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| Walking along beside the Mississippi River
We only stayed one
night and then drove across the river into Minnesota. We had no specific
destination in mind for Minnesota, so we just kept on driving along I-90 until
reaching South Dakota and stopped in Sioux Falls. We stayed in our 5th
B&B with host Chris, a very active young man who we hardly saw. We took a
city bus tour and visited the Falls of the Big Sioux River.
Continuing west, we passed through the town of Mitchell
where we visited the famous Corn Palace. Next stop: a rest area where I-90
crosses the Missouri River. There we were amazed at a wonderful exhibit of the
Lewis & Clark expedition, which traveled up this river in 1804 exploring
the Louisiana Purchase. In addition to the exhibit, the view of the river and
surrounding area was magnificent.
We reached our destination town of Wall, S.D. that evening
and, of course, stopped in at the WORLD FAMOUS Wall Drug Store!!! For those who
don’t know, this is possibly the largest drug store in the world and is
advertised for miles and miles along the highway (5 cent coffee and free ice
water) and occupies an entire city block. It started as one building, then grew
by purchasing adjacent buildings and connecting them with enclosed passage ways.
It is a sight not to be missed. On our first trip thru here many years before,
we stopped for the 5 cent coffee/free ice water and John purchased a pair of
cowboy boots, which he still wears today. Our lodging for the night was at an
old, old, 40’s style motel with spotlessly clean little individual cabins and
parking right at the front door. We spent the day touring thru the Badlands
National Park. This park is the quintessential national park of western movie
lore, where you can imagine, around every bend in the road, the bad guys
holding up the stage coach, or Indians on the warpath ready to attack.
  
As we traveled further west we began to see more and more
motorcycles on the road. We had noticed this before reaching Wall, but now
there were MANY more – first dozens more, then hundreds, then it seemed like
thousands – and we realized what was going on. It was that time of year – early
August, and time for the annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis, S.D. We had been
warned not to be anywhere near Sturgis at this time, and actually considered
skipping this Black Hills/Mt. Rushmore part of our travels; but decided “we’re
here, so let’s do it”. That decision proved correct, but all those thousands
(or was it millions) of bikers certainly detracted from our enjoyment. Anyway,
we located our B&B in Rapid City (about 30 miles from Sturgis) and met our charming
Host Jil. We strategized how to enjoy
the area in spite of all the motorcycles. We decided on a Grey Line tour rather
than us doing the driving, and this turned out exceptionally well. The driver
was very knowledgeable of the local countryside and history and provided
excellent narrative. Our tour began at Mt. Rushmore (with breakfast there), on
to Crazy horse monument and Custer State
Park; and included some surprises –
George Washington’s profile, a thru-the-tunnel view of the presidents, and a
steam engine train ride. The only disappointment was not finding the herds of
buffalos normally seen in Custer SP– our driver blamed noise from the bikers
for scaring them away from the roads where they usually congregate.
     
The Crazy horse Monument is far from finished even after
some 60 years work and may never be finished – the work is being carried on by
the children of the original sculptor, and the grand children will probably
have to decide whether or not to finish it. Surprisingly, the entire project is
financed by private funds, no government money.
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