We left Wyoming, and continued the drive East- to South Dakota! The goal of South Dakota was to see Mt Rushmore. I’ve heard mixed reviews, but what else are you going to see when you’re driving through South Dakota? So Rushmore it was.
It was a few hours from where we stayed, but we figured we’d stop there and then trek to Minneapolis, our next destination. We under estimated (or rather Siri underestimated) the amount of time it takes to drive across South Dakota. It’s a big state!
We saw the rolling hills, what signs told me were the badlands, and we got to see a small herd of Big Horn Sheep- the high light of the driving portion of the day for sure! They were just hanging out next to the road, which seems unwise to me, but they didn’t seem to be worried.
We also hit a bird. It literally flew into the grill. That brings the kill count to 3- this car is insatiable!
We finally made it to Rushmore. It is indeed a large rock with heads carved into it. Smaller than I imagined. We walked the Presidential trail which warned it was “Very Strenuous” but since we saw a lot of old people walking it, figured it wouldn't be that bad. Apparently Very Strenuous is just code for “A Whole Lot of Stairs”. It did allow some better views of the floating heads, and they seemed a bit more impressive the closer we got. We also got to see some of the original models they used and some other fun history.
We made it back to the top, up the approximately 1 million uneven stone steps, did the obligatory gift shop scan, found a great magnet, and then bid adieu to our past Presidents and got back on the road.
Shortly after leaving Rushmore we saw signs for the "Cosmos Mystery Area". Since we're basically pros after the Oregon Mystery House, we decided a stop was in order. It was very similar! They did a lot of the same demonstrations- showing a level area and then showing people appearing to get taller or shorter. We even did one where we each stood at the end of a cement slab. I walked to Mitch and the tip of my nose was even with his lips. I walked back and he walked to me and now the bridge of my nose touched his lips. I can't explain it, but it's weird and fun. Apparently there are about a dozen of these around the country, so we're on the look out for them now. Then back to the car...
As we drove, there were roughly 500 signs for Wall Drug along the way, so I decided we had to stop. I had no idea what Wall Drug was other than famous. It’s a huge store! Easily 1 full city block. It sells junk, fudge, souvenirs, and even has a restaurant in it. There was an apothecary, but I don’t think it is currently in use, and I did not notice any sort of actual pharmacy services. Weird, since it is billed as a “Drug Store”…
We wondered a bit, saw an animatronic Dr talk about his tonic, got some food from the restaurant, Mitch got a mystery chicken egg with prize inside, and then we got back on the road.
And more driving. We decided that, even though we were likely going to get to Minneapolis around 4am, it was silly to get a hotel for a few hours. Especially since it was a holiday weekend and even the cheap motels were expensive. So we pulled over to a rest area and attempted to sleep for a few hours, in part to actually sleep, and in part to not wake up our kind hosts at 4am.
This was not our best idea. The car is packed so full the seats only recline about 2 inches. Not ideal for sleeping. And the rest area had a lot of street lights. Good for safety, bad for sleeping. But we made do, and said so long o South Dakota and hello to Minnesota in the wee hours of the morning.
Big Horns!
Rushmore Selfie- more floating heads.
Oh hey guys. 
We found a Mystery Area!
Mitch is short.
But getting taller. 
Wall Drug- no drugs to be found. 
But there are some cowboys.
And Annie Oakley! All Annies are redheads- fact. 
It's a golden coin! Win!
This lovely shop is across the street. Draw your own conclusions...
No comments:
Post a Comment