Lincoln Highway
Day 26
When we left the Black Hills Steve planned on driving on the freeway to Wall, SD. Once we were on the freeway he quickly determined this was not the way to go. He struggled to keep the car on the road and it wasn’t only because of the Semi’s and cars that whizzed by. It was the strong headwind that was the real problem! The first exit he could take we got off.
Steve hadn’t planned on going through the South Dakota Badlands, but this is where the road led. We have driven in the Badlands many times, but hadn’t come in from the south before. It was a different kind of beautiful drive.
If you have never been in the badlands before they are a type of dry terrain where rocks and clay have eroded. They have steep slopes, ravines, gullies, and buttes with minimal vegetation. It’s also another popular tourist attraction with several places to stop for pictures. We did stop at one such place, but Steve didn’t want to walk down to the observation deck, so we took a couple of pictures from the parking lot that were only ok. On the bright side we finally saw some “wildlife”. A herd of long horned sheep that were grazing on the grass.
From there we drove on to Wall, SD best known as Wall Drug. This is one of the World’s most well-known tourist attractions and shopping mecca! More than 2 million visitors a year stop there. Wall Drug consists of a collection of cowboy themed stores, a gift shop, several restaurants, and jewelry shops that sell only Black Hills Gold and Turquoise Jewelry in sterling silver.
I, of course, love the jewelry stores, but Steve has a tradition to keep up. Since 1976, his first time visiting Wall Drug, he has had his picture taken with the same painted Saloon Hall girl statue. The statue has been repainted a few times over the years, but it’s the same girl. I get my picture with an old cowpoke!
The last time we left Wall we drove on an old road. You could tell the road had been tarred at one time and was in poor shape, but drivable. This time we started down that road, but it had been graded over with sand and rock and it was a washboard. We were driving about 10 mph just trying to stay on the road when we turned around to go back . The only other way out of town was the freeway, but the first exit we left to get back on the 2 lane highway.
The scenery had changed again to prairie grasses and farms. Storms clouds threatened, but it never rained on us and the wind had also died down so driving was easier now. The time changed again and we lost another hour. Tonight should be our last night in a motel and tomorrow we’ll be home! It’s been an adventure, but home is always the best place to be.
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