National Park Road Trip: Mt. Rushmore, Mammoth Site & Needles Highway (Part 5)

July 18, 2019InACents Leave a comment

After a spectacular day in the Badlands, our next journey was fortunately not to far at less than an hour and a half to the Mt. Rushmore area.

Our first stop of the day was of course Mt. Rushmore. As eluded in Part 1 of this trip report, our family received a free National Park pass good for one year thanks in part to a program sponsored by the government for 4th graders. It grants everyone in the vehicle admission to each of the National Parks.

However, when visiting Mt. Rushmore, guests still need to pay the parking fee to access the site. At $10 for a car, the great thing is the parking voucher is good for an entire year. So we were able to easily come and go to the site in the morning and evening of our visit.

After an obligatory stop at the observation platform to see the Presidents carved in stone, we made our way down and hike the Presidential Trail, which included a stop at the Sculptor’s Studio. Of course the boys earned their Junior Ranger badges while the adults listened to a Ranger talk about the construction of the monument.

After our hike, we also took the opportunity to get a couple scoops of Thomas Jefferson original recipe vanilla ice cream, which was delicious!

Mammoth Site

One of the places we really wanted to visit but were not sure we would have time was the Mammoth Site approximately an hour south of Mt. Rushmore. Thankfully we made a concerted effort to make our way there and it was well worth the visit.

Dozens of mammoth have been discovered in this active archaeological dig site. It so fascinating to think of the circumstances that caused all the mammoth to fall into this pit, and then the millions of years of sediment to bury the bodies. The evolution of the earth is absolutely astonishing, and you can literally see it being uncovered at the Mammoth Site.

After the Mammoth Site and drive back north, we stopped at The Purple Pie Place, which offered a decent grilled veggie sandwich and everyone else seemed to enjoy their meals too which included their very good chicken pot pie.

Needles Highway

Another really site we anticipated visiting during our visit to the Black Hills region was Needles Highway. This is a State Park; therefore our free National Park pass was not valid. One also realizes how valuable the free National Park Pass is when it costs $20 just to drive into Needles Highway. However, we knew it would be worth the time and investment.

We accessed Needles Highway from the Sylvan Lake entrance given we were coming from the south.

Needles Highway is simply stunning and quite the contrast of scenery. Lots of the rocks within the region also have a beautiful shimmer to them in the sunlight. Of course one of the cool highlights is driving through Needles Eye Tunnel with inches to spare on each side of the vehicle.

We would have possibly liked to spend more time on the Needles Highway and take in some hiking, but it was also a nice and relaxing drive so long as you have no issues with being along the edge of cliffs.

Review Holiday Inn Express & Suites Mt Rushmore/Keystone

After recommendations from family, we opted to stay at a hotel close to Mt. Rushmore so we could visit it both in the morning and at night for the lighting ceremony. Due to peak travel season, we chose the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Mt Rushmore/Keystone since we could redeem points at 30,000 points per night, minus a rebate of 10% for being an IHG credit card holder. While this may not have been our normal point redemption, at rates of over $200/night, we deemed it worth the investment to knock some of the cost off the trip.

As a Platinum IHG member, we are accustomed to getting upgrades when staying at their properties. However, unfortunately none were available as this property regularly sells out given its location near a tourist destination.

Also, note, we had to reserve our room 7 months in advance of the trip to secure a room.

The Holiday Inn Express & Suites Mt Rushmore/Keystone was alright. Nothing really special other than location. Though we did get a free breakfast in the morning and they had a nice indoor pool for us all to enjoy.

Mt. Rushmore Lighting Ceremony

Honestly, Mt. Rushmore was a one and done for me. Besides visiting near 4th of July and feeling a sense of patriotism, in an area of the country with such natural beauty, the monument felt out of place.

Regardless, my wife wanted to see the monument lighting ceremony at night, so we arrived at 8:30 to get our spot. Despite the lighting ceremony being an hour away, we were surprised to see just how crowded the monument was in preparation.

We got lucky and secured a spot on the wall, but were surprised to see they did not open up the seating in the amphitheater for viewing.

