Wall, South Dakota

 A lazy morning in Chamberlain, with a second cup of coffee, got us into a bit of a fix. We woke to clear skies that rapidly became cloudy, and heavy rain began just as we prepared to leave.

 

Check out time at the park was 11, but since the rain was still coming down in silver dollar sized drops, we made the decision to stay a bit longer! Just after 12:30 the rain began to lessen, so we took the opportunity and hooked up the trailer and took off!

Going west on Interstate 90, we encountered some more of Mother Nature’s grumbling…

One hundred and fifty six miles of wide open prairie brought us to the famous town of Wall, South Dakota, a town of just over 700 residents and two thousand visitors. Wall began as a railroad town, but soon developed into a shipping and commerce center for local farms. As interest in the neighboring badlands developed, so also did travel through the area. In the days before universal air conditioning, hot temperatures were a concern for people and automobiles alike, and Ted Hustead recognized that an offer of a cold glass of water would encourge passersby to stop and rest and perhaps buy something at his drugstore. Today, Wall Drug is a sprawling tourist attraction drawing two million visitors a year. Teds grandson Rick runs the business today, and keeps the thousands of billboards advertising Wall Drug in tip top condition.

There are several rv opportunities in Wall, and we chose Sleepy Hollow campground as our temporary home.

The rv park is neither sleepy, or in a hollow, but it does have over 70 camping sites, and it seems that they all are full, mostly with overnight guests. We’ve settled in for the night, anticipating tomorrow.

The main attraction in town is, of course, Wall Drug. Many of the two million annual visitors were on hand today, but we braved the crowds and the 85 degree heat and strolled through Wall Drug and the tee shirt shops surrounding it.

At the corner of Sixth and Glenn we found Dahl Chainsaw Art, with the iconic Jack-a-lope that every local has seen in the dark of night.

Having pretty much seen downtown, we headed east, but had to get a photo of the 80 foot tall dinosaur that greets westbound traffic at the edge of town,

A few miles east and north, the little town of Quinn was vibrating with anticipation of the Badlands Observatory opening tonight, the night of the Buck Moon. Just kidding…we saw four people while we were in Quinn, and they were all in the same truck…

Back at camp we watched a beautiful sunset while Sasha explored the dog park. It was interesting and incredible at the same time.

The South Dakota Badlands National Park entrance is just a few miles south of Wall, so we decided to take a drive and check out the western loop of the Badlands Highway. Our first section was south toward the small town of Interior, SD, population 65.

The fantastic forms left at the end of the last ice age were partially obscured by hazy skies and high clouds, so the colors didn’t “pop” as they would normally, but were amazing nonetheless.

A “Popcorn” shower jumped up as we approached Interior and more of those silver dollar rain drops smacked us.

Restaurant possibilities are few and far between in Interior, so it was easy to choose the highest rated place in town, Katie’s Kantina.

This food truck is known for tacos and nachos and did not disappoint!

We enjoyed our lunch (with Sasha) in our truck as the rain poured down. A photo of the front of Katie’s truck focused on raindrops rather than the menu.

Leaving Interior, we decided to take the long way home via SD 44, heading toward Scenic, SD.

On the way west, we encountered a huge praire dog town,

a huge herd of buffalo,

and a huge OHV area along an abandoned railroad right of way.

Scenic is supposed to have a population of about 58, but what we saw, sandwiched in between Bombing Range Rd and Main St, was not the home of anyone.

After that disappointment, we turned north on 160/161st St toward New Underwood and Interstate 90, passing vast farms and cattle ranches.

And so, 156 miles later, we got home to 89 degree temperatures and a full rv park. 

The Eastern section of the Badlands Loop road bails off of I90 onto SD 240, heading south toward the town of Interior. In doing so, the road parallels and then crosses the Badlands.

This east side of the Badlands is known as The Wall, in that it presented a significant barrier to early pioneers and travelers.

The road is only eleven miles long, from the Interstate and Interior, but there is a wealth of beautiful formations and colors to be seen.

Just as we thought we couldn’t absorb any more, we turned a corner.

Along the western edge of this incredible area, the Bureau of Land Management has set aside an area for “Boondock” camping. The services are non existent, the road is rutted and bumpy, but for those lucky enough to secure a semi level spot along the rim for their rv, the view is overwhelming and the stars bright!

We’ve just about finished with Wall, South Dakota, and as interesting as the area is, we need to move on. We have a little cleaning to do, and some errands to run, then off we go to our last stop in South Dakota.