South Dakota sightseeing from Hill City to Interior (which is a town!)

       Started off the day with drizzle coming down, and had already decided not to spend a 3rd night here in Hill City.  We thought Deadwood looked like a great little frontier town to visit, so we packed up and left by 7:30am (and still never saw the campground hosts, so we left them cash and a phone message!).  Got to Deadwood, and what a major disappointment!  The whole place is basically nothing but casinos, 80 of them from what we read.  Not a single eating place in town open for breakfast, unless it was attached to a casino.  A lady in a gas station recommended we eat at Silverado, which "had a GREAT breakfast buffet".  Mediocre, and the place was drenched with smoke.  We decided it was time to move on.

     Our next stop was Sturges, which is renowned for it's famous "bike week" each summer when over 100,000 motorcycles descend on this small town for a week of fun.  And yes, they have casinos here, too!  The town was actually fairly modern and neat, and has a huge VA facility at old Fort Meade (not the Maryland one!).   We bought some postcards, and then headed off on I90. 

          Ellsworth Air Force base near Rapid City was our next destination. It's the home of the South Dakota aviation museum, and has a large collection of vintage aircraft that have been based there at one time or another, including the B-29, B-52, and B1B bombers.  They also have a Minuteman ICBM displayed, as Ellsworth was a central command post for these cold war nuclear missles.  Becky is being very indulgent of Jim's fondness for visiting military museums!

        The next stop, a real fun one, is the famous drugstore town of Wall, and the highly popular Wall Drug Store.  Becky is pointing out the Drugstore, in case you can't see it.  It actually takes up a whole city block, some 75,000 square feet, and is basically what the town is all about.  It was started back in 1931 in this little depressed town by a couple who had moved in looking for a small town atmosphere and a good Catholic Church.  It was struggling mightily until the wife had the brilliant idea of putting signs on the nearby highway offering free ice water.  Sounds hokey today, but in those days of dusty roads, no air conditioning, and 50+ miles

 between towns, it was a huge hit.  On a busy summer day today they will have upwards of 20,000 visitors, and they still dispense free ice water and 5 cent coffee!  Not just a drug store, it sells entertainment, souvenirs, food (great cheeseburgers!), and is a good novelty spot to stop at.  Here on the right is a photo of  Becky and Jim in a covered wagon!

       We decided to travel the north loop of the Badlands national park, which is about a 25 mile ride.  We're really glad we took this, after the disappointment of the south loop yesterday.  It is a spectacular drive, a huge area that was originally formed by volcanos.  Millions of years of wind and rain have carved out this incredibly beautiful wasteland, and it is truly impressive to see.

           Around nearly every corner is another picture postcard view, and the only thing that could have made the drive better would be if it were early morning or late afternoon, when the lighting would have made the rock formations even more dramatic.  Here are a few of the photos we took.

      We decided to stay at a KOA campground situated near the center of the two park sectors, and it seems like a good choice.  Funny being only one of the two customers here, though!  Guess that's the advantage of traveling off-season!