Then we waited and struck up a great conversation with an active duty Navy gentleman next to us that our kids absolutely loved hearing about his work on submarines.

Then came the moment for the lighting ceremony, and there it was. Awkward spot lighting, not much fanfare. The entire monument was not even lit up. This was one hour of time I wish we could get back, as the lighting ceremony was a complete flop.

Maybe it is our family’s high expectations when it comes to entertainment given we frequent amusement parks, but it seemed like the ideal application for some projection mapping, thematic music, maybe even some lasers or fireworks. But then again, maybe the subtle lighting made sense to sort of tie in with the whole National Park natural beauty. Still, the lighting application was a complete fail in my eyes.

On the ride back to the hotel, of course with the time change from our normal EST, it was considered late for the family. However, while driving through Keystone, we saw a pizza place open and decided to treat the boys to a late night meal at Boss’ Pizza & Chicken. While the whole experience was reminiscent of late night eats during college, the boys seemed to enjoy the mediocre food.

Off to bed for a long day tomorrow to Devil’s Tower and into Cody, WY.

National Park Road Trip: Traveling to The Badlands (Part 3)

July 17, 2019InACents Leave a comment

After a couple days of amusement parks on our first leg of our cross country national park tour, it was time to get into the root of the trip and start connecting with nature. Our first park on the trip was the Badlands in South Dakota, which meant a long day of driving from Minnesota.

On our drive out of Bloomington, we randomly came upon Minnesota’s Largest Candy Store. Under normal circumstances, we normally might not have stopped given we live near Sweeties in Cleveland, which is a huge candy complex. However, we decided to make the stop, and we were glad we did.

Once inside Minnesota’s Largest Candy Store, we were impressed with the level of themes inside the facility with everything from superheros to an animatronic candy band. As a result of being thoroughly entertained, the bill for candy at the end hurt given three boys with eyes wide open. Fortunately we gave them each a cap on expenditures, though note they only take cash or check, which was a surprise to see given almost all places accept credit cards today.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

During the planning stage of our trip, we used the RoadTrippers program to recommend a stop in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Located in the middle of the town is a gorgeous set of waterfalls where the Big Sioux River tumbles over a series of rock outcrops. The trip was worthy of some photo ops and stopping for a quick lunch.

While in Sioux Falls, we also decided to stop and eat at Phillips Avenue Diner, which offered some decent food before getting back on the road.

Corn Palace

Having never traveled out west before this trip, we made plans to see several iconic roadside attractions. One of those was the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota.

The outside of the theater venue is covered in corn, depicting a different theme each year.

Was it something different? Sure. While slightly interesting, I also saw it as a waste of crops. We were in and out of the facility within a short period of time, and then back on the road.

Dignity: of Earth & Sky

Before our final destination of the Badlands on this portion of our journey, we elected to make a pitstop at the Dignity: of Earth & Sky memorial. The 50-foot high stainless steel statue by South Dakota artist laureate Dale Lamphere depicts an Indigenous woman in Plains-style dress receiving a star quilt.

Not only was the statue impressive, but the views of the valley and Missouri River were also beautiful.

Sadly, the visitor center was closed for the day on our visit, but it was still well worth the stop.

The Badlands

The overall drive from Minnesota to The Badlands was a little over 7 hours, not including our scheduled stops listed above. By no means was this necessarily considered a long day of traveling for our family (wait until you see what we traveled in one day later in the trip), as our kids have become quite accustomed to being in the car for long periods of time. However, as you travel through vast prairie lands in the middle of the country, it does feel like it takes forever to get anywhere.

That being said, when we finally arrived at the Badlands, it was quite a surprise and contrast to the fields we had been viewing for the majority of the day.

As we pulled into the Badlands National Park and got our picture with the first park of our adventure, we were greeted with a gorgeous rainbow and contrasting skylines as one looked from the storm front to the sunny skies.

We will dive more into the Badlands on the next part of our journey, as we needed to make our way to our campground to set up shop in our cabin for the night.

