We were anxious to arrive in Rapid City because we've been there before, and we hoped to get downtown before shops closed. Since we arrived on a Sunday there was also a chance that shops were closed. When we arrived at the Travelodge the accommodations were not as advertised. No pool (broken). No hot tub (broken). No laundry (no explanation). We got settled in nevertheless and drove downtown. Prairie Edge has just closed, but we had already planned to go back the next morning. We wandered around the downtown area.
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| one of many sculptures downtown |
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| Mitakuye Oyasin |
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| All My Relations |
We got a good night's sleep in preparation for our next "day of rest" ... visiting the Badlands and Wall, SD.
What was meaningful to me about this day? I visited Rapid City the first time in 1996 as a working rangeland scientist for Texas A&M Experiment Station in Vernon, TX. My supervisor and I presented our first two years of work from the Waggoner Experiental Ranch project at the Society for Range Management meetings in February. I first visited Prairie Edge during that stay. Then Mary and I visited friends who live outside Rapid City for Thanksgiving week in 2001 shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attack. While in the Rapid City area, we visited Prairie Edge again. While driving home to Texas, we got caught in a blizzard at the Colorado border. It took us almost a week to get home because of the ice that formed south of Colorado around Amarillo. Today is our third trip to Rapid City and to Prairie Edge. We will visit the shop again in the morning.
What did I learn today? Travelodges do not have consistent quality, similar to Motel 6s, even though the Travelodge brand is now owned by Wyndham. With both brands, you just don't know if you are going to find what was advertised.
What would I do differently if Mary and I travel in the future? Do more direct research of each facility where I make a reservation. Make sure every amenity advertised is present and in working order at least when we leave home.
