The Corn Palace & Little Town on the Prairie - Part 1 - Day 7

DAY 7,  Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Part 1

Last night, according to Isaiah who settled the caravan for the night, we were sleeping at the back of a bar! He heard people talking, and then he heard someone smash a bottle, and then because the alleyway was right back there, he peeked and saw broken glass. Therefore, it was not for nothing that I told the children after dinner to ride their scooters in silence! We are in a parking lot that belongs to the Wall Drug, and it is advertising as being free public parking for RVs, so I am sure we are good, but still….

5:38AM and the day began with a hair-wash with the help of Ayana in the Wall Drug parking lot. It has been a few days since we have had a real campground, and today we will be going to DeSmet, and I do not want to arrive with dirty hair! This head has seen much dust, wind, and cooking in a small caravan probably has not done it any favours either! Unfortunately, I fear I may have fried my AC convertor that plugs into the battery in the car, as the light does not go on. I had plugged in my hairdryer, and I guess it was drawing too much power, and then the light went off in the box. That is not good, and will require buying another one, as it is our only way of charging our piano, IPODs, computer, and the rest of the electronics!

Now, fresh and clean, with frizzing hair, due to lack of hair dryer, I am ready, the girls are up and dressed, and the boys will be woken at the last possible moment, since the easiest way to calm the chaos is to wake them only when necessary! Then we will be having a very quick stop at Wall Drug, so that Isaiah can get himself a souvenir, and then hopefully by 7:30 we will be on the way again. 

Part 2

The day started very well direction-ally as I had to pull into a gas station to ask for guidance after losing East minutes earlier as I stopped for fuel as I was leaving Wall. I asked a man as he and his companion were about to pull out, "Do you know which way to the I90 East?" 

He looked around and then said, "I90 West is there, so I assume-" 

I cut him off, "They all assume, too, " I said, pointing to the kids in the back seats. "I'd rather not assume." I then asked sheepishly, "Which way is East anyway?"

He laughed, put up his thumb and fore-finger and said, "That's okay. I have to use these to find my left." 

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Before the Day Began - Washing My Hair in Wall Drug Parking Lot

I'm really glad I didn't listen to the negative opinions regarding Wall Drug on Trip Advisor. There were many positive comments, but a number said it was just a souvenir shop and not worth the time. Not so in my opinion. There was so much to see, and during the lengthy drive across the Mid-West it made a refreshing stop and not just for the children. There were life-size models of famous Western characters placed strategically throughout the streets of the frontier town that was built inside of Wall Drug. 

Having begun as a tiny mom and pop operation in 1931, Wall Drug has now grown into 76,000 square feet, boasting multiple souvenir shops, an icecream store, restaurants, a splash pool, TRex feeding area, and many other novel venues. It is most definitely worth a visit, and travelling with children, a stop of at least an hour would be best. The kids' vote for the best part was the frontier streets, as they took turns posing with the different characters. 

Raine and Annie Oakley - Who She Learned About at the Buffalo Bill Centre of the West in Cody, Wyoming

A Horse's Ass - Who You Talkin' About Willis?

Card Shark Israel Stealing an Old Lady's Cards - No Scruples!

Billy the Kid

"She Likes Me!" Said Israel

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Fog rules the nearly empty roads for hours as we headed East and construction, as usual, was everywhere, but thankfully I was able to drive through it all without stopping. At times, it became disconcerting, as mile upon mile, all that I could see was fog surrounding me. It didn't help when a fine rain joined the fog. Eventually the skies cleared, and we found ourselves driving with bright blue skies. 

No trip through South Dakota would be complete without a trip to the famous Corn Palace. In the town of Mitchell, for the last 120 years, the people have made huge murals out of earth-tone corn cobs and used them to decorate the outside walls of the Corn Palace.  Each year the committee votes for a new theme, and this year "Remember When" was chosen, and for 2015 they have already chosen "Next Generation". The murals are truly intricate works of art. 

Having blown my AC converter on my hair dryer this morning, I had to make a quick trip into Walmart to replace it.I left Isaiah in the van to keep an eye on things while the rest of the kids and I ran in to get what we needed. When I came back, I found him grinning broadly. It turned out as a lady, who was parked nearby, drove away, Isaiah noticed something fall the ground under her car. Intrigued he went to investigate and when he saw a scrunched up $5 bill, Isaiah was pretty excited. When I arrived back at the caravan Isaiah told me the story and asked if he could go to his favourite store - the Dollar Tree - and buy everyone a treat.

Next stop Laura Ingall's Wilder Homestead, and the roads there were deplorable with ground up cornstalks on the side of the roads and asphalt patches everywhere!

A Couple Young men Shoveling Corn Husks Over the Road

Arriving at the Homestead

Devil's Tower, Buffalo Jumps, Dancing With Wolves, Mount Rushmore - Quite the Day! - Day 6

DAY 6, Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Blue skies and Devil’s Tower – what a great way to start the day! We even managed to get rolling at a great time!

Our Camping Spot

At the beginning of the walk on the asphalt trail there was a sign cautioning walkers to stay on the path to avoid encountering poison ivy and rattlesnakes. The first one hundred yards were rather steep, but after that the walk wound around the base of the rugged tower in an easy upward slope.

The innocence of Israel was delightful to watch as he skipped happily ahead of us. Every so often, as we went along, I would feel his small hands suddenly slip into mine, as somebody mentioned the word ‘rattlesnake’. As bold as he is in his efforts to take on the world, Israel surprises me with his timidness of heart.

About a third of the way around the tower we used the binoculars at a lookout to try to locate a climbing ladder that was placed there in 1800s. Unsuccessful, the kids scoured the mountain with their bare eyes, and it was Ayana, with her eagle eyes, that spied it first.