Badlands KOA

With the idea of “trying” to save some money on this multi-week trip, our idea was to try and rough it where needed and really connect with our environment. Unfortunately, the more we researched traveling to National Parks, particularly out west, we learned tent camping or soft sided trailers was not really feasible given the threat of bears. So we new if we were going to be staying at campgrounds, it was the cabin life for us.

We opted for the Badlands / White River KOA just on the outskirts of the park and booked the 1 Room Camping Cabin (w/o Bathroom) for two nights. At a rate of roughly $80/night and to be so close to the Badlands, this KOA was a gem!

Now keep in mind, the cabin includes minimal accommodations as the only thing inside was the beds and a small table. Fortunately, the cabin did also include air conditioning. Guests had to provide their own bedding (or one could rent them from the campground).

Restrooms facilities, including showers, were provided close by at the main registration and camp store.

The campground also provided a decent size pool for the kids to take a dip, and small adjacent playground.

Since we were cabin camping and without food or cooking facilities, we opted for several meals to try the food prepared at the Cook Shack. The owners of the KOA can often be found at the Cook Shack and provide great conversation on all kinds of topics. More importantly, the food they cook was all really terrific. We highly recommend the Indian tacos, which are made on a thicker fry bread.

Tomorrow we dive deep into the beauty of the Badlands National Park.

180702 Latitude 29 New Orleans Banh Mi, Pasta Salad, Green Beans

7 Favorite Places to Eat in New Orleans

September 7, 2018InACents Leave a comment

Our recent trip to New Orleans to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary was without kids, which meant us adults had free range to eat what ever we wanted. It also meant that our near year long living as vegans process was temporarily put on hold while we attempted to eat and drink our way through New Orleans like any good tourist would.

We had opted to spend our anniversary at the Intercontinental New Orleans, which put us in an ideal location to get to any vantage point in the city within minutes.

Our first stop was to find a place to eat near Bourbon Street. Having just gotten off the place and checked into our hotel, perhaps Bourbon Street was not the most ideal place to give us our first impression of the city.

Various adjectives could be chosen to describe Bourbon Street on our afternoon walk, but in talking with locals, we quickly established that Felix’s Restaurant would be how we kicked off this gastronomic journey.

Felix’s Restaurant & Oyster Bar

Address: 739 Iberville St, New Orleans, LA 70130

Located on the corner of Bourbon Street and Iberville, what Felix’s lacks in decor is made up for in tremendous hospitality and fantastic oysters no matter how you cook them.

We opted for the char-grilled oysters and the Felix Special Po-Boy sandwich.

To say we were impressed would be an understatement! The char-grilled oysters are open flamed and served piping hot. The flavor was absolutely incredible.

Also not to be missed was the po-boy, which was packed full of oysters and also delicious. Having eaten several po-boys in my lifetime, starting off with Felix’s version changed the way I look at the sandwich forever.

Also make sure to try any of the oysters with the Crystal brand hot sauce (affiliate link) on each table. We loved it so much we immediately had some shipped to our home.

Carousel Bar & Lounge

Address: 214 Royal St, New Orleans, LA 70130

Located inside Hotel Monteleone, the Carousel Bar offers a special treat of experiencing a rotating bar themed to an old carousel.

While the cocktails are pricey, getting out of the sweltering heat to enjoy one of the freshest pina colada’s I have ever enjoyed was quite worth the rotation around the bar.

The bartenders were all miserable to deal with at the Carousel bar, but it was a fun experience none-the-less.

Shaya

Address: 4213 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70115

Thanks to a special recommendation from Phil Rosenthal, we made an advanced reservation to try out the James Beard award winning Shaya Restaurant.

Shaya presents a modern Israeli cuisine that is simply a delight for your taste buds.

This was one meal where we opted for our traditional vegetarian/vegan options given their accessibility.

We opted for the salatim starter that included Lutenitsa (roasted pepper, eggplant, tomato, garlic), Tabouleh (parsley and bulgar wheat salad, red onion, toasted pecans, lemon), and the tomato dish which I can not recall what it is named.

