We got an early start to our day, as we knew we wanted to make some stops and sightsee before dark. To hold true to our camping experiences, our day started out with rain and thunderstorms. Super. We drove a very soggy few hours and took a break in Mitchell, SD to see the world famous Corn Palace!
Scamp butt! :)
Now, I don't know if you've ever been there, but it is certainly a sight to see. Words can't describe it, and pictures simply don't capture what it really is. You have to go! There. I've done my part to support tourism of the Corn Palace. Here are some pics from our stop there:
An opportunity for a corn cob selfie? Don't mind if we do, thank you!
Yep...that's the Corn Palace. Huge panels of the exterior are decorated with corn, and 2016's theme was Rock of Ages. Each year, the Palace has a new theme, you know...so you won't get bored coming to see it more than once. While it may be a bit on the cheesy side, I do marvel at the skill it took to conceive and produce the art with such an unusual medium.
And that's just the outside! But wait! There's more!
Inside, you'll find all kinds of (interesting?) information about the Corn Palace, see lots of photos, have the option of purchasing several touristy souvenirs, and taking some funny photos!
It is exactly how it looks.
Ooh! Did I mention they have one of those penny squishing machines? Yep! Cuz you don't want to forget your time at the Corn Palace!
It only costs 50 cents to ruin one perfectly good penny!
Just look at those faces! That is our honest to goodness real reaction to Mitchell's Corn Palace. Time to go on with our trip, I'd say!
While leaving Mitchell, we spent priceless seconds reliving the fun that we had there, but we were looking forward to our next stop, our campground at Badlands National Park!
By this point in the trip, the rain had stopped, and we were faced with an unbelievably stunning day. Sun, puffy clouds, absolutely brilliant blue skies. THIS is what we'd hoped for as we approached The Badlands.
Now those are views that would never get old! Every time I looked out the window, I was greeted with a fresh, new landscape.
We drove right to our campground in the park with ease. The campground itself was a little disappointing, nothing more than a large circle of asphalt with campers parked on either side of the pavement. Boring, but at least the views were pretty!
We did get rather excited as we arrived...there was another T@b already there and set up! You can see it in the background of the pic:
The owners weren't home at first, but Andy met them later at the water spigot, and had a nice chat. This was their first trip in their new camper, and they were really excited!
The yellow bucket I bought at Big Lots turned out to be a fabulous water carrier!
Once we were set up at the campground, we unhitched one car and drove through the park to see some more fabulous views, and take a trip into Wall, SD to experience the wonder that is Wall Drug. :)
We pulled over at a scenic overlook, figuring it would be one of the best places to catch big views, and it certainly didn't disappoint. However, I had to face my worst fear: snakes. There was a sign, quite clearly posted, alerting tourists to native rattlesnakes in the grasses. OMG. Snakes. No! Just...NO. For those of you who know me well, you know I really had to be brave. We crossed the wooden boardwalk through the tall grasses to reach the overlook, and I didn't see a single, icky, horrible snake. Didn't stop my toes from sweating and my head from spinning...
WORTH IT!!! Loved looking out at all the formations, and swapped cameras with another group so we'd each be able to have a whole group pic. :) After a windy, gorgeous experience, I hightailed my butt back across the boardwalk and with much relief and feeling of personal victory, jumped back in the car to head to Wall Drug.
(Pause for applause.)
Wall Drug is an entirely different cheesy experience than the Corn Palace. There's way more souvenirs and touristy things to occupy your time, and I have no trouble admitting I love all of it. I'll post all the rated PG and under pics we took. Jeff and Andy are responsible for the NSFW pics...
Here it is, in all its glory!
A spot to hitch yer horse.
Kathy riding a giant Jackalope!
Me, cheesin' with a bull.
You meet all sorts of beings at Wall Drug.
She was driving really, really fast!
Distracted driver! Dropped the reins to take a pic!
The perfect Melodrama pose.
Our first glimpse of Mount Rushmore was underwhelming...
...so Andy and Kathy "picked" a new pose!
Finally, we headed back to the campground to enjoy a quick bite to eat, and an enjoyable evening of sunsets and stargazing!
Happy Camping!
Peggy
So pretty! I love the corn palace...NOT! It looks like a school gym. LOL! I have been there though. Once. So glad your bucket holds water. Glad you had a fun trip and I can't wait for part 2!
ReplyDeleteThanks! You know, if you've only been to the Corn Palace once, you really ought to give it another try! :)
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