple in the lobby who had gone to this theater on their first day 60 years ago! On Wednesday we played disc golf again and on Friday went back to Rushmore for dinner and to stare at the presidents.

For our last Saturday in South Dakota we went back to Custer State Park and hiked the Cathedral Spires Trail. It was a busy trail, but worth the time and effort. Great views and rock formations. Read more here.

While in Rapid City we stayed in a third-floor apartment that was rented through AirBnb. It was a great location for our area adventures. We did not have any outdoor space to ourselves, but we enjoyed walking our neighborhood. Take a tour of our apartment.

Upper Peninsula Drive, July 13-20

The next leg of our journey would take us up to Duluth, Minnesota, through Wisconsin, then across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. We planned to take seven days driving and camping our way to our next AirBnb in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

We only spent one night in Duluth, before hitting the road for the peninsula. We were very excited about this drive. I would have never thought we’d be doing this. The Lord is so good to us. I chronicled each day of the drive. The best parts of the trip were the Keweenaw Peninsula and Mackinac Island. We even popped up to Canada! Read more here.

Grand Rapids, Michigan, July 20 – August 10

We arrived in Grand Rapids on a Sunday evening. That week we got groceries, discovered Garfield Park Disc Golf Course, and made an after-work trip into downtown where we walked in a light rain and enjoyed a Jimmy John’s sandwich.

While in Grand Rapids we stayed in the historic Heritage Hill Neighborhood in a home built in 1870. We were walking distance to a great bakery, Wealthy Street Bakery, that served the most amazing cinnamon rolls in existence. We spent several mornings there. There was also a home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright just around the corner. We played disc golf at least three times. Read more here.

On July 25 we joined a group out in the woods for a time of telling stories by the bonfire. Read more here.

The following day we went to the Fallasburg Village Festival. Read more here.

Sunday morning we enjoyed breakfast at Wealthy Street Bakery, attended church at Cornerstone Church, then made a quick trip to Saugatuck. Read more here.

On Tuesday, July 29 we had a 10am reservation to tour the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Home. That was a blessing in itself because they only have tours three days a week and it was booked up for months. Read more here.

Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival was our destination for Saturday, August 2. Read more here.

That night we went to the Veen Observatory to look at the stars. Read more here.

Sunday after church we headed to Holland State Park to spend the day on Lake Michigan. Read more here.

Our last week in Grand Rapids we attended some local events and ate at a couple of restaurants within walking distance of our AirBnb. We left on Thursday, August 7, even though we had the rental through the 20th of the month. We were ready to head back home.

On our way back to Texas, we went through Kentucky so we could stop by the Ark Encounter. Read more here.