As we continued our walk, Israel was the first to reach the actual tower, and not just the rocks surrounding it, and he ran up to it to be sure to say, “I was first!” Isaiah wrapped on the rock and said, “It sounds hollow,” to which I quipped, “Of course it does – it’s fake!”

Having successfully circled the tower we began the drive east. The landscape around Devil’s Tower is absolutely beautiful, with rocks that are clay red, and the cliffs are magnificent! It truly makes the traveling easy! I find as I drive these days the miles just fall behind me. In Canada we measure distance by kilometres; in America by miles. I now feel the miles pass as quickly as the kilometres, as we move from one place to another. With an exciting destination in mind, the road isn’t quite as intimidating as it was in the beginning.

Late morning, having missed my coffee for the umpteenth time, I pulled off the road enroute to Mount Rushmore. The children stocked up on reading books, while I made myself a delicious drink to fill my thermos. I have lowered my standards to instant coffee and evaporated milk.

Mount Rushmore was next, but when I saw the Vore Buffalo Jump marked on the map, I knew that with just a short detour of three miles it was not to be missed. The guide told us it was $20, but when he saw my hesitation he  lowered the price to $10 for our family. He taught us many fascinating facts about the tribes of the plains, and then took us on a guided tour of an active archeological dig. There were hundreds of bones exposed in five layers, and he informed us that upon a twenty foot experimental governmental excavation they had determined that the bones dated back to the 1500s.

The Cliff the Buffalo Were Lured To

The Active Dig Site

Intently Listening

Song Threatening Isaiah - Who Does Not Appear Concerned

Another Angle of the Dig Site - Hidden in the Building

Parking Lot Lunches

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While the GSP proved to be invaluable, there were times when it cocked a little attitude and rebelled, like last night when it drove us into the middle of a rancher’s field. Or today, when it told me to go left, when the road signs said to go right to get to the highway numbered South 385. Not sure what to do, I decided to listen to the GPS and ended up twisting and turning through some extremely narrow residential streets. At one point, I could see no air space between the caravan and the tightly curved corners.

The angle at the top is a jackknife!

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Having now been to Mount Rushmore, I’m trying to find the words to describe what it was like for me to see the monument for the first time. The images of the faces are very familiar to me, having grown up seeing them displayed on television, but there is nothing like seeing them in real life. It was incredibly awe-inspiring to view what began as a vision of one man. We walked the Presidential Trail to get as close as possible to the monument. Along the way, through the forest, which surrounded the sculptures, was a very maintained wooden walkway. On this wooden structure there were four placards narrating the lives of the presidents. It was interesting to see that neither Abraham Lincoln, nor George Washington had a formal education, illustrating to the children that a brick and mortar school was not *the* answer to Greatness, but rather, following God’s will for one’s life.

Mount Rushmore Town

First Sight From Down the Mountain

These two dogs and a bunch of goats were in this truck in the parking lot! The kids loved them.

How did the boy on the left get out of the house with mismatched crocs? And yes, I had to go buy shoes for more than one kid when all they brought were crocs! Some people's kids!

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Motoring up a steep hill, the kids saw all the sites that South Dakota had to offer, such as Reptile World. I told them there was no way that a person could hit all the wonderful attractions on a road trip unless they had all the time in the world, and plenty of money to boot! The next road trip we would take I would quite possibly do it with little planning and hit the sites as we passed them. There was one sign that had me pulling off in a sharp turn: Movie set for Dances with Wolves. That was a quick detour of about 15 minutes, as the children walked through the outdoor set, took and few pictures, and then jumped back in the van to continue. I knew they would not necessarily appreciate it, not having seen Dances with Wolves, but I also knew that at some time they would watch the movie and remember having been there.

Our final destination of the day was Wall Drug, Wall, South Dakota. It would be another hour drive, and as usual, I had hoped to be there by 5:00 pm, but was running a little late. Leading up to the town you will find 250 signs advertising the store!

The Third of Many

We pulled into town at 7:30 and discovered the store closed at 8:00 pm. The history of Wall Drug is really quite interesting. In 1931, a Mom and Pop family business began Wall Drug. They found that people were driving by on the dusty roads, but not stopping, so they decided to do something to draw the people in – offer some perks to thirsty travelers. Today, that service is still offered: 5-cent coffee, free ice and water.

We entered one of the doors and began a high-speed walk through the mall. Over the last 80 years, it has grown in size to being 76,000 square feet, and is likely the biggest souvenir store around! We quickly picked out some presents for people back home, a handful of postcards, and then unfortunately it was time for the store to close. The town, though shut down like a ghost town, was very pleasant to walk through. I saw a lady walk from a hotel with some barrels of liquid on a cart, and later, I saw her again with a man helping her draw them through the empty streets. We spoke a little, as I asked if there was anywhere we might use free WIFI. It was like being on another planet. Nobody knew of anywhere we could use WIFI. There was nobody else around. The only other people were in the couple restaurants or bars, but the streets were almost eerily vacant. Surreal! We walked back to our ‘campground’ – the Wall parking lot for RVs and set up our typical gypsy camp. The children are becoming very good at this.

Setting Up the Power to the Car

Tonight was foot washing time. Those little feet were gathering too much dirt, since our last campground with water! There would be no bed without scrubbing those dirty culprits!

After a quick, cold wash, it was a simple dinner of noodles, since once again it was late, and a little late night fun riding scooters in a vacant parking lot. Only rule: silence! People are sleeping and it is late!

Writing Some Postcards

Tomorrow we head off to the land of Laura Ingalls Wilder!