Rapid City and the Black Hills of South Dakota teem with places to explore (and photograph!), both funky and inspiring. Where else can you visit one of the most ubiquitous symbols of America, see a life-size Apatosaurus towering above the town, and observe the most complete collection of live reptiles in the world, all in one day?
Growing up in such a fantastic place, I considered this scenery and these places to be just another part of the everyday background. As a child, however, one place I did not take for granted was Storybook Island. I know now that this children’s park covers eight acres and is fifty years old, a fact which makes me thankful for the vision of those who founded it and have kept it going all these decades. Back in my younger days, however, all I knew was that it was delightfully fun. Drawn from fairy tales and children’s stories, tiny houses built at odd angles and life-sized storybook characters cover the grounds – perfect for scampering through and playing make-believe. My sister and I could hear our voices echo in a giant pumpkin, cross the bridge to Noah’s Ark, walk into a whale’s belly, climb up the stairs to a castle’s fortress, and rustle through the leaves to Christopher Robin’s house. Recently, I went back with her and my small nephew to this magical place. He was brave enough to stick his head inside a giant lion’s mouth to try to sneak a sip from the same water fountain that she and I drank from over twenty years ago. What a fun thing to witness!
Having a nephew is also a good excuse to visit Old MacDonald’s Farm. Here, my inner child eagerly comes out to play, petting the calves and baby goats, marveling at the downy chicks, and grinning at the piglets in their pen. I hold my breath as the billy goats walk across the hanging bridge and giggle at the pullets running pell-mell across the grounds.
There are still places to explore here that I haven’t seen yet: an animal refuge, a kangaroo ranch, the annual buffalo round up, and the wild horse sanctuary. I need to visit Crazy Horse Memorial again, see the mammoth dig, visit the baby bears, work up my courage to shoot photos at the crazy Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, and encourage my sister to pose for goofy photos with the statues of presidents that line downtown. I suspect I will be busy for a long time!
A special thanks to Kristina from Medowlark Days for sharing this amazing list of things to do and see (and the photos to go with it) in South Dakota for the Your Local Pix series. I had the chance of spending some time there many moons ago and she is not kidding; it's really amazing.
Sunday, March 28, 2010 by 
