Thanks so much for all the input on this trip! We logged almost 2500 miles and saw much of our great country.
We fly in to Minneapolis and stayed just north of town for the first night. We stayed 2 nights in Duluth. Such a pretty area on Lake Superior! My favorite parts were driving up the North Shore a bit to visit the lighthouse. We hiked down to the water from there and it was really beautiful. The Duluth Grill was such a great stop and I highly recommend it for hometown cooking and excellent service.
We made our way west to Fargo, ND. There happened to be a craft fair in town, so we walked around the park, looked at crafts, and listened to the music. We also found a cute coffee shop right on the main street.
Heading south to DeSmet, SD - after a 45 minute detour to find a gas station in ND, we vowed never to go below 3/4 of a tank again!
DeSmet was a cute little town. We toured the Laura Ingalls Wilder exhibits and stayed at the Prairie House Bed and Breakfast. I would want to go back to the area just to stay at the Prairie House again.
On to the Black Hills after an obligatory stop at Wall Drug for doughnut and free water.
The Black Hills were beautiful. We really enjoyed Custer State Park. We came unbelievably close to having the car rammed by a buffalo and then had fun feeding crackers to the wild donkeys.
Mount Rushmore was truly inspiring. One of the original carvers was even in the bookstore that day!
Rapid City had a cool vibe and we enjoyed driving all of the area. We stayed at the Black Forest Inn - it was a beautiful setting nestled into the hills.
We started heading east and traveled through the Badlands National Park - so excited to finally see some prairie dogs! After a quick overnight in Chamberlain, SD, we made our way to Clear Lake, IA. Clear Lake was such a beautiful spot - and the home of our favorite B and B on the trip - Larch Pine Inn. The inn was close enough to walk the few blocks to the lake. There was music and an antique show going on in the town square. The sunset over the lake was so beautiful.
On to Minneapolis for a few nights. We stayed at the Westin downtown. We ate at our favorite restaurant of the trip in Minneapolis - Broaders - unbelievable, creative pasta dishes. I so wish I lived closer!
We drove around the lake in town - so pretty with the big houses surrounding and lots of people out enjoying early Sept. weather.
All in all, a great trip!