Monday, July 9, 2007

Today's Journey

Of course, it was bound to happen that one day I would forget the camera..

today was that day.

 

SO

 

I will now describe to you the pictures that didn't get taken.

 

We wanted to be sure and take a picture of the Calvary Chapel we visited in

Rapid City, so that is the first picture we didn't take.

 

After church, we missed taking the funniest one of the day.  It is Chris

cowering behind my legs as we watch an animated T-Rex growl and steam at us.

We are in Wall, South Dakota.  For any of you that haven't heard of Wall

Drug, I will tell you a bit of the story.  (I got this from the menu.)  A

young pharmacist decided to run his own pharmacy in a small town.  He found

one for sale in Wall and decided to use his inheritance from his father to

purchase it.  Let me tell you he was a visionary if he thought there were

enough people to keep him busy out there.  Anyway, he told his wife that if

he was unable to provide a living within a year they would move on.

Sometime during that year she came up with this idea to offer free ice water

to travelers on the highway.  This was in the 30's and people were traveling

in them old model T's or whatever else.  He thought that was an excellent

idea and with the help of a high school student made some signs and posted

them on the side of the highway...like the Burma shave signs.  The idea

worked wonderfully well and the people came to the drug store.  Of course,

when they got there they bought stuff.  Within a year they had eight

employees.  Now the store is a full city block and the only reason the town

still exists.  Should you ever go there I would recommend you eat at any

other restaurant in town.  The food at Wall Drug is not good and very

expensive as well.

 

The next picture that we didn't take was of Rose and Chris sitting in a

covered wagon (again at Wall Drug) pretending to go across the prairie.

There is a courtyard of fun activities for children to do which makes it a

nice break from driving through the center of South Dakota.  We didn't take

a lot of other pictures of them playing...which I won't bore you with.

 

When we were shopped out (only took some of us a few minutes), we headed

south into the Badlands.  They start less than ten miles from Wall.  The

advice we had was to go to the Badlands either at sunset or dawn to have the

best show of colors.  We have two reasons why we didn't want to do it at

that time of day: 1) Rose 2) Chris. So we went in the middle of the

afternoon.  The next non-picture is incredible.  You must understand just

how rich and lush the Black HIlls are to really appreciate the rare

starkness of the Badlands.  It is as if all the good is sucked out of one

area (Badlands) and dumped into another (Black Hills).  The scenery in the

Badlands is surreal.  We were amazed by it.  At the pull-outs we joined many

other tourists in quiet amazement.  The picture not showing here is of us

high above a plateau of folding hill sides separated by huge cracks and

canyons--with no vegetation to be seen.

 

The last shot is of a place called  Pig Dig.  You will especially like not

seeing the one with Chris quizzing the archeologist about how she came to be

in a hole to dig in the dirt.  It was more like an interrogation.  Of course

you can't see Rose in the background going through their trash can looking

for???? Who knows what.  Those two little girls you can't see are her new

friends, neither of which can speak English.  Rose believes she was speaking

Spanish with them, but I am not so sure as there seem to be many Ukrainian

people here.

 

There were many many pull-outs that we refused to leave the car to enjoy the

view.  Maybe it was just today, or maybe they are always there...but, there

are some nasty little flies in the Badlands.  They refuse to be brushed away

and will only leave you alone if you swat them.  Not only that they are

quick--and bite.  I mean BITE HARD!!!  We are all full of welts from them.

Either they prefer ankles or white colors as they went for our feet.

 

I truly do feel bad spamming everyone.  It must feel like you are watching

someone's home movie.  Remember I will never know if you just delete these

missives.  So don't feel guilty at all if that is what you do.

 

Probably no pictures tomorrow either.  Not because I am planning to forget

the camera, but because we are going to be cleaning and only have a bike

ride planned.

 

Enjoy your sunshine!

 

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