After leaving Minnesota, we headed towards South Dakota and were greeted with thunderstorms. As we made our way across the prairies, the cloud line looked like a mountain in the distance
It seemed there was never a shortage of things to see along I-90 west. One of the visitor centers and rest areas was a Lewis and Clark exhibit commemorating the Lewis & Clark 1804-1806 expedition. There were examples of the tools and provisions they brought with them as well as a replica of the Keelboat they traveled on while exploring the Missouri River. The site marks one of the locations where the explorers camped along the expedition.
This was also our first glimpse of the “Mighty Mo” or Missouri River, the longest river in North America.
A peek at the prairie dogs we will soon meet along the way in prairie dog towns.
The wind farms look a little different than they do on the East Coast shoreline.
Firehenge: a play on Stonehenge.
A farmer walking his dinosaur.
Enormous patches of sunflowers.
Military vehicles.
And cattle, lots of cattle, even though this picture only shows a single bull.
There were signs counting down the miles until we arrived at Wall Drug, a famous roadside stop since the 1930s in Wall SD. This reminded us of the South of the Border or Ron Jon Surf signs along the highways going North to South along the East Coast. Wall Drug has a deep-rooted history in Wall, SD, starting off as a small drugstore. The owners eventually capitalized on the growing mobility of the American public and the busy nearby highway by drawing travelers into Wall with large roadside signs advertising free ice water and 5‑cent coffee. When the U.S. Air Force operated the Minuteman missile silos near Wall, they offered free coffee and donuts to military personnel traveling to and from Ellsworth Air Force Base. Today, Wall Drug still provides free coffee and donuts to members of the armed services.
In and around the Badlands, we visited two historic sites: the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site and the South Dakota Air and Space Museum.
During the Cold War, Minuteman missile silos were constructed across the Great Plains. The far‑western portion of South Dakota’s Great Plains alone held 150 of these sites. A silo is a reinforced underground chamber—80 feet deep and 12 feet in diameter—built of concrete and steel. Each silo housed a missile positioned vertically, protected from the elements and shielded from outside threats. Minuteman missiles could be launched upward through the silo’s opening at a moment’s notice, controlled from underground launch centers where crews continuously monitored and operated the system.
The South Dakota Air and Space Museum overlooks Ellsworth Air Force Base. Ellsworth played a crucial role in national defense during the Cold War, maintaining an arsenal that included heavy bombers such as the B‑29 Superfortress, B‑36 Peacemaker, B‑52 Stratofortress, and B‑1 Lancer, along with Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles like the Titan I and the Minuteman. Many of these aircraft and missile systems are now on display at the museum.
Among the aircraft we saw was a “Candy Bomber”—a C‑54 that flew during the Berlin Airlift, dropping tiny handkerchief parachutes weighted with candy for the children of West Berlin.
The boys were able to participate in the F-16 flight simulator activity.
Next stop: Badlands National Park, SD.