South Dakota. The Mount Rushmore State.

South Dakota is the home of the famous Mount Rushmore and the even more famous Wall Drug Store. I'm sure there are plenty of other things to see, but if you are on the interstate, the signs lead you to believe otherwise.

I stopped in Mitchell to fill up the gas tank and to get a look-see at one of the recommended sights, the Corn Palace. Here's the official story:

"The original Corn Palace, called "The Corn Belt Exposition" was established in 1892. Early settlers displayed the fruits of their harvest on the building exterior in order to prove the fertility of South Dakota soil. The third and present building was completed for it first festival at the present location in 1921. The exterior decorations are completely stripped down and new murals are created each year. The murals are designed by local artists, Oscar Howe having been one. New materials are applied to the building with each mural depicting an important facet of the lifestyle of South Dakota. These murals require thousands of bushels of corn, grain, grasses, wild oats, brome grass, blue grass, rye, straw and wheat each year."

I glanced in awe at the edible building wondering how many cats it took to keep the mouse population down, if the corn popped on really hot days and if deer snuck in at night to eat the facade.

It seemed the present mural is in honor of "American Heroes." As I drove by I saw depictions of police and firemen among the heroes.

Now don't get me wrong, I think those guys have a tough job that I would never do, but I feel the label hero is being used fast and loose in this country. A hero used to be somebody special, not just any joker in a special uniform...sports or otherwise.

If you ask me, a real hero would be the guys driving garbage trucks. Imagine getting up every day before dawn and dealing with that job.

Just think what our world would be like without them!

The thing that really impressed me about Mitchell was the price of gas. I had entered into $4.00 a gallon territory.

Oh, one other thing I liked was the gang of young hooligans buzzing around town on their 3 and 4 wheeled ATVs. It seems it's legal to drive them on the streets there. In the winter they drive snow-mobiles around town.

Now that's some real forward thinking by the local politicos. It makes far more sense to drive an ATV around town than a gas-sucking, 2 story 4X4 SUV.

I wish they'd wise up in Oregon and let us do that. Just think, it would mean more jobs (the politicians' holy grail) for ATV builders and a lot more fun for me.

As I progressed along the interstate, dark clouds with lightning flashes started brewing up ahead on my left and right. Feeling like Moses parting the waters, I progressed down the middle, staying dry.

The next big attraction was Wall Drug. They have billboards for hundreds of miles around and people around the world have taken to putting up signs showing the distance to Wall, SD and the free ice water they advertise.

The famous Wall drug turned out to be Fisherman's Wharf set in the middle of a boundless parking lot. I managed to see the sign rising above the tops of the masses of parked SUVs, while the drivers wandered the sidewalks telling each other where to find the cheapest gas in town.

I pressed on.

The next attraction was the Badlands and Mount Rushmore. As I drew closer, the clouds grew blacker and the lightning more spectacular. When I got to the turnoff, I was in a rainstorm that was even more violent over the famous Mount. "Catch ya next time." I said as I pressed on, crossing into Wyoming.

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