Mt. Rushmore to the Mississippi

After splitting a hotel room with another tour team in Rapid City, we hit the road stopping first at Mt. Rushmore to gaze at giant Presidential faces. I wasn't sure how impressed I would be, but it's pretty cool. Here are some pics that sort of capture the place. Definitely worth a visit sometime during your life. There are so many tourist traps around that area, from Bear Country, USA to Reptile Gardens to Sitting Bull's Crystal Caverns. In fact, there's quite a few tourist traps throughout South Dakota, but nothing other than Mt. Rushmore draws over 3 million visitors a year in the state. After leaving the Black Hills area, South Dakota becomes pretty boring. Boring until you get closer to Wall.

In tiny Wall, SD is Wall Drug, famous for it's kitschy merchandise, strange statues and displays, and signage all over the world. I guess they even have signs in Kenya and at the Taj Mahal. But along I-90, reading Wall Drug signs can occupy a lot of time. The store itself is kind of dumb, but I think it's fun. The more cheesy it is, the better.

And after Wall, there's really nothing. We had lunch at the Dairy Bar Drive-In in Murdo, good small town milkshakes. There's the Corn Palace in Mitchell, but we didn't stop. I think we'll hit it at the end of the summer on the way back to Montana. And once you get into Minnesota there isn't really anything. However, I thought Minnesota was great. All of the tree-clustered farms, the barns and silos, the rows of crops, the puffy white clouds, and Garrison Keillor on the radio--it all seemed very comfortable, very homey, very American. And a sunset to die for to boot.

Now we've just crossed over into Wisconsin and are staying in La Crosse for the night (my first time crossing the Mississippi). We have another long day tomorrow to get to Tiffin, but then we stay put for a couple of weeks.

Minnesota, Wisconsin. Check.