We took off from Sioux Falls around 8-8:30 and headed west on I-90. Wall Drug in Wall, SD must be the Rock City of the north. If they had one billboard, they must have had 100s. Of course, over the 290 miles to Badlands, Wall Drug wasn't the only oddity. I passed signs for and eventually the actual Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD. Free Admission. It reminded me of Teri and Pam taking a trip years ago across country and stopping at every largest ball of twine or ear wax or something.
2/3 of SD appears to be one big farm. Which by the way includes Laura Ingalls home and the largest windmills I have ever seen. These things were huge. Anyway, the terrain changes somewhat west of the Missouri River. It still is farmland but becomes the prairie. I posted an example pic in a new photo gallery.
Minuteman was a bust. There were two trailers in the parking lot of a gas station. The tours only take place M-F and the silo closes on the weekends at 11AM. We got there at noon. We werent devastated and just moved on to Badlands NP. We went to the visitor center and saw the film. Crayton looked at the displays and I shopped for a sticker and patch.
We had lunch outside at a picnic spot and then drove through the park stopping for photos and to look at Pronghorn antelope, prairie dogs and bison. The place is really one of a kind.
We got off the pavement and went 12 miles into the wilderness to find our campground at Sage Creek. We got there and I kept looking around for Kevin Costner. The place IS Dances With Wolves. The bison pic I posted was from our campsite area. Anyway, it was desolate and I liked it ... but we got there at 3:30 and the sun was still high in the sky and Crayton was bored and didn’t really want to stay. So, after about 30 minutes of agonizing mental wrestling, I conceded and we jumped back in the truck and left the two other tent campers and the campers that brought their horses. We went into Wall and saw the drug store which is basically two blocks long of souvineer city.
We headed west to Rapid City and dined at Applebees. We could have been having hotdogs or ravioli on the grassland but we ended up going into Custer to a 3 day old Holiday Inn Express Teri found for us.
Though I am sad about not camping tonight, Crayton is pleased and we can start early tomorrow at the four area things I want to accomplish.
I will post again when I can. By the way, Custer and Rapid City, etc. are in the Black Hills. This (the Black Hills) may be the prettiest place I have ever been. Really.
