For Thanksgiving, we drove across the country to visit Will’s family. When we plotted our route in RV Trip Wizard, I added a few classic American and cheesy stops to consider if we had time. We were on a schedule, so we didn’t have much time for any unnecessary stops in either direction on the trip.
Leg A: Going West
On our way west, we visited the Ranch Store just outside the Badlands National Park. We were the only people there, plus it was closed, so the actual prairie dogs who live beneath the giant 12-foot tall concrete prairie dog were completely attentive to us. Will grew up in Wyoming, so prairie dogs didn’t excite him nearly as much as they did me. We spent maybe 10 minutes there before continuing west to visit the famous Wall Drugs in Wall, South Dakota.
We knew Wall Drug would also be a little cheesy, but we stopped anyway to grab the 5-cent coffee we heard about and breakfast. The Wall Drug build-up reminds me of South of the Border in South Carolina, which my family visited on every trip to visit my grandparents when I was growing up. Signs for Wall Drug dot the landscape for miles.
We weren’t interested in any of the shops or spending significant time there. We walked through to the backyard to see the Jackalope statue, then grabbed breakfast and coffee to go from the café. We heard the donuts were good, and 5-cent coffee couldn’t be beaten, but we felt overall the breakfast was a little overpriced for what it was. We each ordered a breakfast sandwich that was filled with eggs and a meat for $10.29 a piece. The to-go coffee was a little more than 5-cents (49 cents to be exact), but still a bargain. Will also grabbed a maple donut, and I couldn’t resist getting a toffee cookie.
Leg B: Going East
After a week away from home, we were on a tight schedule to get back to our sticks and bricks to unload the camper and be ready for work on Monday. But we managed to squeeze in a few kitschy stops plus a sunset at Badlands National Park. These stops added time to our trip home, but they also broke up the monotony.
Our first stop was the Center of the Nation in Belle Fourche, SD. It involved an 11-mile detour off of I-90, adding about 30 minutes to our trip home. However, after visiting the Prime Meridian in England in 2018, we couldn’t pass up a silly photo op at this marker in our own country. The actual center of the contiguous 50 states is about 22 miles away on private property marked by a pole with an American flag. Because Belle Fourche is the closest town to the actual Center of the Nation, they created a monument that’s more accessible and memorable. A 21-foot diameter compass is ringed with an Avenue of Flags, including all 50 state flags and the US and Canadian national flags. There are other things to see at the site, but we wanted to get home, so we took our picture and got back on the road.
About an hour later, we stopped at Dinosaur Park overlooking Rapid City, SD. Billed as one of South Dakota’s original tourist attractions, it was developed in 1936 to capitalize on the tourists visiting Mt. Rushmore. Again, we snapped a few pics and hit the road. While it was only approximately five miles off of I-90, stopping there added what likely amounted to another 30 minutes to our route.
Two other places I wanted to stop (Will may or may not have laughed at me) were the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD, and the Porter Sculpture Park in Montrose, SD. We drove by both of them after 9 p.m., so stopping wasn’t an option. I had found Porter Sculpture Park through Harvest Hosts, however, had we even driven by during the day, it was closed for the season.
Our last stop on the trek back to Georgia was in St. Louis for some famous Imo’s Pizza—and we may be shipping this to our home from now on. They use a special cheese blend on their pizzas called Provel® cheese, a combination of Cheddar, Swiss, and Provolone cheeses. It was an ooey, gooey, delicious pie. If you’re ever driving through St. Louis, we recommend you give them a try.
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