We started the long drive back east – we needed to be at the Illinois highpoint on Saturday because it is on private property and only open to the public a few days a year.  We looked at a map and figured out ways to split up the rest of the trip so it would put us close to the Charles Mound Illinois Saturday morning so we could continue back to PA.  More on that in the next few posts!

Along the way east we drove through the Badlands National Park – I think it is so beautiful here and we had nice weather (unlike last year when it was rainy and very foggy!)  The bison are always awesome to watch and the prairie dogs are too cute!!

After driving the main road through the Badlands, we continued to Sioux Falls, SD which is an area I have always wanted to see!  We decided that would be a good spot to stop as it was fairly close  to the Iowa highpoint (Hawkeye Point).

There was a cute butterfly house which we walked around that also had a marine touch pool with stingray, starfish and a few aquariums.  Walking into butterfly houses seems like you are stepping into Wonderland – there were so many different kinds of butterflies.  My favorite were these giant white ones that didn’t even look real – they were flittering about so fast it was hard to get good pictures.  One butterfly kept landing on my dad’s head!  🙂

turtle!

my dad made a friend!

Then we checked out Sioux Falls – which was awesome (I mean really how can waterfalls NOT be awesome!)  There was a great walking path around the falls and of course I snapped a TON of pictures!  🙂

Next stop – Hawkeye Point – state highpoint of Iowa!  🙂