The Badlands

Today's Photo The Badlands National Park, SD














After a cold night at the Budget Inn (I know why they are a budget inn - they don't provide heat), I continued to head west on I90.  I was far enough ahead that I decided to make a couple of stops.  The first was at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD.  The last time I was there was in 1996 on a cross country trip with my late wife & our friends Don & Anne Guido.  It sure looks like the area has been developed since then.  Hardly room to take a picture, but I tried!

The Corn Palace, Mitchell, SD

After that I decided to take the loop road through the Badlands National Park.  We also stopped there on the 1996 trip; there are photos on the same page as the Corn Palace. 

The Badlands, Badlands National Park, SD

More photos on my LakeshoreImages page. 

The last stop was at Wall Drugs.  After years of seeing hundreds of Wall Drug signs along US2, 20, I90, and probably any road that comes within 200 miles of the place, I decided to stop. The park loop rejoins I90 at the town of Wall, so I was already there.  Anyhow, it is probably the biggest tourist trap I've seen, & I've see lots of them.  I didn't buy anything, but took a photo of the front (well, one of the fronts) of the place.

Wall Drugs, Wall, SD

After that it was back on I90, eating up many miles (today was a total of 510.8 miles & 1842.9 miles for the trip) until I decided to stop in Spearfish, SD for the night.  I'm in a Super 8, much nicer than the one in Kent, Ohio.  The only problem is the clerk said they are expecting 5" of snow tomorrow.  I don't mind driving in snow, after all, I'm from Oswego, one of the snow capitals of the east, but I don't want to get stuck, unable to get across the Continental Divide.

I guess I'll worry about that in the morning!

Till tomorrow -