Family Vacation-Day Three part One

Day three dawned bright and sunny, though for some of us it started before the sun came up. The one hazard of parking at Walmart is when, around five or six am, the parking lot cleaner came around, seeming to pay particular attention to the area around all of the RV's. Sigh.

Anywho, with the aid of the new GPS we made our way to Hardee's for breakfast, as Dad was excited to get some of their sausage and eggs. Mom and I made our way in and ordered for those of us who had not already eaten, afterwhich I took a couple of pictures:

(As a side note, mom was very excited to be able to get such a large diet coke, as we were well equipped in our traveling accomadations)

Turns out I actually could have taken more pictures, as for some reason the staff at that particular Hardee's on that particular morning wasn't all that particularly efficient. By the time we finally got the food and got back out to the RV, Mom and Dad were disappointed and my own food was rather cold. At least it was still rather tasty. Sad to say, though, that ultimately if we ever find ourselves back in Gillette, Hardee's will not be on our breakfast list.

Our first official tourist destination for the day was Wall Drug, on the edge of the South Dakota Badlands. It had been founded by Ted and Dorothy Hustead in 1931. After five years of watching time pass by through the front window of their typically empty drug store, Dorothy had a great idea-advertise free ice water for passing travelers (a big deal, especially as air conditioning was years away from being a standard feature in cars). Skeptical and feeling somewhat silly, Ted elicited the aid of a local high school boy to paint and then put up a series of signs each bearing a phrase of the following ad: "Get a soda...Get root beer...Turn next corner...Just as near...To Highway 16 & 14...Free Ice Water...Wall Drug".

Before Ted returned from posting the last sign, people had already begun pouring in. They quickly ran through their supply of chipped ice and had to start chipping it off their ice block. They spent hours pouring ice water and selling ice cream cones. Thus began a great tradition-from one little drug store has sprung a true American landmark:

There are actually a very large variety of sections and sub-stores throughout Wall Drug, of which I took pictures of just a few. Over the last couple of years they have even expanded to include a "Back Yard", featuring more stores, a little mining section, a T-Rex, a ground fountain, a Mt Rushmore replica, and even a giant Jackalope:

I confess I was rather amused to see just how much they catered to tourists as a source of entertainment, not just merchandise. They even had life-size bands playing country songs, and Mom made a new friend and met a new beau:

(Dad never did seem particularly jealous at this new development)

My singular goal to fulfill at Wall Drug was to find a new ring for the pointer finger of my right hand. I had a couple of stores to choose from with relatively decent selections. Two of my favorite displays in all of Wall Drug were located in the store at which I made my purchase:

I think the Eagle Crossing one was the first to truly catch my attention and make me laugh :) Behind this particular display is The Donut Shop, where they featured three different types of old-fashioned cake donuts, chocolate, buttercreme?, and maple. While some in my family were somewhat disappointed at the lack of raised donuts, I quite thoroughly enjoyed them.

I have to admit, from a retailer's standpoint (especially one who works in a museum), I was quite impressed with Wall Drug-an impressive selection of merchandise and souvenirs, exhibits of statues, art and historical photography, and interactive exhibits as well. From a tourist's standpoint, I quite enjoyed the atmosphere provided to spend quality time with my family. Overall, a very worthy stop on the way to our ultimate destination :)