Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Across America in South Dakota

The Trekkers are in South Dakota, and are doing a great job in having high mileage days (about 80 miles).  The land is flat and the weather is nice, and the occasional prairie and reservations towns are a much appreciated reprise.  After realizing that a visit to Mt Rushmore would have included an uphill battle of 25 miles (turning the visit into a whole day event instead of a 2-3 hour visit), the group decided to skip the carved rocks and to continue east. 
The group is headed to Sioux Falls (South Dakota's biggest city), and are passing the time by creating road games and stopping at the many quirky places along the way...
 
Among the places they've visited:

Wall Drug, Wall SD
Located at the fringe of the Badlands, Wall Drug became a famous stopping point for travelers because of its offer of free ice water to anyone who visits.  It has since become a massive complex-a mall even-that includes lots of souvenirs, home wares, an apothecary, eatery and outdoor amusements like the one below:
Wall Drug
Wall Drug-where coffee will set you back 5 cents!
1880 Town, near Murdo, SD.
A town inspired from the movie Dances with Wolves, which was filmed at the spot that is now 1880 town.  Many of the film's set relics were gifted to the owner of the land as a thank you for allowing the movie to be filmed on the property.  From there, artifacts and authentic buildings from around South Dakota were brought together and assembled to make 1880 Town.
Original Wells Fargo post
1880 Town's main stretch
Skeleton man walking a skeleton dino, Murdo SD
The group couldn't figure out why this creation was perched roadside...

Time zone change!
Yes, they have moved on to the next time zone!
If the group continues to have early mornings and high mileage, they should be on to the next state in the next 4-5 days.  Sioux Falls is pretty much at the border of Minnesota and Iowa, so they will have to decide their next state soon...