For our main meal we opted for small plates of roasted cauliflower (olive oil, sea salt) and Persian rice (golden crust, cherries, brown butter).

Absolutely fantastic from beginning to end. Our only complaint was they were very picky with bringing over more Israeli bread, which is kind of the whole point of enjoying the various dips.

We ended the meal with desserts of “milk and honey” (cheesecake, mixed nut granola, pomegranate caramel burnt honey gelato) and warm cinnamon babka (wood roasted peaches, sweet cream gelato, baharat peach butter, cookie brittle).

The cheesecake was far superior to the babka, but glad we were able to try both.

Shaya in general was an absolute delight!

Morning Call vs Cafe du Monde

Post an unpopular opinion: I am not a fan of beignets.

Coming into New Orleans, I knew it was inevitable that I would be required to eat some beignets, the classic French donut doused in powdered sugar. However, I was lot enthralled with the idea of having white all over my cloths for the entire day.

However, to my delight, both Morning Call and Cafe du Monde allow you, the guest, to put as little or as much powdered sugar as you want on the beignets. Jackpot!

The New Orleans beignets were way better than I even imagined! Having tried both Morning Call and Cafe du Monde, personally, I much rather enjoyed the Morning Call version. However, the wife preferred Cafe du Monde.

No matter what, my opinion is forever changed and I have joined the masses with enjoying beignets!

Farmers Market

Address: 1100 N. Peters Street

We can not recommend the Farmers Market enough in New Orleans. Not only were there some good food options, but the flea market allows guests to pick up souvenirs at a fraction of the price of any of the stores within New Orleans. Trust us, we price shopped. Plus you can negotiate the prices.

For food, on one visit we tried some fresh seafood from J’s Seafood Dock.

We opted for some fried oyster breads and a crawfish empanada. Both were relatively good.

On a subsequent visit, we opted to eat breakfast at Meals From the Heart Cafe. I can not stress enough how much we LOVED this place! The owner and staff were the absolute best and they provide many homemade vegan options that are incredible!

I opted for the homemade crab cake po-boy and WOW! Made from artichokes and chickpeas, this is a dish I could come back and eat every week! I have yet to ever try a crab cake that was good in my entire life, and this vegetable version absolutely accomplished it.

Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29

Address: 321 N Peters St, New Orleans, LA 70130

Nestled inside the Bienville House Hotel, Latitude 29 is a classic tiki bar featuring hand-crafted cocktails and an impressive menu that is far from casual bar food.

While the drinks are really pricey, the food, at least during our lunch visit, was rather affordable.

We opted for a fried shrimp banh mi sandwich with roasted green beans and side of island macaroni salad.

The drinks were good as well as the atmosphere, but the food was fantastic! Simple, yet really flavorful. Instantly took me back to my times in Hawaii!

Mulate’s Original Cajun Restaurant

Address: 201 Julia St, New Orleans, LA 70130

Near the end of the trip, and on the drive back from a visit to Mardi Gras World, we made our Uber driver pull over when we saw Mulate’s. The idea of trying some authentic Cajun style food caught our eye and we knew we could not go home without trying some.

We tried the Mardi Gras Shrimp (Golden fried popcorn shrimp tossed in a Cajun spiced honey mustard), a bowl of seafood gumbo, and Jumbo Lump Crabmeat AuGratin (Jumbo Lump crabmeat in a spicy blend of cheese and cream baked to a bubbly perfection. Served with homemade cole slaw and a twice-baked potato).

The shrimp was good. The gumbo was good. The Crabmeat AuGratin…was…OUTSTANDING!

Again our daily lives eliminate cheese and meat, including seafood. The AuGratin was incredibly rich and flavorful! It paired EXCELLENT with the twice baked potato.

Thank you Mulate’s for introducing us to some incredible Cajun cuisine!

Also on this trip, at the recommendation of our Uber driver, we tried the original muffaletta sandwich from Central Grocery. While we could see the appeal to many, I am not a fan of olives, nor do I eat any meat in normal everyday life, so I was not the biggest fan.

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