Our Spur of the Moment Trip to South Dakota

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This past weekend we took a trip that was sort of spur of the moment. We have been wanting to take a little trip to see what road trips are like in our van, so we decided to venture to Aberdeen, South Dakota.

It took us a while to get out of our parking lot because we kept having to run back upstairs for things like maps, plastic bags, and water. Of course, Faith also needed her personal PlayStation (PSP) so she could watch her videos and listen to her music.

Since we were going to be in southern North Dakota, I wanted to go through Ashley on our way to Aberdeen. I used to live and work there so I just thought it would be kind of fun to see the little community 13 years later. 

We ended up missing the turn to Highway 11, and then we had to detour because of road construction which led us to Eureka, South Dakota. Rob was thrilled because he is a big fan of the Sci-Fi TV show, Eureka, which actually takes place in Oregon but is filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia.

We have found it!

While Rob was checking out the information center in Eureka, Faith asked me what country we were in! Maybe she thought we were going to Canada!

After finally arriving in Aberdeen, we hit the Super 8 but they didn't have any available accessible rooms that were non-smoking. We opted for the Ramada Inn instead which turned out to be great and included a free hot continental breakfast in the adjoining restaurant. For supper, we hit a Chinese buffet that reminded us of China Star.

Faith finally being able to lay down and stretch out

After a somewhat good night sleep, we took our time checking out since check-out time wasn't until noon. Then we finally got going and ventured to Wylie Park - home to the Land of Oz and Storyland. 

We had a lot of fun taking Faith around the park to see all of the nursery rhyme characters. Her favorites were The Three Bears and Goldilocks and Mary Had a Little Lamb. She also really liked Old McDonald's Farm. The barn had live animals like chickens, sheep, pigs and goats. Later, we walked around the loop that contained all 50 flags for each state. 

Faith at Storyland in Aberdeen, South Dakota

Rob and Faith in Old McDonald's Barn

Rob teaching Faith all of the state flags

On the way back we went through Ashley, and it looked pretty much the same as when I left - maybe even a little smaller if that's possible. I had to stop by the newspaper office as well, which is where I used to work. Of course it was closed, as was the rest of Main Street on a Sunday. Then we went north up to Wishek and continued on the very scenic route of 1804 along the Missouri River.

Our traveling girl

Faith did great the whole time. She sang along with her music and seemed to have a lot of fun when we stopped somewhere. We were so proud of our good little traveler! 

We discovered that the van is great for traveling. It has so much more room compared to our little Hyundai. Faith's feedings all went well while we were cruising along, and we found that the bench seat in the back is just the right length for getting her changed. Despite Faith coming home with a cold, it was a fun little trip. Who knows where our next adventure will take us! 

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