Day 2: The Big Day of Play

So, after spending 12 hours driving on Day One, we knew that we'd have it easier today. We only had 7 hours of driving planned. That allowed us to make it into Rapid City and see Mount Rushmore before dark. But I'm getting ahead of myself. First, there was breakfast in Iowa.

We stopped for gas not too far out of Omaha, after passing back into Iowa. We knew from a little online research that there were two Speedway/Superamerica gas stations left on our route, and since we had a gift card (thanks to Teddy, and also thanks to everyone else that gave us gas cards or prepaid VISA cards!), we wanted to fill up at one. So after putting just a few gallons in the tank, we looked around the exit for a place to eat. McDonald's seemed to be the only thing open, but I staunchly refused to bow to the temptation to eat there. I pointed out a hole-in-the-wall place attached to another gas station, and that's how we ended up at Janz Restaurant.


After a wonderful Iowa farm breakfast, we got back on the road. This is some FLAT country. We drove through a few hours of more Iowa corn and pulled into Sioux Falls and stopped at the second to last Speedway/Superamerica in the country. We stocked up on snacks and headed back on the road.


Before long, we got over into South Dakota. We had to run the length of the state to get to Rapid City, where we're staying tonight. More flat. More corn. But there were highlights along the way. First up was Mitchell, and the CORN PALACE! That's right. It's a-maize-ing, apparently.


Well, it was okay. We both took a bathroom break, and I'm proud to say that I pooped in the corn palace. We looked around a bit, and then got back on the road.

It was after the Mitchell stop that we started noticing problems with the Canyonero. Basically it's using a fair amount of gas, and bogs if you've got your foot to the floor. That's a problem if you're trying to maintain 75 mph uphill. (That's the speed limit in this flat country, by the way.) So we went a bit slower sometimes, but a rest area break showed nothing obviously wrong with our SUV. Coolant level was fine, and thanks to the gauge that Kieran and I installed before we left, I could tell that the coolant temperature was fine as well. Voltmeter was okay, gas gauge was okay (although dropping faster than I'd like), and oil pressure was okay. Anyway, it may need a fuel filter change or something. Hard to tell. It's hard for it to be so loaded down and taking long uphill slopes at higher speeds.

So we took it easy for a while, and as we were running close to an empty tank, we stopped for gas at a little station in New Underwood that advertised the World's Smallest Biker Bar. The little dive next door did seem to be a small bar, and there were some bikers around. I noticed that the wind had been doing a number on the tarp containing our rooftop luggage. That's okay, though--it only has to last two more days.

Pretty soon, the signs for Wall Drug (which start at the other end of South Dakota, as soon as you cross the border) began to become more frequent and frantic, and then we were suddenly there.


Woo! Wall Drug!


It's actually fairly anti-climactic. We took some silly pictures, got some postcards, and then headed across the street for some dinner. This is by far the biggest tourist trap in South Dakota if not the entire US. The corn palace pales in comparison. We didn't even look in all the little shops. Is there anyone on the planet that needs a leather cookie jar that looks like Elvis?


We ate at the Cactus Cafe, and had the buffet. That included Buffalo meatballs and a HUGE Angus beef roast. The beef was excellent. It was actually the best thing on the menu. The guy that cooked it said he started cooking it at 5am. It was about 5:30 when we sat down for dinner. The whole thing was impressive. The meatballs were just ok.


Then it was time to push on further. We're lucky to be gaining time as we go. So far we've gained an hour for Central, and an hour for Mountain Time. That's nice.

After leaving Wall, we were only about an hour from our hotel in Rapid City. We pushed on in and checked in at the Day's Inn. Then we headed back out to go to Mount Rushmore.

Mount Rushmore is on the other side of Keystone, and we nearly got lost because my Google maps directions were to the middle of Keystone, SD, not to Mount Rushmore itself, and I wasn't really watching the signs. But after a single wrong turn, we figured it out and headed up the hill to the big stone faces.

Mount Rushmore is breathtakingly amazing.

Oh, wait. No it's not. It's a bunch of heads carved into a mountain. It looks like they did a great job on George Washington, and then slacked off with each subsequent president. Teddy's mustache is kinda cool, but Lincoln kinda looks like the Phantom of the Opera with his face barely done. (Also, it kind looks like Roosevelt and Lincoln are sharing some secret that they're keeping from George.)


So we took some pictures of us picking their noses and squishing their heads. Then we used the facilities. There's apparently some deal where they light up the monument after dark, but there was a crapload of tourists sitting in the bleachers, and we didn't want to get stuck in traffic. So we headed back down the mountain to Rapid City.

The hotel has a bar/casino and a outdoor heated pool. So we threw on our swimsuits, grabbed a drink at the bar, and swam around the pool a bit. Just a note--if you order either an Amaretto sour or Midori sour in Rapid City, South Dakota, apparently you're gonna get Seven instead of sour mix. Since bubbly Amaretto isn't my thing, I didn't drink much of mine. But at least it was cheap.

And now, it's down to the blogging and sleeping. Then it's back on the road tomorrow.