South Dakota east of the Missouri River looks pretty much like the Midwest: farmland. To the west, though, cultivated fields give way to rolling fieldss of grass and the occasional herd of cattle. Distances are measured with a different scale here; billboards remind the driver that the next McDonald's is only 80 miles ahead.
The Wall Drug billboards start appearing more regularly, often in clusters. Reptile Garden signs start appearing, too, along with those for other Black Hills attractions, but Wall Drug is never far from sight or mind.
My next stop was Badlands Petrified Gardens, at $3.50 one of the cheapest attractions in the area. After a stunning display of minerals that glow under a black light, the tour continued through an unmarked door into a fenced yard full of petrified wood.
Small signs pointed out the noteworthy features of each chunk of rock. Other signs explained the petrification process ("All petrified objects are fossils, but not all fossils are petrified!") and the names of prehistoric periods.
The best part is the large selection of rocs for sale at the end of the yard for just $2 a pound. I later learned that this was the going rate in these parts.
The map shows a loop of highway leaving I90 and wandering through the northern part of Badlands National Park. I took the exit for the eastern entrance and jokingly thought that the badlands must start just on the other side of the entrance gate, like Disneyland. As it turns out, this is true.
After paying my $5 (good for seven days!) I reached the first observation area about 100 feet in. I will spare you paragraphs describing how breathtakingly beautiful the Badlands are. Those words would probably do as little to capture the place as all the rolls of film I shot. Just take my word for it.
The Badlands were an obstacle to early travelers. Many people got lost and died trying to find their way through the twisting, turning canyons. Now RVs towing cars can traverse them safely. This is a wonderful example of the American drive to turn the most daring adventure into a safe family outing.
Wall Drug is both just what I expect and not what I expected at all. It is something of a tourist mall, sometimes with hallways, sometimes with one room just opening into another.
I had a buffalo burger at Wall Drug and have discovered that the main difference between buffalo and beef is about a buck a burger.
They had some jackalopes for sale, but, frankly, mine is much bigger and prettier.
After drinking lots of free ice water, I left to photograph the Wall Drug 80 foot brontosaurus by the expessway and return to the badlands to try to catch the sunset (and write part 1).
Clearly marked on my maps, to the west of the main loop, is a prairiedog town in the Badlands. I entered the park on an unpaved road and found the clearly marked prairie dog town. There, covering more than an acre, was a collection on holes and dozens of prairie dogs. They were chirping and running about, disappearing into their holes if anyone got too close.
I think that's about it for day 1. Now it is actually the end of day 2, so I need to write that.