Day 8--Corn Corn Corn

And now for the roadside attraction that we promised Sam would be unbelievable.  He still can't believe it.  Let the corn jokes begin!

     The last time I was in Mitchell it looked like this.  I did not remember it at all.

The corncob dude was not very perky. Must not have been pollinated yet. Yes, probably the worst mascot job in the United States.

 

Of course we had to do this!  The little NIBLET (sorry Sam) wouldn't, of course.  We appreciate the humiliation he suffered to take this picture. 

Darren and I both remembered that the murals went all the way around.  Not so, since the City Hall looked pretty old.   We couldn't convince Sam to stick around for the Corn Movie, even though you could have popcorn or other assorted corn or corn syrup snacks while watching it.  We wandered the largest corn themed gift shop anywhere.  Who knew you could get that many different kinds of corn cob salt and pepper shakers and don't get me started on the collectable thimbles. 

At this point Sam was shaking from friend and video game withdrawal, so we grabbed a terrible latte at a coffee house about a block from the palace and headed for home.  Mission accomplished.  Sam's first long road trip.  Good times. 

Day 7--Goodbye Custer, Hello Fireworks

We felt like we had run out of things to do and I was really ready to get home, so we packed up.  Here are a few pictures of our campsite.  It was really nice.  Huge and private.  We sat a lot at the top of the hill on the tent pad and watched for critters.  The view from up there was great.     

This was the loud neighbor.  There always is one in a campground, isn't there?  When people on other sites would sneeze, she would holler, "God bless you."  When they weren't at their site being loud, they left their loud dog locked in the camper to stand in for them.  We especially enjoyed their 11 pm wood unloading from the back of their truck.  Joy. 

This site belonged to the park volunteer that checked us in.  She sure was a character.  I would imagine she was about 80, wore great big sunglasses with rhinestones, and had three dogs who traveled with her.  I wish this picture did her lawn ornaments justice.  What a hoot! 

The Goodbye Buffalo.  We think he's remote controlled and starts walking the road right after you check out.   

I loved the little cabins in the park.  Right on French Creek.  Really cute. 

And so we left the park and the quest for fireworks began.  Old Glory was pretty run down.  Not how I remembered it.  And it smelled in there. 

And then another stop at Wall Drug for a pair of Skull Candy headphones that Sam had spotted.  Used to be rubber tomahawks, now he's on to bigger and better souvenirs!

We liked the little Wall library. 

And finally....FIREWORKS!

And back to civilization.  We decided to check in the Holiday Inn Express for real beds, Chinese food, and a trip to the Corniest Palace around.  Sam could hardly contain his excitement (insert sarcasm here). 

The bike enjoyed the accommodations as well. 

Day 6-Wind Cave and Mammoth Site

We entered Wind Cave National Park through the back entrance, which was a pretty drive.  We saw more buffalo in Wind Cave than in Custer, which is hard to believe with all the pictures we took in Custer.  Sam and Darren went down into the cave and I stayed up top to read my book.  We had a picnic lunch in the campground, which was pretty ugly compared to Custer, but they were working on the road and it would probably be a quiet place to stay once summer is in full swing.

Then we checked out the Mammoth Site which was pretty interesting. 

Spent the night at the campsite.  The next morning we decided to pack it up a day early since I still was feeling pretty yucky.   

Day 5 Continued--Rainbow over Buffalo!

We took the Wildlife Loop one more time, just for me.  I love the critters so much.  Only one burro this time and he made short work of the carrots that we brought for him.  We shared with some other park visitors who were amazed that we were so forward thinking.  We didn't let them think otherwise! 

We wandered all the curves and right before heading out of the Wildlife Loop, a beautiful rainbow started to appear over a herd of buffalo.  And in my excitement, I could only yell, "Rainbow over buffalo" over and over again, which I suffered relentless teasing for.  Mom said that my Native American name must be Rainbow Over Buffalo.  I think she's right.  It was a wonderful moment.  The light in Custer State Park is just like it is in Wyoming and Montana.  In one word.  Amazing.  I love the American West and this area is just the beginning of it.  I can't wait to return.   

 I love this shot, especially because you can see the rainbow's  light as it hits the ground.  We got to see the end of the rainbow and it was in South Dakota!  Who knew?