South Dakota: From the Badlands to Mount Rushmore, it is state all its own

In stark contrast to Alaska's mountains and trees, a visit to Dakota territory reveals open skies and land that stretches as far as the eye can see. The rolling fields are broken only by the Black Hills territory -- miles of striated rock and deep gulleys where creeks are surrounded by stunted brush. It is the land of the romantic west. Kevin Costner chose this backdrop for the 1990 movie "Dances with Wolves," in which he wrote, directed and also starred. The reason is clear -- leave the highway behind and you could be stepping back hundreds of years with nothing but wild grasses and the occasional tumbleweed between you and the wide blue sky.

South Dakota encompasses nearly 76,000 square miles and has a population of approximately 756,500 people -- 9.9 people per square mile, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. It is home to such sights as Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, Wind Cave National Park and the Badlands. The names of the towns evoke stories of the old west -- Custer, Deadwood, Fort Pierre, Buffalo, Hill City, Iroquois, Pine Ridge and Spearfish. Nine different tribes of Dakota, Lakota or Nakota people -- collectively called the Sioux -- continue to make South Dakota their home and celebrate annual powwows and celebrations. Much of the land is considered sacred, such as Bear Butte, at the northeast end of the Black Hills. Although it is part of a state park today, the area is still used for religious ceremonies and vision quests.

Nearly 200 years ago captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark embarked on a three-year journey to explore the West. Their journey took them through South Dakota in 1804, heading north through North Dakota and onward. Their trail is marked along the highways and back roads with museums and historical markers in their honor. While in South Dakota members of the Lewis & Clark expedition noted a variety of animals still present today -- jackrabbit, antelope, bison and elk among them. Hunting, fishing, bird watching, rock climbing, fossil hunting, horseback riding, golfing and sight-seeing are just some of the things to be done in South Dakota.

While this southern Dakota state offers ample opportunity for wide open spaces, history and outdoor sports, it also offers entertainment and excitement. Every year, in the first week of August, motorcycle enthusiasts by the thousands rumble across the nation to South Dakota for the rally now known by its location -- Sturgis. Started by the Jackpine Gypsies Motorcycle Club in the 1930s, the event originally known as the Black Hills Motorcycle Rally is running strong and continues to grow each year. The Gypsies, now a nonprofit that donates to the local high school and area charities, owns 40 acres of land on which various events are held during the rally. The community of approximately 5,000 people has accommodated up to an estimated 350,000 attendees to the annual nine-day event. Recent years have shown a rise in commercial interest in the Sturgis Rally and several towns in the area now hold special events and concerts in conjunction with the rally. The scenic beauty surrounding the roads that take the bikers to the rally, however, continues to be cited as one of the major draws.

Gambling, too, is a major draw to South Dakota. The old west comes alive in towns like Deadwood, the historic settlement deep in the canyons of the Black Hills where the likes of Wild Bill Hickock rested his heels -- and was shot. The town, located close to Sturgis, features ornate historic buildings and more than 85 velvet-clad casinos open year-round, with live re-enactments of wild west shows. Many of South Dakota's tribes also operate casinos, where visitors can "step off the windswept prairie and into flashy gaming halls," according to The Guide to the Great Sioux Nation, on the Internet.

Snow-capped mountains it isn't, but South Dakota offers a wealth of history and entertainment possibilities.