Today we headed out for a drive to the Badlands. About a 1 1/2 hour drive east of Rapid City you come to the Badlands National Park, a 240,000 acre park consisting of these strange rock formations and grasslands that have taken shape over aeons. It was once a sea and as the water receded these formations were exposed and dried out, again over time. Apparently abundant with fossils we saw some fish and turtle fossils that were impressive. A loop road takes you through the park and you can stop at various points along the way to take in the views. At one point there is a section where you can climb the hills for better views. The kids were fascinated and enjoyed being able to climb everywhere.

On the drive out here we noticed a lot of billboards along the highway advertising a store in Wall called Wall Drug. The signs said things like "Free ice water", "5c cups of coffee", "Free coffee and doughnut to Vietnam Vets", "Wall Drug as told by the New York Times". There must have been one of these signs about every 500m. So like every other tourist we headed to Wall Drug to have a look. We probably spent about 2 hours just wondering around this store, it was just amazing. There was a chemist or drug store, a souvenir section, a camping section, a more up market souvenir section, toys, guns and knives, museum pieces, an ice-cream parlour, restaurant, and more. The backyard, as it was described contained puppet shows, dinosaurs, carriages, stuffed horses, and on and on it goes. Craig had a 5c cup of coffee and said he was ripped off. The kids and I enjoyed a doughnut. It wasn't like a department store, it was like a series of shops connected by hallways or alleys, and in the alleys the walls were covered by framed pictures of different historical events and people and the original drug store photos. I think this store and the concept has just grown and grown over the years and it really provides something for everyone.