Mt Rushmore SD, Monday 11 May 2015

I'm on the move! Today started out all sunny and blue skies. There was plenty of snow around, but the locals are so used to clearing snow away that the roads were fabulous. I was quite cautious at first, not knowing if I'd come across some black ice. Over the course of the day I saw two trucks and a motor home that had veered off the road and were lying on their sides; salutory reminders of how quickly things can go wrong.

I do love a red barn.

My drive took me across the border into South Dakota and via some scenic driving through Custer, and then it was super easy to find the road to Mt Rushmore.
As I was driving, I didn't see anything on the approach. I paid my money, parked my car and followed the crowds, then all of a sudden

Wow.
There was still plenty of snow left from the blizzard the day before. In fact, the site was closed on Sunday, so it was lucky that I stayed put for the day.
Care to take a seat?

 

A bit of fun!

The town of Keystone is pretty close so I stopped there for lunch. I finally tried Indian fry bread - it was the base for a taco - plus some hard lemonade. I've read there is hard iced tea around - must try that if I can.

As I was driving towards Sioux Falls for the night, I kept seeing large billboards advertising Wall Drug. The signs were a bit like the Burma Shave billboards, and the place seemed to have everything. So of course I took a detour.

Wall Drug started out as a regular drug store in the 1930s in the small town of Wall in the Badlands of South Dakota. It's now more like a collection of small shops or 'departments' under the one roof. According to Wikipedia it takes in $10 million a year and attracts 2 million tourists. You can sit down next to some classic characters such Annie Oakley and this old timer

 Don't forget to look up!

I also found out what happens when the snow melts - there were rivulets everywhere and the constant drip of water from the roof.
Dinner was at a Perkins restaurant, including a fresh strawberry French silk pie.