Only in South Dakota! Today, Pat and I saw: the world’s craziest and most publicized drug store; the world’s only Corn Palace; and an amazing piece of real estate called Badlands National Park.
I remember as a kid seeing signs or bumper stickers for Wall Drug Store, Wall SD. So we had to go. It’s a whole city block in the small town of Wall, with dozens of connected stores, western art exhibits, animated animals and even the Zoltan fortune telling machine from the movie “Big”.
At the end of the day, we witnessed the Corn Palace, an indoor arena where the outside is covered with murals made completely from corn, with a new set of murals made each year. It’s been there since 1890.
In between, on another raw rainy day, we were in Badlands, so named by the native peoples, the French trappers and the American settlers, because it’s so difficult to get across the wall of rock formations that cut the park in half and because the climate is so difficult for growing – too hot in summer, frigid in winter and only about 15 inches of rain annually. We saw a film and exhibits at the visitor center and then drove the scenic road, stopping every few moments for amazing overlooks and short hikes. The park is known around the world for its fossils – a discovery of a pre-historic type of rhinoceros in the mid-1800’s pretty much started the field of paleontology. Homesteaders grabbed their 160 acres of the land in the late 1800’s, but most of them couldn’t support themselves and moved on, which led to the creation of the national park. Many plants and animals thrive here, so maybe the Badland aren’t so bad!
Today’s song is – “Badlands” by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band – though he probably wasn’t talking about this park.
This year’s theme is the military, so there’s a mural for each branch of the service. 
This close-up shows that the murals are really made out of corn. 
The front of the Corn Palace. 
Railroad and highway bridges over the Missouri River. Lewis and Clark camped out here in 1804. 
A 50 foot statue “Destiny” on honor of Native American women. 
A rare creek in Badlands. 
Very colorful rock formations 
This looks like a layer cake. 
The top looks like an island green in a very rocky golf course. 
Pat and I at Panoramic Overlook. 
Part of the “Rock Wall” at Badlands National Park 
This reminds me of a hoodoo from Bryce Canyon. 
Wall Drug Store, Main Street, Wall South Dakota.
Mark's cross-country trip 