We’ve been back from our Ranch Adventure all summer and between buying a house and preparing to move and running a business and taking care of five kids I’ve not taken the time I meant to to write some reviews of our experiences back and forth across these lovely United States.

 

 

Our route this year was heavily influenced by our strong and whole hearted desire to circumvent Kansas pretty much entirely.  I’m willing to forgive Kansas for her poor treatment of us, but forgiveness does not equal embracing.

On the drive out west we were under time constraints to get to the ranch by a certain day so we headed north to avoid Kansas and just flew (and by “flew” I mean, we went the speed limit) right across Nebraska.  We didn’t even spend the night in that state.  I hardly recall if we stopped for gas.  It wasn’t that we disliked Nebraska, we just needed to get through it.  Actually, for all you Kansas lovers out there who have been burdened by our family’s dislike of your home state, Kansas was for sure prettier than Nebraska.  And had better roads too.  Those Nebraska roads were so oddly bumpy that at one point i pulled the car over to check if our tire was flat because the road noise was so rhythmic that it mimicked a flat tire.  Not what you want to listen to for 7 or 8 hours.

On the way home though time was a little more on our side and we decided to go farther north and see some of South Dakota.  Many years earlier, when the kids were younger, we visited South Dakota on a family drive out to see my parents while they were living in Wyoming.  Back then the kids called Mt. Rushmore “the faces” and associated it with a Curious George book we read often.

Turns out, I had completely forgotten how strikingly beautiful western South Dakota is.  Plus – there were buffalo.

 

 

For our night’s stay on the way home, I turned to one of my favorite and most reliable resources for lodging – KOA.

Even though every KOA is owned locally, there’s a thread of reliability and consistency throughout the brand.  Even though each KOA location is wildly different in landscape and region, there’s a comfortable familiarity to what they offer.  And that’s a big deal when you’re traveling.  And it’s an especially big deal when you travel with children.  Travel offers lots of unpredictability and requires a great deal of flexibility.  I’m okay with those two things.  But it’s such a relief when your lodging doesn’t have to be unpredictable.  

We stayed at the Rapid City/Black Hills KOA outside of Rapid City, South Dakota. It was a convenient location for us because we had started the day a little more south at Wind Cave National Park in the morning, Custer State Park by midday and Mount Rushmore by the afternoon.

 

 

The Rapid City/Black Hills KOA was right on our path because the next day we were heading to the Badlands and Wall Drug before pointing the car toward home.

 

 

The Rapid City/Black Hills KOA was easy to find and not very far out of the city.  Sometimes I like when the camping is more remote than this KOA is but once you are on the KOA grounds, it feels pleasantly quiet and peaceful.  Apparently, the city has grown toward the KOA because one of the staff members told me that originally the Rapid City/Black Hills KOA was more out of town, but town has moved closer.  Which, actually, turned out to be a bonus after all because we ordered Chinese food and it was delivered to our adorable cabin and that’s a win for sure in my book after a long day traveling.

 

 

At the Rapid City/Black Hills KOA there were only two deluxe cabins so we were beyond thankful to have one of those for the evening.  There were several regular cabins (no bathrooms or kitchen) and lots and lots of RV sites and tent sites.

 

 

Checking into a KOA is easy peasy and the ladies behind the counter at the Rapid City/Black Hills KOA were so happy and helpful that it set a great tone for our stay right away.  I love when staff members smile and are happy to see you.  It is exactly what you want to see when you pile out of your car on a hot summer day after driving for lots of hours and being a bit road weary.

 

 

Our cabin was fantastic – the features on these cabins make them so livable and helpful.  Pocket doors to save space and add to privacy made this small cabin actually have three bedrooms when nighttime came.

 

 

What a luxury for us after hotel nights and six people sharing three beds.  (It ain’t pretty, y’all.)  The built in bunk beds were handy and the most popular bed choice.

 

 

The tiny lamps by the beds were perfect for late night reading without disturbing the other sleepers.

 

 

There was a full kitchen and a regular sized fridge so you could easily have your meals at the cabin. (If you hadn’t been lazy and ordered Chinese food.)

 

 

 

I love the extras at a KOA.  Each one is a little different but there’s always something special.  At the Rapid City/Black Hills KOA it was free nightly s’mores!  Yep, all we had to do was to walk out of our cabin, stroll down the road and help ourselves to all the s’more fixings at a fire that a KOA staff member had already started for the guests.  What a treat.

 

 

The kids and I wandered around the campground too, just to take in the views and check everything out.  We stopped at the playground for a while.

 

 

We walked past the dog runs (that I think are really helpful in these campgrounds even though our pup was at home).  Of course the kids were drawn to the game room, which is by the laundry room so you could pass the time while your laundry washes by besting your son at air hockey.

 

 

There was a nice pool and hot tub available too.  This KOA has a giant chess board and it’s always fun to see what little clever things like that that each KOA has created.

 

 

 

We stopped by the camp store – a spot I am always thankful for to meet our needs without leaving the campground. Once we are settled and out of the car for the evening, no one in my family wants to buckle back up and go anywhere.  I let the kids choose some special drinks and we had fun looking at the souvenirs too.

 

 

Check in is simple, check out is easy and really I would rather stay in a KOA than a hotel any day of the week.  Especially when you stay in the deluxe cabins.  They are hands down my favorite KOA option.

 

 

In the morning the Rapid City/Black Hills KOA offers a pancake breakfast.  I remember one of our stops in Colorado last year offered that privilege too.  I love it.

 

 

I think the all you can eat pancakes are about $3 per person and it’s well worth that small price to mosey over to the covered dining area, order up some hot pancakes and know that you do not have to cook in the morning or clean your cabin’s breakfast mess if you need to hit the road.  The cook was funny and kept serving us different shaped pancakes – I think we had a shark and a flower, plus a portrait of Piper!

 

 

I know we take a different route each year but I would be happy to head in his direction again.  There were still parts of Custer State Park we didn’t get to enjoy – like the gorgeous Sylvan Lake.  We didn’t even travel into Rapid City itself and I know there are a handful of great sites there that are family friendly too.  The boys would be thrilled to explore the Badlands longer.  (Although the girls might rebel.  Maybe if we go on a day that isn’t one hundred degrees we’d all be be more agreeable.)  Plus, there were a handful of other wonderful things I want to see in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

 

 

For certain, I would stay at this KOA again and I sure hope you get the chance to stay at it one day too – and I would love to see your photos!

 

 

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