We began by loading up the van and checking out of our cabin. We decided to go shopping in Custer at some of the little souvenir places. We saw a neat rock and fossil store, and a cute candy shop. Katherine once again added to her growing keychain collection. She has bought about 5 or 6 keychains on this trip. I tease her that she needs these keychains for "all her keys".
Then it was off to Wall Drug in Wall, SD. It’s hard to explain this store, but picture a chaotic mass of souvenir shops, tourist attractions, and tired travellers all crammed under one roof. Wall Drug began as a pharmacy in the 1930s offering free ice water. They still offer free ice water today, which Jon and Daniel had with their lunch. Another special thing about Wall Drug is that the store is advertised for hundreds of miles along roadways with pithy billboards and signs.
And here's the news you've been waiting for . . . (drum roll, please!) While parking the car, we finally spotted the elusive Hawaiian license plate, thus successfully concluding our quest to find all 50 states! Imagine seeing it at Wall Drug, of all places!
Wall Drug is quite the eclectic place. While there, we also saw a mechanical T-Rex, we played arcade games (they had "Lord of the Rings" pinball!), we got our picture taken with a tatanka, we saw a jackalope, and we did a little shopping.
Our next detour was a scenic drive through the Badlands National Park.
These interesting formations were caused by erosion and left banded streaks of color on the sides of strange-looking cliffs and valleys.
We next drove for several hours through South Dakota (another big state), crossing into Central Time, and stopping for dinner at the Missouri River at a place called Al’s Oasis. Another hour of driving brought us to Mitchell where we stayed for the night at a Days Inn. The kids loved the pool which had a giant waterslide. They ended up playing in there for over an hour!
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