We made it to Wall after being in Sioux Falls. We saw billboards for Wall Drug all along the highway from Sioux Falls. Stop in Wall Drug for whatever you can think of... $.05 coffee or free water. So we stopped and camped at Sleepy Hollow Campground. It's a 5 minute walk to Wall Drug. And Wall Drug, it's more like a rest area on steroids. Clothes, restaurants, knick-knacks, boots, hats, pharmacy, restaurants, outdoor gear, arts and if I left anything out, too bad. Our eyes bled reading the Wall Drug signs on the highway and we needed cornea transplants by the time we got there. They have a market there, but it's small and limited. There's also some interesting things like the Jack-A-Lope pictured above.
The camp ground was adequate, as there's nothing there, except narrow sites with services. Most people were over nighters , but we were there for two weeks. Our plan was to leave the Puffin in Wall, spend two nights in Rapid City and two nights in Spearfish. It was an amazing experience and for a lot of reasons.
We stayed at an older hotel near the highway in Rapid City. lt had a bar and was next to a Perkins restaurant. We check in and get presented with the list of additional charges of 'ifs'... So Julie has traveled the world for business and pleasure, as have I and never once did we see a list like this, nor were we ever presented one.
Okay, maybe it's a thing in Rapid City and we're just not up to the latest procedures in hotelling. Whatever, but after a review of the room, we went to front desk to insure they were aware we saw all of its warts and to ask about the 'ifs'. The front desk manager explained that the list was devised because locals would party there and leave the rooms a complete mess that warranted replacement of carpets, fixtures, TV's, beds and yes, sinks...
That night we ate at the Perkins next door. That's my fault and the place appears to be out of everything. We found out that things didn't improve overnight as we had breakfast there the next morning and they offered an avocado eggs benedict. Problem was twofold; they were out of avocados and the eggs were fried. I've enjoyed eggs benedict in a lot of places and they're usually poached. It was like a when in Rome moment, but I confess to being an egg snob. At least the waiter was nice.
Going to Mt. Rushmorewas not as easy as we thought. We skirted around the highway on gravel packed roads on the edge of the Badlands. We did this for about 40 miles and collected tons of dirt and dust before we got to the western edge of Rapid City. From there it was a piece of cake, as it is a well paved highway to the site. They have parking for RV's, buses and several parking lots. The stonework was impressive and there were several areas you could stand at and stare- each with a slightly different perspective. There's the artist studio below the monument and we visited and sat through a presentation of how Mt. Rushmore came to be. It was terrific and we learned a lot about the man whose idea it was to draw people there and use the surrounding geography to make that happen. One of the highlights was the National Park Service presentation that in all the years Mt. Rushmore was being created, not one person perished in the process. She made it a point to let us know that OSHA wasn't involved. The sculptor was fired from Stone Mountain in Georgia and was a difficult artist to work with, but he finished and the results were nothing short of spectacular. The monument is open year round (except Christmas), and hosts more than 2.4 million visitors a year.
The National Park Service Ranger was a woman who was a powerful speaker. Funny, articulate and very full of American pride. In her closing remarks, she talked about why people come to visit, especially those from foreign countries. It's because, for them, it represents democracy and freedom. It was a significant moment for us. Later, we found out that in the evening there is a 'lighting' ceremony, where the presidents on Mt. Rushmore are talked about and their service to America during their term in office. Any veterans there are asked to step forward and then thanked for their service to the country. We missed this and wished we hadn't.
Later, after Rushmore we went to Custer State Park and there aren't enough words to say how spectacular this experience was. Sure, New Hampshire has an abundnce of wildlife, but bison? These creatures are coming back from endangered species, although it's not without challenges... there's still some question if the herds are free from issues of breeding.
We took the Wildlife Loop, an 18 mile road that winds its way through the park. Traffic jams can occur when the Bison are grazing, as they cross the trail when and where it pleases them. On our visit, we were stuck in the middle of Bison crossing in front, on the sides and behind us. You have to wait until they're done and clear of the road to keep moving. The park also has wild donkeys, prarie dogs, a lot of different birds and antelope.
On the way to Wall we also saw signs for Firehouse Brewing Company.
The billboard signs had an old firetruck below them and there were a lot of signs and trucks. So we went there. A local fixture and in the downtown Rapid city area with a lot of neat shops. It wasn't the best place we've dined at, but we believe it deserved a second chance. Maybe we were experiencing hotel PTSD, but that wasn't the restaurants fault. Perhaps some other time.
The next day, we visited Jewel Caves National Monument. It is also in Custer and we didn't originally plan to go there, but thought why not? There is a guided tour that takes you through the caves and explains its history and significance to understanding more about the earth and the life forms under ground.
Julie and I talked a lot about taking the tour. Her knee was bothering her and there are close to 800 stairs and steps and cold temps... approximately 49 degrees. While the picture above makes the cave appear large, when your walking, it seems claustrophobic. We descended 280 feet underground where the Park Ranger stated if anyone feels any kind of discomfort, now is the time to bail. That wasn't very comforting, but Julie held my hand tight and whispered it will be okay... just stay close.
There are a lot of interesting facts about how the cave was discovered and how large it is. It ranks 5th longest in the world and a large percentage is still unexplored. Over time, with more exploration, Jewel Cave holds the potential to be the largest in the world.
