Monday, July 12, 2004
Throughout the drive in South Dakota, particularly on the Interstate 90, cheezy, massive billboard signs promoted a store in Wall, South Dakota, called Wall Drug. The sign messages varied from Visit Wall Drug to Ice Cold Water - Wall Drug to Get Hooked on Wall Drug with a painted picture of a fish on a hook. The amount of billboards that Wall Drug posted from one end of S. Dakota to the other is an outstanding achievement. I was amazed by the cheese factor of the signs and the crispness of the message. Compared to other signs, Wall Drug had the best variety and best maintenance. Bizarre.
Wall Drug proved to be the most Americana spot in all of our tour, although the cowboy factor in Wyoming was pretty close. The tourist trap of western motif, mining history, and small town vibe was remarkable. I found myself to be a very willing participant in every element of bad kitsch - from plastic Indian drums, to massive dinosaur roaring models, to singing mannequins, to authentic cowboy duds, to historical black and white photo hallways, to the variety of cow brand plaques posted throughout the dining room. The best picture we took was Angelo posing with a "Lil Sheriff" Joe badge with utmost seriousness. Of course no girl names were available in the Lil Sheriff badge series, so I had to go without a pose for myself.
We washed up, ate some greasy breakfast grub, and took the best of all donuts along with us for the next leg of the Interstate.
Tourists were hard to distinguish between the Wall Drug senior regulars. Five cents for a cup of coffee must be a hard price to beat in the town of less than 1000. We laughed, gaped, and deliriously played in Wall Drug until the stench of lameness kicked in.
We boarded the pink highway to our next destination, Keystone Town and Mount Rushmore.
Wall Drug proved to be the most Americana spot in all of our tour, although the cowboy factor in Wyoming was pretty close. The tourist trap of western motif, mining history, and small town vibe was remarkable. I found myself to be a very willing participant in every element of bad kitsch - from plastic Indian drums, to massive dinosaur roaring models, to singing mannequins, to authentic cowboy duds, to historical black and white photo hallways, to the variety of cow brand plaques posted throughout the dining room. The best picture we took was Angelo posing with a "Lil Sheriff" Joe badge with utmost seriousness. Of course no girl names were available in the Lil Sheriff badge series, so I had to go without a pose for myself.
We washed up, ate some greasy breakfast grub, and took the best of all donuts along with us for the next leg of the Interstate.
Tourists were hard to distinguish between the Wall Drug senior regulars. Five cents for a cup of coffee must be a hard price to beat in the town of less than 1000. We laughed, gaped, and deliriously played in Wall Drug until the stench of lameness kicked in.
We boarded the pink highway to our next destination, Keystone Town and Mount Rushmore.
