Wall Drug and the Badlands

Besides attracting bug juice, here's what I've been up to:

After Devil's Tower was the drive to Sioux Falls, SD.

Between Devil's Tower and Sioux Falls there are two items of interest: Mt Rushmore and Badlands National Park.  I chose the latter, since I kind of had to chose.  I stopped off in a place called Wall where the going concern is Wall Drug, which you might think would be a drug store in a town called Wall.

10% right.

I found out about Wall Drug from its signage, starting 100 miles before Wall.  Clever little sayings like "Bring the Kids" and "Home of the 5c Coffee" (which was true) and "See the New Tyrannosaurus in the Backyard".  After 100 miles of this I gave in and checked it out.

Turns out Wall Drug is a block long supermall, but in old western style.  They pretty much have everything there.  They have little storelets that all connect in the front, back, middle and sides so you never really know which store you're in or where you are.  Turns out old Mr Hustead moved his family there, and started with a drug store. Business was poor for 5 years (because no one stopped).  Finally Mrs. Hustead got the bright idea to put signs on the road saying "Free Ice Water" and the rest is history.  People flocked in droves and drove there in flocks.  So they still have the free ice water and the 5c coffee and the rest is reasonable enough.

Wall is an entrance to the Badlands, which are this area of erosion where there is more erosion than buildup; the soil is really soft so the floods keep washing it away.  It makes beautiful formations and I will be uploading some pictures Real Soon Now.  If you think "sandcastle meets desert" you're most of the way there.