Where the Hill are We?
(too good to pass up) After tooling around the outskirts of Custer, which is vast, we headed to Hill, which is on the same route to Rushmore. Wandering through the Black Hills, the roads hit super small towns, but Hill is a bit larger and the feel of tourism smacks you in the face... motels, hotels, gas, groceries and of course, amusements. We saw this place on the way to Jewel Cave and thought, okay, tonight is carnivore night. 1885 Steakhouse and Saloon.
The restaurant was old and we had to sit at the bar to wait for a table. While we're tourists, a lot of locals eat here. We got into a fun conversation with people at the bar and then at our table. Turns out the server is a nice woman who is engaged to the guy who prepared our meal. It was a fun night.
We headed towards Spearfish and had lunch in Sturgis. The town has a smallish downtown, lined with souvenir shops and not all are open. We stopped at a sporting goods store and had a terrific conversation with the owner. She and her husband own a large ranch in the area and she spent a lot of time talking about how that life is anything but easy. Our point of reference was watching Yellowstone, which in some ways mimics their life.
We went away from there with an appreciation for people who raise and care for cattle.
After that we had lunch at the saloon down the street, The Oasis. It was pretty empty for such a large place, but when race week is happening, the bar tender said you couldn't get near the place - thirsty bikers cram into the tiny town.
We made it to our hotel in Spearfish and wouldn't you know it, there was a Perkins accross the parking lot. Our first day in Spearfish we visited the Canyon. It's a two lane road that winds its way through narrow and towering canyon walls. Signs warned of exercising caution because of wildlife everywhere. They weren't kidding. The scenery is amazing, as each bend in the road reveals another stellar photo opportunity
There's a lodge and restaurant further into the canyon and a place to hike to see waterfalls. It's called Roughlock Falls and is about a 2 1/2 mile hike to the top. We took the trail and were surprised to see how busy it was. When we got to the top, a guy yells out "hey, New Hampshire", which caught us off guard. It turns out, this was the man and his wife that we sat with at the bar at the 1885 restaurant the night before. He had his parents visiting and wanted to show them Roughlock Falls. We were curious because his dad was walking with a cane and we wondered how he made the hike. It get steep during the last 1/4 mile. What we learned is just past the waterfall there's a parking lot - we could have driven to the spot!
That night we went to downtown Spearfish for dinner and enjoyed a meal at REDwater Kitchen. It was very laid back and food choices were varied. Normally, we enjoy a full dinner, as we usually skip lunch, but we ate a late lunch at Lewie's Burgers & Brews. It's a locals place and the burgers were good, as were the brews.
Looking for Dreyfuss
The next morning we headed for Devils Tower, Wyoming. We agreed that we need to explore a lot more of the Cowboy State, but today was all about seeing this geologic wonder.
The roads we took to get to Devil's Tower were unremarkable until we drove around a curve on a hill that kept climbing up until we could see it in the distance. Fortunately, no one was behind us because we slowed down to take it all in. Once there we noted the different hiking trails and we opted for the most walked trail that circumvents the base. As we walked around the base, there was a large boulder field just above the path. Climbers have to be licensed to ascend the tower and while we were there, got to see it. It's an amazing wonder and there's some thinking that how it was formed suggests it's not done. That was interesting because whether it gets larger, smaller or changes in different ways is up for debate. We think thats for other people to figure out, because our interests were simply to visit it, photograph it and say we were there.
Who knew?
Later that afternoon, we visited D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery. It is next to a large park and an interesting place because it has a place in America's history. It is home to the 2nd oldest hatchery in the US, dating back to the late 1800's.
So why is there a train car at the hatchery? We wandered into the train car where a volunteer explained the history of rail cars as a participant in the history of national hatcheries. From Spearfish, young rainbow trout would be shipped on cars to other hatcheries in the country. The car depicted is a replica, as the guide explained no cars had survived over time. The cars were equipped with holding tanks and tanks to house ice, which was necessary to ensure the health of the fish. As trains traveled rail lines, they would stop to refresh ice along the way to their final destination.
That night, we had a final meal in Spearfish at Nonna's Kitchen. The weather was perfect for dining outside and we enjoyed a delicious meal with wine. If we lived in Spearfish, this would be our go to place for a night out. Yeah, that good!
Lord of The Flies!
Our plans upon getting back to Wall included stopping at the Puffin, firing up the air conditioner, freshen up and head out for a final meal. Then we opened the door and were mugged by these horrendous flying what ever you call em bastiges. They're in season in Wall and we seemed to attract all 400 million of them and their cousins from Iowa. So our last meal had to wait while we exterminated them, although Julie swears that they were yelling for help. They're not on any endangered species list that I know of, so off with their heads! RV life is sometimes luxurious. Just not this time.
Sadly, we had to head back to Wall, as our time in South Dakota was coming to an end. But before departing, we had one more day left, so we did the Badlands Scenic Loop. This was right in our backyard, so we hopped into the Auk and followed, stopped, followed, stopped and followed and stopped more times than we could count. The vistas were magnificent and each one appeared to be better than the last.
I forget how long we took and frankly, it didn't matter. We could have stayed there for days because the country was hypnotic. With a little time left in Wall, we plunged head first into Wall Drug.
The next morning, we headed for Nebraska.
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