9/4 -- Mt. Rushmore=No, Badlands = Yes

We had planned to go to Mt. Rushmore on the way to Chicago, and actually got there, but there was a nasty long line to park and a big fee. We thought there might be free parking elsewhere so continued on and discovered we were wrong. On the way back to pay for parking, we discovered a very nice view of the rock, so we took pictures outside the park and left.

Mt. Rushmore for free

Looking at the map, we saw that there was a driving route thru the Badlands, so we decided to do that instead. Along the way, we read the AAA Tour Book about Wall, SD, where the driving loop starts, and discovered the history behind Wall Drug, whose road signs we had been seeing for a while. In the 1930's, the store thought they could bring in business by advertising free ice water on roadway signage, since a summer trip was hot and dry in the area. The plan was a smash and resulted in Wall Drug signs throughout the country and beyond, so we decided to see what all the hype was about and added that to our itinerary. I can only say that the town of Wall probably owes its continued existence to the drug store owners! The main street was lined with apparently thriving businesses and people were everywhere! Jim even sprung for a cherry malted.

The Badlands Trail was pretty interesting, and we got out and took pictures more than I anticipated. They were created by blowing sand of different types (hence color bands) and volcanic ash (the gray bands) which mixed with water and created a very hard clay. One area where I walked on a mound to take a photo was rock-hard. We also saw a pronghorn antelope and big horn sheep. Between the drug store and the Badlands, we more than chewed up the time we had saved by skipping Mt Rushmore and really had to push on our drive later than usual so that the last leg to Chicago tomorrow wouldn't be too onerous.

This reminded me of a faded Bryce Canyon or Mongolia's
Flaming Cliffs

These mounds had an usual yellow layer not seen in
most of the park.

The day was also frustrating because I have been actively using my smartphone to aid in finding gas, lodgings, and restaurants. This morning I got a nastygram this morning saying I was using up too much roaming data and was being charged for it now -- and I have an unlimited data plan. So I tried to live without today and it was like being thrown backwards in time by 10 years or more except back then I had better and more paper maps! YUCK!!