Sunday was a long day. After leaving Sheridan, and having seen the Devil's Tower, we continued on through Spearfish and stopped in Deadwood, South Dakota. It's a real tourist trap - a wild west town, where Wild Bill Hickock used to hang out. These pictures will give you a taste.
A quick stop next in Sturgis for a beer at "The Full Throttle", a pub that opens for about 3 or 4 months a year to accommodate motorcycle enthusiasts who gather in town. We were a week early for the big gathering, so there weren't too many around.
Because the saloon is open for such a short season, they don't serve any draft beer, so I settled for some sort of pale ale from a bottle. Too bad. I had pictured downing a 'quality' drink. My co-pilot asked for a glass of wine and we were looked at as if we had landed from another planet. No wine, just beer and spirits. Needless to say, I was practically dragged out, and had to guzzle my beer as she wasn't digging the atmosphere as much as I.
Carrying on we stopped in Wall. I realize that I should have taken some photos of the many signs advertising the drugstore there. Apparently, the wife of the store owner decided many years ago to try to drum up more business by advertising along the highway. It seemed to work, because the store is now
huge - as if it has spread into all the neighbouring stores along the street and taken down the inside walls. It sells just about everything you can imagine tourists would buy. Uncharacteristically, I had a sudden craving for a banana milkshake and ordered one from their soda fountain. We sated ourselves on the 'free ice water' they promoted and made our way back outside into the sticky heat of the afternoon.
This store is typical of those on the main street. In fact, I think Wall consists only of the main street! Wall Drugs is roughly the same only with a much larger street frontage.
Back on the road again, this time in through the Badlands National Park with its stunning scenery.
The sun was setting and I thought the light would be good for photographing, but the colours in these shots are more muted than they were while standing there.
We pressed on and reached a town called Chamberlain, just across the Missouri River, where we spent the night. (The drive from the Badlands to Sioux Falls should never be done twice! The topography was so uninteresting and the road devoid of curves.)
Because the saloon is open for such a short season, they don't serve any draft beer, so I settled for some sort of pale ale from a bottle. Too bad. I had pictured downing a 'quality' drink. My co-pilot asked for a glass of wine and we were looked at as if we had landed from another planet. No wine, just beer and spirits. Needless to say, I was practically dragged out, and had to guzzle my beer as she wasn't digging the atmosphere as much as I.
Carrying on we stopped in Wall. I realize that I should have taken some photos of the many signs advertising the drugstore there. Apparently, the wife of the store owner decided many years ago to try to drum up more business by advertising along the highway. It seemed to work, because the store is now
huge - as if it has spread into all the neighbouring stores along the street and taken down the inside walls. It sells just about everything you can imagine tourists would buy. Uncharacteristically, I had a sudden craving for a banana milkshake and ordered one from their soda fountain. We sated ourselves on the 'free ice water' they promoted and made our way back outside into the sticky heat of the afternoon.
Back on the road again, this time in through the Badlands National Park with its stunning scenery.
We pressed on and reached a town called Chamberlain, just across the Missouri River, where we spent the night. (The drive from the Badlands to Sioux Falls should never be done twice! The topography was so uninteresting and the road devoid of curves.)
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