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Authors: Gerry Hempel Davis
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creative entrepreneur in the world of meats. Aside from SPAM, there three thousand other Hormel products!
Note: One cannot mention Minnesota without giving Garrison Keillor a mention. No one is quite like the man who talks about Lake Wobegon, created A Prairie Home Companion , and ad-libs to perfection. I smile just writing his name and reflect on how much I admire and enjoy his shows and music. I am glad to be driving when his program is on, and listening to it two days in a row is just fine.
Rumor has it that GK is retiring. Alas, but his CD’s will help.
South Dakota
This beautiful state should be investigated and enjoyed. I-90 across South Dakota is a great road with some extraordinary sights that are natural wonders. At the welcome centers, be sure to pick up brochures on various South Dakota places. I found several excellent ones, especially the “Guide to Antique Shops in South Dakota.”
Mitchell
About a quarter of the way (heading west) into the state, Mitchell is definitely a good place to stop. For one thing, the mayor was a woman when I was there. How wise to have a woman at the helm. While Mitchell has the usual mix of stores, gas stations, and motels, it also features a variety of unusual museums, including the following, among others:
Enchanted World Doll Museum
615 N. Main St.
605-996-9896
Middle Border Museum of American Indian and Pioneer Life
1331 S. Duff St.
605996-2122
Soukup & Thomas International Balloon & Airship Museum
700 Main St.
605-996-5533
Corn Palace
604 N. Main St.
605-995-8427
www.cornpalace.com
This is a one and only. To say it is unique would be an understatement. The original Corn Palace, a huge mosque-like building, was built in 1892, but the establishment moved two blocks away in 1914. It moved again in 1921 to its present site. It was originally built to show and emphasize the early settlers’ harvest. The siding of the building is real corn sawed lengthwise and applied to the sides. It is definitely uniquely artistic. Each year the corn is stripped off and a new scene is “painted.” The murals on the walls depict South Dakota lifestyles. The palace is used for many different events. You can purchase all kinds, and I do mean all kinds, of corn products. What a good opportunity to pick up that unusual gift. This building has another name: World’s Largest Bird Feeder. Everyone must try to visit the Corn Palace at least once. You will not be alone as there are about five hundred thousand visitors a year. Admission is free.
Outside the Corn Palace there are antique shops, as well, of course, as various tourist traps. Mitchell has a special, albeit a bit touristy, feel, but I recommend a visit. Just don’t forget the winter weather. Leaving Mitchell, the drive along I-90 is a delight. The sights are beautiful, and the places to stop are many.
Badlands National Park
I-90, Exit 131 for those travelling west, Exit 110 at Wall for those traveling east
605-433-5361
www.nps.gov/badl
It has taken 30 million years to produce the Badlands with its multicolored buttes and rough stone spires. All 240,000 acres are impressive.
There are three main units in the Badlands. I drove the North Unit , which is a loop road with many scenic overlooks. The interpretive signs at the pull-outs are excellent and informative. I could easily ramble on about the Badlands, with their red and brown hues, massive formations, and winds, but it is all in the eyes of the beholder. Don’t miss seeing this American wonder. It is another magnificent treasure. Stop at the Ben Reifel Visitors Center (605-433-5361) five miles into the park. You have time to plan your visit; geologists state that with the two-inch-per-year erosion rate, it will take five hundred thousand years for the Badlands to disappear.
Wall
Wall Drug
510 Main St.
605-279-2175
www.walldrug.com
Wall Drug is located at the junction of I-90 and Route 240. Don’t worry, you won’t miss it as many billboards will remind you
Note: One cannot mention Minnesota without giving Garrison Keillor a mention. No one is quite like the man who talks about Lake Wobegon, created A Prairie Home Companion , and ad-libs to perfection. I smile just writing his name and reflect on how much I admire and enjoy his shows and music. I am glad to be driving when his program is on, and listening to it two days in a row is just fine.
Rumor has it that GK is retiring. Alas, but his CD’s will help.
South Dakota
This beautiful state should be investigated and enjoyed. I-90 across South Dakota is a great road with some extraordinary sights that are natural wonders. At the welcome centers, be sure to pick up brochures on various South Dakota places. I found several excellent ones, especially the “Guide to Antique Shops in South Dakota.”
Mitchell
About a quarter of the way (heading west) into the state, Mitchell is definitely a good place to stop. For one thing, the mayor was a woman when I was there. How wise to have a woman at the helm. While Mitchell has the usual mix of stores, gas stations, and motels, it also features a variety of unusual museums, including the following, among others:
Enchanted World Doll Museum
615 N. Main St.
605-996-9896
Middle Border Museum of American Indian and Pioneer Life
1331 S. Duff St.
605996-2122
Soukup & Thomas International Balloon & Airship Museum
700 Main St.
605-996-5533
Corn Palace
604 N. Main St.
605-995-8427
www.cornpalace.com
This is a one and only. To say it is unique would be an understatement. The original Corn Palace, a huge mosque-like building, was built in 1892, but the establishment moved two blocks away in 1914. It moved again in 1921 to its present site. It was originally built to show and emphasize the early settlers’ harvest. The siding of the building is real corn sawed lengthwise and applied to the sides. It is definitely uniquely artistic. Each year the corn is stripped off and a new scene is “painted.” The murals on the walls depict South Dakota lifestyles. The palace is used for many different events. You can purchase all kinds, and I do mean all kinds, of corn products. What a good opportunity to pick up that unusual gift. This building has another name: World’s Largest Bird Feeder. Everyone must try to visit the Corn Palace at least once. You will not be alone as there are about five hundred thousand visitors a year. Admission is free.
Outside the Corn Palace there are antique shops, as well, of course, as various tourist traps. Mitchell has a special, albeit a bit touristy, feel, but I recommend a visit. Just don’t forget the winter weather. Leaving Mitchell, the drive along I-90 is a delight. The sights are beautiful, and the places to stop are many.
Badlands National Park
I-90, Exit 131 for those travelling west, Exit 110 at Wall for those traveling east
605-433-5361
www.nps.gov/badl
It has taken 30 million years to produce the Badlands with its multicolored buttes and rough stone spires. All 240,000 acres are impressive.
There are three main units in the Badlands. I drove the North Unit , which is a loop road with many scenic overlooks. The interpretive signs at the pull-outs are excellent and informative. I could easily ramble on about the Badlands, with their red and brown hues, massive formations, and winds, but it is all in the eyes of the beholder. Don’t miss seeing this American wonder. It is another magnificent treasure. Stop at the Ben Reifel Visitors Center (605-433-5361) five miles into the park. You have time to plan your visit; geologists state that with the two-inch-per-year erosion rate, it will take five hundred thousand years for the Badlands to disappear.
Wall
Wall Drug
510 Main St.
605-279-2175
www.walldrug.com
Wall Drug is located at the junction of I-90 and Route 240. Don’t worry, you won’t miss it as many billboards will remind you
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