Silly Tourist Stop

Today brought a long drive from Rapid City, SD to Des Moines, IA. We were on the road pretty much all day. And thank you to David who drove the whole 660 miles!

Our first stop of the day was at Wall Drug. A few friends of ours told us that we would HAVE to stop by the time it came along. And boy were they right! We left Rapid City, SD heading east and immediately started seeing signs for Wall Drug. Every gimmick you can think of:

  • Free Ice Water – Wall Drug
  • 5ยข Coffee – Wall Drug
  • Wall Drug Rocks

The signs were colorful and the humor was inviting. So, of course, we had to stop. Wall drug is two things 1) the largest drug store you’ve ever seen and 2) the biggest tourist trap EVER.

Yep, we went to Wall Drug.

Most of the day, weather wise, was gloomy. Here’s my favorite photo of the sky while we were driving.

Cloudy skies in South Dakota.

Tomorrow, Chicago.

Dynamite Presidents

Today was another long day of driving that had a quick detour to Devils Tower for David and ended in Rapid City, South Dakota to see Mount Rushmore.

The highlight of David’s day, this odd shaped rock that jets out of the ground in the middle of nowhere, Devil’s Tower.

Devil's Tower - Oddest shaped rock I've ever seen.

And, we ended the day with the spectacular views of Mount Rushmore. Did you know that the faces were almost entirely – 90 percent – carved using dynamite? There’s a great trail that goes around the amphitheater at the park, giving unique views of the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. Here’s my favorite of the photos. More on Flickr.

As up close and personal as you can get to the President's on Mount Rushmore.

Tomorrow, we’ll be driving toward Chicago. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s fun.