Western Towns

While I was in the Badlands I stopped in Wall to take care of some
essentials. The side trip also gave me the opportunity to check out
what the Wall Drug hype was all about. You start seeing these crazy billboards (by the hundreds) in Minnesota and they intensify as you get closer to this bustling metropolis. It's a lot like South of the Border, another "must see". Obviously Wall Drug is terribly overated
and just another place to shop... for junk. In fact I was so turned off that I refused to accept the free ice water.

One thing I did like were the signs on the highway, especially the one
Kevin Millar clearly stole the saying "cowboy up" from. But the signs
aren't quite as clever as I'd like them to be such as the old Burma Shave signs our parents remember. I did read that people have hanged signs "to Wall Drug" all over the world, which is pretty cool.

My other point about these Western towns is that they don't feel all that authentically Western. Some places seem to overdo the Western theme and in doing so cheapen the appeal. Deadwood was a tourist destination done up with modern chain hotels and casinos, Sheridan was more upscale shopping and empty promises. And then I
can't tell you how many gunslinging shootout reenactments there are. What ever happened to the real thing?

I want an actual corral, at least two watering holes with the small wooden swinging doors, precisely one Sheriff in town, a train OR bank robbery taking place, and tons of fresh horse manure out on a DIRT road.

Rushmore

Caught up with the "Senior Circuit" at Mt. Rushmore on Friday
afternoon. Tourists pack the place even in the offseason.

I spent a good six hours here. While I plan on seeing and doing a lot of different things on this trip I figure I'm not going to get to everything I want to. So the plan so far has been to invest serious time into each park/monument/tour/city/ball game/hike/dining experience/etc. and to enjoy its full experience. Otherwise I could spend my time doing a checklist, see it all, and not take anything with me.

Custer State Park

Clearly the bison are not endangered anymore. Several were on the roads on Friday morning on my way down to Wind Cave NP. It's ridiculous how much wildlife you see out
here. Then again there's also little human activity.

So far I've seen:

Prairie Dogs - all over the place on their little farms
Mule and Whitetail Deer - right up in my grill on several occasions
Bison aka the Buffalo
Bighorn Sheep
Porcupine - not as roadkill
Raccoon - going through a trash can at the camp site outside Devils Tower
Pronghorn antelope
Wild horses - on the Crow Reservation near Battle of Lil' Bighorn
Do cattle count?

Interesting story about some "road" cattle I encountered: I was driving down a dirt road in the Badlands along the rim where the prairie meets the cliffs and after I saw what I wanted to see I was ready to turn back and have dinner while the sun was setting. I had a hankering for some red beans and rice and wanted to get a good glimpse of the sun against the side of the cliffs and knew of a good spot. Unfortunately, on my way back about 30 of these beasts had decided to mosey out onto the road and chill for a lil. I thought they would move so I waited for a bit. Some gave me a solid stare down and some appeared motionless engrossed in what seemed to be... nothing. So I realized that there was no way all 30 were going to suddenly decide to move in the same direction, away from where I needed to pass, and so I was the bigger man and turned around and found a new spot and a new way out.

What Happened To This Cow?

I didn't do it.

I actually circled back around to get this shot. Just for you.

More Badlands

It was very windy here, but this picture doesn't show you that, does it.

Badlands

So it's Saturday night and I'm in Billings, Montana and I finally found a campground with, ahem, wireless Internet. It sure was rough going there for a while! I'll try and do a quick update of the last few days in the next few posts. Tomorrow morning I will pick up the family at the airport and we will travel over to Yellowstone National Park. Just as a disclaimer so you don't think I'm neglecting you, the fans. I may not make another post after tonight for a few days depending on what the tech situation is over there.

But first to backtrack just a bit: Thursday I made the trek to the Badlands in southwest South Dakota. The prairie begins to erode into the ground and then out pops these peaks right out of the ground. Then you know you are there because it's quite a contrast from the farmland in the last fifty million states. The park looks like you're on another planet, although I must admit I don't have personal experience to compare that to.

The Assassin

I wanted to give a shout out to my host the last couple nights up in Minnesota, Mike G. Mike and his Carleton College roommates provided me suitable accommodations while I was in the land of 10,000 lakes. Located in the small town of Northfield, MN Carleton owns land next to the campus called the Cowling Arboretum aka "the Arb". It consists of approximately 880 acres of forest, field, and floodplain, and it includes many miles of trails. There are two sections to the Arb: The Upper Arb has greater trail density, some trails designated for bike use, and generally smaller areas of natural communities and the Lower Arb, which has populations of rare plants and animals and has primary conservation and education importance. The Lower Arb has fewer trails, no bike use, and large contiguous areas of natural habitat.

The reason I bring up this fascinating reserve is one, because it is an official protected prairie land and two, a few of us went out onto the Arb late on Monday night to do some exploration in the dark. We went out for a midnight hike in what felt like a night out at the beach. Given that I am averse to poisonous native snakes I was definitely wary of the reptile as we trekked thru the tall grasses. But all in all it was a good time and I'm sure Mike and his buds will get out there as much as they can as long as the temperature stays above zero and their workload doesn't get too suicidal.

The picture is of Mike G. and his recently purchased Nerf toys, which he will find useful during a competition that happens on campus called Assassins. For explanation I have copied this text from Wikipedia:"The Assassin Guild is a student-run group on campus dedicated to the pursuit of friendly competition and team-building through senseless violence. Students attempt to "kill" one another with a variety of nonlethal, though potentially annoying, weapons. Rounds are run several times throughout the term, during which participants can be seen skulking about, hiding nerf guns under trenchcoats, and engaging in mock swordfights."

Needless to say, Carleton is a unique place.

On the Banks of the Missouri

Here I am in Chamberlain, South Dakota at the same point where Lewis and Clark and their Corps of Discovery stopped to rest as they made their way along the Missouri River north through South Dakota on their way to the Pacific Ocean.

Just a note about driving through South Dakota today: The skies were clear, the weather was perfect, and I could see for miles all around me. The small town I'm in tonight looks ripe for overdevelopment and a Robert Trent Jones golf course. It's perfect with its small rolling hills along the banks of a beautiful river. It just seems like some uncovered gem for a great vacation spot.

Anyways this spot also represents a change in the focus of my trip as I begin to see many of the great natural wonders of the West. Tomorrow I'll continue to head west towards Rapid City, the Black Hills, the Badlands, and famous Mt. Rushmore.

The House That Corn Built

I wonder why it's the world's only.

Eats At the Sacred Corn Palace

No better time to have my first (and last) corn dog, honest truth.