Today was supposed to be a basic 6 hour drive in a relatively straight line. But, we seem to always turn that kind of drive into a 9 or 10 hour drive because we stop and look at things. Our first unscheduled stop today was at a little town called Wall. No idea why it has that name. Since we entered S. Dakota, we've been seeing signs for Wall Drug. At first I thought it was the town name. As we got closer, there were endless signs about all the stuff you could buy, do and eat in Wall Drug. It turned out to be a giant store with numerous buildings that sold just about everything and covered most of the town's main street. Basically, it's a giant tourist trap and we were in it! We wandered around and only bought coffee and tea but it was quite an interesting place. The original store was built in 1931 and it's grown ever since.
There are stuffed animals and guns everywhere.
Even the pharmacy has stuffed animals!
Even the pharmacy has stuffed animals!
There are lots of real guns but you can also get toy guns for the kids!
They even have a chapel in case you need to pray or want to get married!
And, of course there are lots of places to eat. The Soda Fountain wasn't open yet but the main restaurant was serving massive breakfasts to hoards of hungry bikers. Oh, my coffee was only 19 cents!
This is the outside. Everything you see to the end of the street is Wall Drug!
And, of course there are lots of places to eat. The Soda Fountain wasn't open yet but the main restaurant was serving massive breakfasts to hoards of hungry bikers. Oh, my coffee was only 19 cents!
This is the outside. Everything you see to the end of the street is Wall Drug!
That was maybe a half hour added to the trip. Next we decided to take the scenic byway that runs through Badlands National Park. I was a little skeptical at the start as we were in a heavy fog but the lady at the gate said it would get better and it did. First, we stopped so Marilyn could take a nice portrait of this big horn sheep. We saw more and they were all females like this one. Not sure where the males were hanging out.
The road through the park was another long and winding affair that was fun to drive. At every turn there were new things to see and we stopped at almost every available place. The badlands looked similar to the ones we saw in Alberta, but the colours were different.
We saw this sign at the beginning and I really tried to find snakes, much to Marilyn's chagrin, but had no luck.
Towards the end of the road, we saw a small herd of bighorn sheep.
The bikers also decided to visit the badlands. It was really interesting to sort of spend a few days with a bunch of bikers. We got to see them as bikers and also as ordinary people like us. New perspectives are always enlightening.
So, that was another couple of hours that we really enjoyed added to the trip. It all adds up!
Now, on to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. As I said at the top, we never know what a new place will be like. Our hotel was a couple of minutes from Phillip Street which is the main street for restaurants and shops. The shops were mostly closed because it was after 6, but the restaurants were open. There was also a sculpture walk going on. Local artists did sculptures and they were located along the street. We strolled up and down the street looking at restaurants, closed shops and the statues.
At the end of the street we found a restaurant called Bros Brasserie Americano. It was excellent! I'd say it's in the top 3 of all the places we've visited.
Marilyn's dinner was a smoked salmon salad which she loved. The salmon was hot smoked and had a great flavour.
I had a hanger steak that was first cooked sous vide (sealed in plastic, cooked very slowly in a water bath) then grilled. It was very tender with great flavour.
Here are a couple more interesting sculptures that we saw on the way back to the hotel.
Tomorrow, we'll be in Cedar Rapids, Iowa after about a 6 hour drive. I don't think there's much between here and there that we will explore so we might have more time to check out the town. Of course, it's Sunday so there might not be a lot open but we'll see.
The road through the park was another long and winding affair that was fun to drive. At every turn there were new things to see and we stopped at almost every available place. The badlands looked similar to the ones we saw in Alberta, but the colours were different.
We saw this sign at the beginning and I really tried to find snakes, much to Marilyn's chagrin, but had no luck.
Towards the end of the road, we saw a small herd of bighorn sheep.
The bikers also decided to visit the badlands. It was really interesting to sort of spend a few days with a bunch of bikers. We got to see them as bikers and also as ordinary people like us. New perspectives are always enlightening.
So, that was another couple of hours that we really enjoyed added to the trip. It all adds up!
Now, on to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. As I said at the top, we never know what a new place will be like. Our hotel was a couple of minutes from Phillip Street which is the main street for restaurants and shops. The shops were mostly closed because it was after 6, but the restaurants were open. There was also a sculpture walk going on. Local artists did sculptures and they were located along the street. We strolled up and down the street looking at restaurants, closed shops and the statues.
I had a hanger steak that was first cooked sous vide (sealed in plastic, cooked very slowly in a water bath) then grilled. It was very tender with great flavour.
Here are a couple more interesting sculptures that we saw on the way back to the hotel.
Tomorrow, we'll be in Cedar Rapids, Iowa after about a 6 hour drive. I don't think there's much between here and there that we will explore so we might have more time to check out the town. Of course, it's Sunday so there might not be a lot open but we'll see.
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