Day 46. Kadoka, SD. Mile 8170.

Day 46.  Kadoka, SD.  Mile 8170. 

We left Buffalo, WY late—10:30AM—for Kadoka, SD .  On the way, we traveled through Gillette, WY, a boomtown where coal mining is a big deal.  While leaving Gillette, we passed the longest coal train I ever saw.  I never did see the end of it.  This town is nestled between the Big Horn Mountains and the Black Hills. Gillette is the “Energy Capital” of the US, sitting on vast reserves of coal, oil, and natural gas.

 

The Black Hills had a rugged beauty.  We saw a fraction its the 1.25 million acres.  Ponderosa Pine was the dominant tree along the roads we traveled.  In Rapid City SD we stopped for lunch at a city park that featured a segment of the Berlin wall and a description of the meaning of the wall. 

Berlin wall in Rapid City, SD.  Photo by Jo Ann

We decided to take a 25-mile detour to Mount Rushmore. Each head is 60 feet tall and it the sculptors worked on it from 1927 to 1941.

Mount Ruhmore.  Photo by Jo Ann.

We had to go through Keystone to get to Mount Rushmore.  According to its sign, Keystone has about 331 permanent residents.  Several million people travel through it every year, so it is a safe bet that its gold mining origins have given way to tourism.  It is one of the ugliest, creepiest towns I have ever seen and I felt ill going through it.

We continued toward Kadoka and, after seeing approximately 3000 billboards marring the raw beauty of the Badlands decided to stop at Wall Drug. Wall Drug is a store in Wall, SD.  It advertises 5 cent coffee and free coffee and donuts for honeymooners and veterans.  Sweet.  I expected that they marked everything else up by 300%.  I was not disappointed.  For the marketing-challenged among you, this is gambit is called loss-leading.  Wall Drug is hard to describe.  Think of a souvenir shop the size of a super Wal-mart where for $20 you can buy a fake coonskin cap made in China.  Is America great or what?

We finally arrived in Kadoka, population 654--another motel stop.  How small was Kadoka?  Well (thanks for asking), its entering and leaving signs are on the same pole.  “Welcome to Kadoka. Thanks for visiting Kadoka.” I saw a little kid selling lemonade on Main Street. I asked him to tell me where the business district of Kadoha was.  “You’re looking at it," he answered.  

We ate dinner at the nearby. Happy Chef.  You can’t go wrong with a hot roast beef and gravy sandwich with a side of mashed potatoes, right?  Wrong.  Hot gravy, cold beef, and scalding instant potatoes.  I was not happy.