On the road east to Missouri – Monday, July 21

We’re on our way east again, planning on spending several days with my brother, Dan, in Missouri. We Vermonters still find the prairie landscape amazing. In realize the locals get weary of it, but it’s a stark contrast to us. Well, Laura and me anyway. No other special sights or stops planned for today, but …

We were seeing all these signs for “Wall Drug” as we headed east across South Dakota. We’re collecting a refrigerator magnet from each state, so Laura suggested we stop there to pick one up at what sounded like a spunky small town drug store. Turns out, it was a full-blown tourist trap with acres of shops, restaurants, and similar trappy stuff. The kids had a blast in the “back yard” area. The kids posed on various critters (here’s Robin on a mythical mid-west jack-a-lope), and Philip and James played tag with this water court that shot water from the ground and a water tower to get you all soaked. James tried to stay dry (and generally succeeded) while Philip tried to get as wet as possible (and overachieved).

We also stopped at the Corn Palace further east. The town of Mitchell, SD, has this multi-use building (stage theatre, basketball court, etc.) that they cover in corn cobs each year with a new theme. We’re not likely to see the world’s largest ball of string, so we thought this would be the next best thing. We finally got our SD magnet here.

We spent the night at Camp America Campground in Salem, SD, and I can highly recommend it for quiet family overnighters on the road.

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