The Little Caravan That Could: The Corn Palace & Little Town on the Prairie - Part 1

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!