Out West: Day 2

Out West: Day 2

So Day 2 consisted of the length of South Dakota. It's amazing how the scenery just gets so much better once you cross the state line. I adore this state so much!

Our first stop was Mitchell, SD home of the Corn Palace! Now I've been here many times and it was so fun taking Lee to this kinda ridiculous place. Every year they do new scenes on the outside walls out of corn... yep. This year it was super patriotic, which is always corny... haaaa. Anywho, one expects the inside to be cool as well but unfortunately the Corn Palace is pretty much just an expo center, I think band or cheerleading competition was going on. Not very poppin' in there (see what I did there?). But Tripp on a corn statue makes it all worth while.








Next, and by next I mean hours later, we got to the Badlands. Oh this place, everyone must go there (well everyone must go to all the places I went, they're national treasures). They just appear out of no where, it makes you wonder how scary this place was for travelers in the 19th century coming in ox cart. Anyway the Badlands were formed by wind and water erosion in clay rich soil and are actually slowly moving. There is another set of "badlands" in Theodore Roosevelt NP in North Dakota as well. Read more about this crazy beautiful place here on wikipedia or of course the NP website. While we were there I bought us a National Park pass, which I suggest everyone to get, its good for a year and grants access to all the national park/monument/wilderness area/forest/etc that you have to pay for.












I have to say probably the coolest thing that we saw was a FOX! Right on the side of the road! I love animal sighting!!! It was so beautiful, just like a large orange Tripp!

Right outside of the Badlands is Wall, SD, home of Wall Drug! Wall Drug advertisements began right as you cross into SD. It's ridiculous! Wall Drug was started in 1931 and in '36 after bad business being a drug store in a middle of nowhere town the owners wife had the idea to advertise on the highway and offer free ice water. Which in that time was really innovative. From the offer of free ice water, Wall Drug is a massive conglomerate with tons of stores inside, along with a dinosaur garden, and plenty of jack-alope gifts. I've been there every time I've driven thru SD and it's never disappointed. You can read more about it here. And of course they still have free ice water.




So after the fun day of driving, Lee and I set up our tent at the KOA in the foothills of the Black Hills... and let me tell you it was cold... Till the next day.

Huggles,
Lauren

photos by me and Leyland