| s/y Nine of Cups Roadside Americana - South Dakota June 2012 |
| Don't forget to check out: National Parks & Monuments American Odyssey...Part I (Las Vegas to Denver) American Odyssey...Part II (Denver to Boston) Birds of North America Wildflowers of North America |
| As soon as we entered South Dakota, there was something to see. With the acquisition of Hawaii and Alaska, the geographical center of the USA became Belle Fourche, SD (sorry... this is pronounced Bell Foosh by the locals) and there's a marker to prove it. EXCEPT the real center is in a field several miles out of town and the town didn't want to inconvenience tourists, so the marker is conveniently located in town. Hmm... we figured the center should actually be the center...even if inconvenient. Moving it from the center makes it off-center, but evidently folks in Belle Fourche don't agree with us. |
| I90 is the longest highway in the US, stretching from Boston to Seattle. |
| 1880 town along I90 came into being when a western movie was filmed nearby and the set was left behind. It's grown considerably with authentic buildings and contents lining the main street. Kids get a free sheriff's badge, but David refused to let me go in. |
| This is our favorite along I90...Skeleton Man Walking Skeleton T-Rex |
| A patriotic buffalo is one of several decorated bison adorning the streets and sidewalks in Custer, SD. |
| A 60' tall, 25 ton sculpture of a bull's head is one of several junk art creations by Wayne Porter which adorn the I90 corridor through South Dakota. |
| World's largest prairie dog in Cactus Flat, SD is 12' tall and concrete. There's an actual dogtown situated behind him and the Badlands Trading Post next door offers lots of prairie dog souvenirs. |
| This little guy is a rare white prairie dog and is only located in this part of the world. In 1966, some local Sioux were trying to get rid of some "dogs" and noticed some white ones. They relocated them to Prairie Homestead and the Trading Post dogtown and now most of the dogs here are white. |
| We passed up the chance to try rhubarb wine at the Red Ass Winery. We'll probably kick ourselves later. |
Pringle, SD ...elk capital? We thought they
made potato crisps.
made potato crisps.
| This is definitely grain-growing country. |
| They tout over 250, rare, classic vehicles at the Pioneer Auto Show in Murdo, SD as well as old nickelodeons and band organs. |
| We found this guy in the Auto Show parking lot...no explanation, but why would you even need one? |
| South Dakota is rich in national parks and monuments. Be sure to visit them with us: |
| South Dakota's state insect is the honey bee (state insect??). Some interesting facts about honey:
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| Ever seen the old movie "Big" with Tom Hanks? Zoltar tells the young boy's fortune and grants his wish to become big with interesting results. Knowing this in advance, we stayed away from the Zoltar we saw in Deadwood although his eyes seemed to follow our every move. Eerie! |
| Wall Drug in Wall, SD is a can't miss stop along I90. From goldpanning, to T-Rex to tent spikes to monkeys playing pianos, this eclectic, eccentric place appeals to something in everyone. For more on Wall Drug and all of its many wonders, go to American Odyssey II - Denver to Boston. |
| Al's Oasis in Murdo, also on I90, is a wanna be Wall Drug. They've copied the roadside signage idea and have tried to emulate Wall, but it's nowhere close to the real thing. They do have a well-stocked supermarket there which differs from Wall, but not much else. |
| Mitchell's Corn Palace was a one of a kind place. See more American Odyssey II - Denver to Boston |
| From South Dakota, we head to Minnesota where quirky things like green giants, twine and spiced ham abound. Are you coming along??? |