Chamberlain and Wall Drug Store, SD

Our next destination is Wall, SD which will be the base to explore the Badlands National Park. The Chamberlain Lewis & Clark Welcome Center and Rest Area was a great place to break the 4-hour drive from Sioux Falls. This is an amazing rest area. The sculpture "Dignity of Earth and Sky" was awe-inspiring. There were fantastic views of the Missouri River and surrounding areas, a short trail for photo shoots (note the sign about poisonous snakes), exhibits on the Lewis & Clark expedition inside the welcome center, a gift shop, clean restrooms, large parking lot with RV slots and picnic areas.

We got to Wall, SD in the late afternoon and parked in the large parking lot behind Wall Drug Store. This is an interesting store, described in the Wikipedia article linked here and discussed by travellers who debated whether it was a tourist attraction or a tourist trap. But it does offer free overnight parking for RVs and coffee for 5 cents!

We went to the cafe and had their famous 5 cents coffee (dine-in only); I ordered a maple glazed donut while Nadine had a slice of cherry cobbler. We tasted each other's pastry and agreed the donut was better.

Then we spent some time walking up and down the rather long store(s), looking at the fun decor, including an animated cowboy "band". I window shopped while Nadine bought a few items.

Since it was still daylight when we went back to the RV, we decided to check out dispersed camping locations nearby, in particular, the "Wall" boondocking area just outside the Badlands. We went in my RV since I needed to drive it around to top up the coach battery. We found the dirt road leading to the Wall and followed it to the rim. It was an interesting drive, had to avoid potholes and ruts; some parts of the road were rather steep. Camping spots were marked, with some spots off limits due to restoration of vegetation. But it looked like we should be able to camp on the rim tomorrow.