Moving to California – Day 4 – August 17th – Sioux Falls, SD to Custer, SD
2015-08-182 min read
Today marked the first time on a trip that I did not actually leave a state. While the first half of South Dakota was rather rainy and boring, the second half delivered. I finally found Wall Drug and made it just in time to see Mt. Rushmore before a storm cloud hid the mountain.
First, I took a chance and visited the “Corn Palace” in Mitchell, SD. So what is it? I guess you could call it a shine to all things corn. Honestly, it was just a High School Gynasium being used as a museum and gift shop.
During the last 24 hours in this state, every few miles I would see a small sign about Wall Drug. It was actually starting to get annoying because I started at mile marker 390 and the exit for Wall was not until 110. None the less, I really liked this unique drug store and small town. I made sure to enjoy some home made ice cream and a fresh slice of Apple Pie. As a bonus it was right on the edge of the Badlands so I got to see some of the cliffs.
I ended the day by finally making it to the city of Rapid, SD. The storm clouds had rolled back in and I had about 25 miles to go to get to Mt. Rushmore, the whole reason for this side trip. As luck would have it I made it into the Black Hills National forest, through the unique town of Keystone, and got to see Mt. Rushmore before clouds covered it for the rest of the evening. I spent an hour at the monument, enjoying the cafe and the President’s Walk hiking trail.
