Day 23

Wednesday - August 8


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Broke camp and headed back into Custer for breakfast. Found Baker's Cafe, in which we were the only non-bikers (hey, Captain Obvious, do ya think we stood out just a tad?) and on which a sign over the door proclaimed this as a site for a locally infamous murder some time back in the 8o's - - - 1880's.

Headed north out of Custer for the Crazy Horse monument where I got into a heated discussion with one of the ticket takers over why bikers were charged $5.00 apiece on a bike but Annie and I had to pay $20.00 for two of us in the car. Annie's better judgement prevailed.

Talked to a local who recommended a scenic route through the Black Hills to Mt. Rushmore. The Black hills are truly remarkable. We came across some wild mules who were only too happy to mosey over to the car looking for a treat.

Got great views of Mt. Rushmore before heading north to Deadwood, the well-known wild west town home to both the Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane legends. Then on to Sturgis, which I just had to see, total gridlock and all, before finding I-14 East to Wall.

Never let it be said that the aging mind falters here and there but the Wall Drug I recalled was not the Wall Drug we found. I remember waking up in the bus under a huge brontosaurus, walking past a model-whatever Ford and going into the Drug Store. Turns out the dinosaur was out on the highway, the old car is no more, and the drug store is and always has been in downtown Wall and is no more a drug store than Wal-Mart is a 7-11.

Not that it wasn't cool and not that things change after 45 years but we found a kindly clerk who gently pointed out that the brontosaurus was in the path of the Interstate and was moved, just how to find it, and that a lot of old-timers are just as confused as I seemed.

20 miles east of the dinosaur and about 10 miles south we found a campsite in the Badlands State Park.