Night Rider

Night Rider @ 2 A.M.

Yes Night Rider, since I started my professional life, I feel like I have become a Night Rider. I was working in night shift for consecutive 2 years for a Retail client and now I have started making night trips in America, Thanks to my hirer as well as my client. There are many pros as well as cons of being a nighty, but its adventurous fun. Last long weekend (Thanks to 4^th of July) we planned a road trip to South Dakota. As I was the only driver in team of 8, I tried to have sleep for some time before the trip, but my awesome team, they didn’t allowed me. As usual we started overnight @ 2:30 AM, hence the name evolved Night Rider.

Early Morning @ Siouix Falls

Night got over early and we were submerged in Morning Fog, no visibility beyond 10 feet, dangerously cool. At our first stop, we met granddaughter of Niagra Falls-Siouix Falls. It was scenic with awful smell. We took scenic advantage with cool pics and started heading towards another cool looking place-Badlands, well name precedes its reputation. But actual definition is it’s an ancient sea floor which rose and swallowed the rolling plains. Colorful, dramatic and surreal, the sculptured pinnacles and painted gullies preserve the past in layers of colorful sediment. In lay man language, it’s a photogenic place for us and fossil place for geeks. You can spend around 2hrs here and then move on.

Getting Mixed in Nature

Our next spot is a mystery place also known as Cosmos Mystery Area. This is an awesome place which shows the power of cosmos and boggle your mind. At this place, your height can change or water can flow uphill or a boll can be stagnant on a slope. This place amazes and astonishes your mind, you may be standing straight, but your body will be inclined, how crazy it is. Words can’t describe the experience, but pictures may.

Food Food Indian Food

Group Selfie @Badland

Now all of us were hungry and wanted to have Indian Food, so we visited Kathmandu Hotel in Rapid City, but they were running houseful. We were advised to check out their new branch-Everest Cuisine, as expected it was also crowded, but since we were kind of begging they allowed us. One of their manager even asked us to stand outside and not to stand near the tables as they didn’t had any space. Those guyz were so busy that after some time we started taking things in our hands and another manager had to say “it’s your hotel, take whatever you like, and feel at home”. And yes I took it literally. Overall, it was fun to get Indian food at the end of a tiring day.

Cosmos: Believe me, I am standing straight.

Wisconsin Dells-Americas Largest National Park

Duck Tour

Summer is here, the best time to enjoy swimming pools and that too especially for Minnesotans, if you know what I mean. Well we can dive into any swimming pool, but if you are lucky, you may get a chance to visit Noah’s Ark. It is the Americas largest Waterpark. Me and my friends were planning for it from at least 3 weeks, but due to one or the other reason, we were not able to go.

The Gang

Finally the day came for Dells visit, but before I take you for a ride. Let us first understand history of Dells. Dells became popular because of a landscape photographer H.H. Benett, he distributed prints all over US and hence people started coming to Dells. Then he started offering souvenir pictures of visitors and became first to capitalize tourist trade. Then a person started Duck tour (an amphibious army truck, in other words a truck that can operate on road as well as water) for the visitors. Then Tommy Bartlet show came from Chicago and made it his home followed by many more tourist attractions. Dells is also known as Waterpark capital of the world as it has many big waterparks.

Pool Pose

We started on a weekend morning and covered few attractions of Dells such as the popular Duck tour, Ho Chunk Casino and the Gokart the same day. Next complete day we gave to the Noah’s Ark, actually we visited Dells just to enjoy summer in swimming pool.

Point of No Return

Noah’s Ark is worth to go in Dells, it has slides which are scientifically based. They depend on no. of people, weight and position in which people are sitting. It really gives the thrill that you want sometimes in your life. The longest ride called as “Black Anaconda” is a ¼ mile long diabolical combination of rollercoaster and water slide. Are you brave enough to ride this beast? Then there is Bermuda Triangle, name says it all. There is one darker ride known as Black Thunder, it has got all the mind bending twist and turns, but you don’t have to worry at all, because you won’t see them coming and that’s the fun. Then we have Flash Flood, it’s like standing in Niagra falls and when you hit the flood, there is water in all directions. It even comes out of the park. Wait that’s not it, you can enjoy the other side of it by standing on a bridge and soak it all in.

Scorpions Tail Capsule

They also have Point of No Return, in this slide you will think that you could not have come in but just after that you will be tossed overboard and coming out from 30 feet high cliff in seconds. Well they have many more to offer for example the Time Warp, Dark Voyage, wave Pool, Congo Bongo, Sting Ray, Kowabunga, 4D theatre, but among all, my favorite is Scorpions Tail. They have weight requirements to enter inside it. A ten story high, 400 feet long and has initial drop that sends you down at more than 50feet/sec. Its Americas first nearly vertical waterslide. They put you in a capsule and open the doors from bottom and you will be free falling in the ride. It is scary, the line between thrill and fear is so thin that you might have second thoughts after entering in.

That’s all about the Noahs Ark, find more @ https://www.noahsarkwaterpark.com/. After turning our head in all possible ways (thanks to all the rides), we had dinner and were back home by Night Fall.