We debated poaching the Welcome Campground, however, the hostess proved to be a sweetheart and she graciously took our payment.
On the road towards The Badlands, we took a grocery break in Hartford, SD, a pleasant town with a fine city park housing an excellent playground for unemployed structural engineers. Lunch was prolonged with plenty of watermelon; a perfect road trip stop. I drove the next few hours, fighting to stay awake and stopping briefly to recharge in Chamberlain,
SD.
The view above the Missouri River was impressive, as were the warning signs for rattlesnakes.
In Mitchell we saw the Corn Palace, a truly disappointing tourist attraction that lacked the copious amounts of corn the travel
books promised. It's not actually a palace, it's a basketball arena; and it's not actually covered in corn, it's partially covered with corn part of the year. The only kernel of enjoyment was the free charge...and getting back in the Wagon.
For the 500 miles prior to Wall, SD signs proclaimed the awesomeness of Wall Drug Store and its many amazing aspects, as well as your current proximity to Wall. Well, Wall Drug Store is a touristic hell-hole.
Luckily, like the Corn Palace you can leave Wall Drug, but instead of highway you
can drive 18 miles to the north entrance of The Badlands National Park. The road rides along the edge of the cliffs that give The Badlands their beauty.
We found a campsite by the Ben Reifle Visitor's Center and I headed out for a run up the cliffs as the temperature settled back towards 90. The run was amazing during the fiery sunset, possibly the best of the trip.
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