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.

Downtown Sioux Falls, ID

Spent more time in downtown Sioux Falls this afternoon, with the goal of visiting the Old Courthouse Museum, and if there is time, the Pettigrew House and Museum.

The Old Courthouse Museum (free admission) was a nice surprise and absolutely worth visiting. The historic building, completed in 1893, was saved from demolition, restored and turned into a museum. The "Courthouse Chronicles: From County Administration to Museum" exhibit traced the story, with artifacts, photos and information displays, of how the building was originally used and its transformation into the current museum.

I found the Old Courthouse Museum exhibits very interesting and well curated. Both "Cooking up History: Evolution of Kitchens and Cookbooks" and "Playing Favorites: 100 Great Artifacts" were fascinating, with effective story telling that invoked an emotional connection between the displays and the viewer. I gave the gentleman at the counter my feedback with compliments to the curators and staff. He was very pleased, turned out he was the Director of the Museum!

There was no time to visit the Pettigrew House, so I walked back to the Falls Park visitor parking lot. On the way, I googled where I could get some chislic, considered a dish unique to South Dakota. The Lodge Grill had it on its appetizers menu, so I got that and some beer-battered cheese curds to go. Both were pretty good (forgot to take photos of the food).

Falls Park, Sioux Falls, SD

I did not expect the falls to be so expansive and close to the city center. We parked near the visitor center and got a bite to eat at the Falls Overlook Cafe, flat bread with coffee. Then took a leisurely stroll around the falls for incredible views of the cascades from different parts of the trail, looked at the remains of the Queen Bee Mill.

The large interpretative signs at historical and scenic points were very well done; they gave context to what we saw. At the visitor center, I took the elevator to the tower to get a bird's eye view of the falls.

We asked for directions to the downtown area nearby, about a mile by foot. The guide told us to look out for sculptures along the streets we will be passing and said we could participate in voting for the best sculpture. The late afternoon was cool and cloudy, there were not a lot of people on the streets.

Below are a few of the sculptures, there was a variety of styles and material. My favorite was the last one, with a girl reading a book. Titles of classic stories were etched around the ring.

We went to a bar for a bite. I had a beer, cheese curds and a bratwurst. The food was not as good as the Old Fashioned in Madison. We spent the night at the Cracker Barrel just outside city center.

La Crosse, WI

Left Blackhawk Park this morning and made our way towards La Crosse. We stopped to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The grounds, with a very large parking lot (to accomodate groups of pilgrims), were very well maintained. The hike up to the Shrine on a shady paved road offered beautiful views of the surrounding areas, and sculptures along the way. The whole area had a very peaceful atmosphere, there was also a nice visitor center with gift shop, but the cafe was closed.

We then drove into La Crosse, stopped at a Walmart to replenish our water supply and ate lunch in our RVs. It was nice to have your home with you! After lunch, we went up to Grandad Bluff. We were a little apprehensive since reviewers mentioned that the road to the bluff was pretty steep and there were restrictions on heavy vehicles. But, our RVs made it up to the top without any problems; we parked and took in the views from the 600 ft bluff.

We overnight at the Walmart parking lot in Fairmont, about 3 hours west.