Families celebrate 250th in South Dakota

BADLANDS, S.D (KELO)– Cars and campers full of visitors are visiting Badlands National Park today. Tourists are traveling from other states to be in South Dakota for America’s 250th.

“I mean, it’s the kind of thing that you build a road trip for,” said William Retherford, who traveled from Indiana with his family.

For the out-of-state travelers, the beauty of the Badlands can be surprising.

“You picture South Dakota, you think flatland and grass,” said Michael Balafas, who traveled to SD from Idaho. “There are some pockets of South Dakota that are absolutely stunning.”

“It’s hard to even believe that it exists,” said Retherford.

Both families are also enjoying other sites during their trips to western South Dakota.

“What my mom says a lot of the time is, it’s not about the destination but the journey,” said Aralyn Balafas.

Retherford and his family had hoped to be at Mount Rushmore for Friday’s fireworks show.

“We entered eight different ways but didn’t get any tickets,” said Retherford.

Despite not being at the landmark for the show, the trip is well worth it for the country’s 250th.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I mean, we’ll never get to do that again,” said Michael.

“This is the kind of trip that you wait a lifetime for,” said Retherford.