While still in the high desert, surrounded by the short
grass prairie of Wyoming, the boredom was relieved when we glimpsed the first
trees of the Black Hills Forest in the distance. As we crossed the South Dakota border, we
stopped at the first visitor center.
Some visitor center.
No visitor information available at all, where a visitor center help
desk should be was only locked walls—they didn’t even have a road map on the
wall with “You Are Here!”
In Sturgis, we set up camp at Suzie’s Campground for only
$27. It was fun, setting up the canopy
over the picnic table, making dinner on the cookstove, etc. We had full electricity for the laptops and
we were right next to the bathrooms, and the only guests on the property. It was a beautiful dark night with stars all
the way to the horizon. I was inspired
to take a star bath (half naked) beneath that sky. A review of finances
revealed that we were going to be OK.
The next morning, September 20th, dawned clear
and sunny. Sadly, because it was very
sunny and dry, I succumbed to the heat/sun very quickly just breaking
camp. By 9 AM we were on the road, but I
was already road-weary and hyper-sensitive to the sun pounding in my window.
But we made it safely to Wall Drug in Wall, South Dakota—a famous
landmark for that part of the country. Wall
Drug bills itself as the home of free ice water and they have an interesting
story:
A pharmacist and his wife purchased a little drug store on
the South Dakota prairie in the early 20th century, but soon
discovered they weren’t making any money.
The wife astutely observed that Route 66, with it’s new automobile
traffic was not far from them. “Why don’t
we put signs up by the highway, advertising free ice water?” she asked,
recognizing that the summer travelers would all be parched by the arid
heat.
The signs were visible for many miles before, as tantalizing as Burma-Shave signs without the rhymes.
Today, that drug store is an entire city block of shops,
souvenirs, food and attractions. A
classic American roadside attraction!
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| Nice sign at the useless "visitor center." |
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| Riding the Jackalope! |
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| Didn't get to the real thing, but did get to see this replica at Wall Drug. |
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| Gallery of old and Native American photos |
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| There's even a chapel. |
