Taxidermy

Even though the Midwest seems to be teeming with waterparks trying desperately to outdo each other, we headed for the Badlands. We would have loved to see them in the early morning light or with late afternoon shadows, but we arrived at 2 p.m. and were glad to get a chance to witness these amazing formations. Brett was so happy to find dry heat again.

Several hundred miles before we got to the Badlands, Wall Drug began advertising 5 cent coffee, homemade ice cream, free ice water, cowboy hats and much, much more. I had told the helpful woman at the tourist information center that I had no desire to stop there. But after a couple hours in the Badlands I was lured in by the promise of a restroom, homemade ice cream and a parking lot full of license plates from other states.

Wall Drug is 76,000 square feet of kitsch. You have to see it to believe it. They even have a chapel. Brett and I went in but surprise....no one was worshiping. I was finally dragged out by Brett who said we may never get out if we didn't leave soon.

But what amazes me most about this area is the amount of taxidermy I have seen. This picture was taken in a Mobil gas station. They had a lion, polar bear, giraffe, and so much more. I was astounded....as you can tell.

The final leg of our day was Mount Rushmore. We went out of our way so that we could drive in via Iron Mountain Road. I was told it was lovely but I really had no clue just how beautiful a drive could be. I was especially fond of the tunnels carved into the rock. That is actually Mount Rushmore you can see from the tunnel. We went there tonight but didn't stay very long. Maybe tomorrow we will see what it looks like with a little more light.

This is a rigorous road trip we planned. Both Brett and I commented today on the bags under our eyes. The problem is that the United States is filled with beauty and we want to see as much of it as we can.