Wall Drug

Dja ever hear of Wall Drug? If so, it's probably because of the billboards and signs that dot the landscape for hundreds of miles throughout South Dakota and neighboring states--or some of the many signs visitors of Wall Drug have erected around the world announcing the number of miles to Wall Drug from various locations.

Well, I can say I've been there, and so can the lovely Robin. We visited last week on one of our many sojourns around the amazing Black Hills of South Dakota and beyond. It started as--get this--a small-town drug store in the city of Wall, South Dakota, bought by Ted Hustead in 1931. It has since become a tourist attraction consisting of a drug store, gift shop, restaurants, museum displays, and more, drawing two million annual visitors and raking in more than ten million dollars a year.

It is a joy to behold. The lovely Robin and I, in the company of our hosts, Randy and Kathy, had lunch there and, believe it or not, I had an actual five-cent cup of coffee. At that price, how could I pass it up? They also offer free coffee and a donut to honeymooners, veterans, priests, hunters, and truck drivers. 

I also had a ham-and-cheese sandwich and a chocolate shake, though the shake really was just soft serve ice cream, like a Wendy's Frosty. Still. It was good. 

Robin enjoyed her roast beef sandwich and mashed potatoes with just a, em, little gravy. 

What a fun and fascinating place, including displays of local and area history, and so much more. And a breathtaking array of western art--including paintings by N. C. Wyeth, the great illustrator and one of my favorites--is displayed throughout the place (though I honored their admonition not to photograph the paintings). It is located 60 miles east of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. 

Badlands National Park

On our recent visit to South Dakota, the lovely Robin and I were thrilled to visit the "Badlands," an area of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles, spires, and canyons amid the largest undisturbed mixed grass prairie in the United States.

While driving through and stopping often in the Badlands National Park, we got to see two bighorn rams (among many grazing along the road, unconcerned with and unimpressed by the humans who stopped to watch and photograph them). Just before I took the photo above, they butted heads but neither seemed really serious or offended; it looked like a playful butt, though I am no expert in butts of any kind.

I also got to hear a rattlesnake that was apparently coiled under wooden steps at one of the many overlook sites (in the panoramic view, above). I tried to coax him out to play but he declined.

It was an amazing visit to many breathtaking scenes. Badlands National Park is in southwest South Dakota, not far from our lodgings in Keystone.

Needles Highway

Before our first visit to South Dakota, all I knew of the state was Mount Rushmore. There is so much more.

On our recent visit, our generous hosts took the lovely Robin and me to see the Needles Highway in the Black Hills, named after the striking granite "needles" it winds among. Wow. How beautiful.

The highway passes through Custer State Park, which contains the beautiful Sylvan Lake (above). 

I thought when we got to "the needle's eye," that the name was a reference to the narrow passage through which vehicles (of all sizes, amazingly) must pass...and the traffic is two-way! But I was wrong.

The Needle's Eye is a rock formation (above) facing the rock tunnel through the road, stretching to the sky.

It is all so beautiful. No photo can do it justice.

Needles Highway is also known as South Dakota Highway 87, just south of Hill City.

Crazy Horse Memorial

The lovely Robin and I were blessed last Sunday to pay a visit to the Crazy Horse Memorial, a massive sculpture being carved into Thunderhead Mountain on land considered sacred by some Oglala Lakota in the Black Hills of South Dakota. If it is ever finished (it has been in progress since 1948, when Henry Standing Bear, a Lakota elder, commissioned Korczak Ziolkowski to create it), it will depict Crazy Horse, an Oglala Lakota warrior, riding a horse and pointing into the distance. While millions of tons of rock have been blasted and moved from the mountain, the work proceeds slowly for lack of funding. Its completion is uncertain.

The grounds of the memorial includes the Indian Museum of North America and the Native American Cultural Center. We saw hoop dances performed there by an eighteen-year-old Lakota woman and her niece.

I could have spent days viewing the many amazing exhibits and artifacts in the museum, including a handwritten family tree of Crazy Horse. So much fascinating, beautiful, and heartbreaking stuff.

The Crazy Horse Memorial is roughly seventeen miles from Mount Rushmore.

Dakota Steakhouse, Rapid City, SD

Last Saturday evening, the lovely Robin and I had the joy of sharing a high-end dining experience with four of our newest close friends at the Dakota Steakhouse in Rapid City, South Dakota. After a full day of travel that started at 6 a.m. Eastern, we were ready for a relaxing and satisfying meal, and that’s what we got.

The Dakota Steakhouse is unique to Rapid City, inspired by the beauty and history of the area, as the American bison sculpture in front of the restaurant attests.

The company was top notch, and the food was outstanding. I thoroughly enjoyed the "three sisters" soup that started my meal, the coulotte steak cooked to order, and the side of bacon-wrapped asparagus. Delicious!

The Dakota Steakhouse is located at 1325 N. Elk Vale Road in Rapid City, just off I-90.

K Bar S Lodge, Keystone, SD

The lovely Robin and I feel so blessed to be spending most of this week in the comfort and beauty of the K Bar S Lodge in the Black Hills of South Dakota, just minutes from Mount Rushmore.

In fact, we have the choice of having breakfast on the deck within view of Mount Rushmore (or at least George Washington’s profile, in the background of the photo above) or next to a few of our new wild friends in the dining room that faces the hillside (below).

Our room is perfectly comfortable—and let me just say, the hot water comes quick and hot! We couldn’t ask for more…or better.

The K Bar S is located at 434 Old Hill City Road in Keystone, South Dakota—walking distance from the main drag through town.

Ruby House Restaurant, Keystone, SD

Soon after our arrival in Rapid City, South Dakota, last Saturday afternoon, the lovely Robin and I were treated to a late lunch at the Ruby House in Keystone, South Dakota.

There we stepped into the Old West in the turn-of-the-century dining room appointed with red velvet draperies, period pictures in antique frames, and antique hand guns and rifles.

Despite its appearance, the Ruby House's history dates only to 1970! The original establishment was destroyed by a devastating June 1972 flood, and a subsequent structure was gutted by fire in 2003. The Ruby House and its next-door neighbor, the Red Garter Saloon, were reopened for business on May 20, 2004.

I had the huckleberry chicken salad, and it was different and delicious. Robin had a hamburger and fries, and enjoyed it, too. The service was attentive and efficient, and if the company hadn't been so enjoyable we would have enjoyed our surroundings even more.

The Ruby House is located at 124 Winter Street in bustling downtown Keystone, South Dakota.