We began Aimee’s birthday with a great breakfast at Bob’s in Rapid City, and then made the long trek across South Dakota, with the trifecta of The Corn Palace in Mitchell, The Badlands, and Wall Drug.



The Corn Palace was as interesting as ever, with, of course, a different set of murals than the last time I visited. Lots of great corn-related puns, and we were on our way.

We crossed the Missouri and stopped for lunch at Al’s Oasis, where we had some great pie a la mode and spotted Mr. Sam Shepard, looking right at home. We headed to the Badlands next, and though the temperature got up to 104°, we enjoyed a leisurely drive through the loop road, stopping occasionally to enjoy the vistas, and generally taking in the incredible surroundings.



An ice water-cooled oasis of tourist overkill, staffed by Eastern European teenagers, sitting at the end of a breathtakingly beautiful landscape of desolation, Wall Drug is a strange and scary place, but one well worth seeing once, or once every ten years. We got a magnet and a root beer float, and didn’t bother waiting around the 12 minutes until the animatronic T-Rex would roar. Maybe next time.

We dined and spent the night in Rapid City, where we wandered the downtown streets, enjoying the many sculptures of the presidents on the streetcorners. The juxtaposition of sculptures and shop lighting was fascinating; case in point, John Tyler and the Wireless SuperStore.



The next morning, we set off for the great sculptures of the Black Hills, Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse. First, we hit the heavily hyped Rushmore Borglum Experience, and then headed to the mountain. We were prepared for disappointment, but it was a great experience, and a terrifically well done park environment. We walked around in the somewhat cool temps of the early morning, and took in the variety of viewing angles. I’m happy to have finally seen it after a half-dozen road trips that all avoided the ‘Shrine to Democracy.’



Crazy Horse, our next stop, is more famous for being incomplete, but I didn’t know much about it, and the museum told the interesting story of Korschak Ziolkowski and his long, solitary struggle to get the sculpture made. Maybe we’ll return in 50 years and see how it’s coming.

We decided to stop for the night in Sheridan, Wyoming, where we got an oil change and enjoyed the great downtown. My Super Ex-Girlfriend was definitely not enjoyable, but dinner at Sanford’s and a drink at Oliver’s were nice.