Loop of the Dakotas - Am I Missing Anything Significant?
I've spent the last handful of years building up an old station wagon specifically to be a fun way to road trip the 49 continental States in (a couple/few per year). It's nowhere near done, but mechanically I think it's finally ready for its maiden voyage, as I go to see my parents near where I grew up in Sioux Falls, at the end of September and into early October. My girlfriend also has friends to see in North Dakota, so it's the perfect opportunity to take advantage of.
Before I begin planning the more precise timing of the trip, where/when to sleep, etc, I'd like to double check with the community that I'm not leaving anything big off the table. Bonus points for car-related stuff, since I'm obviously an enthusiast there. I've also been gaining an interest in American history lately. My gf is big into marine biology and shares my interest in natural history. We've got a week to a week and a half to work with; I won't know if I got a couple bonus personal days off work for another couple weeks yet. Driving alone is basically two days, plus another two days if we average every stop out to an hour and a half; some will take far less, some more. Some of these sites may be cut if necessary for timing, but we'd prefer to make quick stops to at least see them. Free car camping as much as possible - big thanks to someone shouting out ioverlander.com/explore in another thread!
Starting from home in northern Colorado...
Going up the west side of Nebraska (more of the state to be revisited on a later trip):
- Scotts Bluff
- Chimney Rock
- Carhenge
- Agate Fossil Beds
- Hudson-Meng Bison Kill Bed
- Toadstool Geological Park
Into South Dakota, west-to-east:
- Wounded Knee
- Red Shirt Table Overlook
- The Mammoth Site
- Crazy Horse
- Needles Hwy (intentionally zig-zagging through the Black Hills for the good driving roads)
- Mt. Rushmore
- Peter Norbeck Scenic Bwy
- Rushmore Cave (or Wind Cave; probably don't need both, so is one clearly more interesting than the other?)
- Reptile Gardens
- President statues as we pass through Rapid City
- Saab museum in Sturgis (out of the way, but such an odd thing to expect in SD, and Saabs are cool; I have to see it)
- Wall Drug
- Badlands Loop
- 1880 Town
- ADDED: Dignity of Earth and Sky statue
- Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls (probably staying in town for a couple days)
- Butterfly House & Aquarium
- St Joseph Cathedral (might look into a mid-week mass just to see the interior, as it was remodeled since I moved to CO, then drive over that short stretch of cobblestone street nearby I remember loving as a kid)
- Old Courthouse Museum
- Falls Park
- Devil's Gulch
- ADDED: Laura Ingalls Wilder homes tour in De Smet
Up to North Dakota:
- Fargo (walk around down town or something...)
- Bismarck (again, probably just walk around for a bit to get a small feel for the place)
- Enchanted Highway
- Dakota Dinosaur Museum
- REMOVED: The Merc at Long X (interesting, but too far out of the way to be worth it; 3hrs round-trip drive, plus whatever time inside)
- Painted Canyon Rest Area
- Petrified Forest Trail
Down the eastern border of Montana:
Another state to be more thoroughly visited later. I'm not seeing much in this area on Google Maps, though I'm sure there will be plenty of scenic pull-offs along the way.
- St. Peter's Catholic church in Wibaux. Super cool looking "Gothic Revival" style from 1895, later completely covered in lava rock.
- Medicine Rocks State Park to get out of the car for a bit.
Wyoming:
Another state to revisit, but down the eastern border, trying to avoid most of I-25 since I've taken it all the way up to Casper before and it's boring:
- Devil's Tower
- Fort Laramie Historical Site
- ADDED: Register Cliff
- ADDED: Oregon Trail Ruts
- ADDED: Quebec 01 Missile Alert Facility
And then back down to home in CO.
*EDIT - Well, it's a good thing I have reason to keep visiting SD, with my parents being out there. The worthwhile scenery in the parks around the Black Hills is more dense than I thought... probably should have expected that, given the Rockies near home. Thanks for the awesome recommendations so far, guys!