As I head west to the left side of the South Dakota Triangle, there are several reminders of today’s next destination as you travel on I-90: Wall Drug. And every other mile you get a reminder:
And one like this:
Some of the bigger billboards are out of range of this writer’s camera but they are big enough to read. And the billboards remind you of homemade ice cream, homemade donuts (Dunkin’ Donuts, look out!!) and free ice water, which was their original claim to fame way back in the 1930’s. For more on the history of Wall Drug, go to http://www.walldrug.com/t-history.aspx
I arrive in Wall, SD at about 3pm in the afternoon and that is 3pm Mountain Time. Wall Drug is this 2 block long group of stores which have the appearance of buildings of the early 20th century.
But don’t let the looks deceive you.
Inside these buildings are some great specialty stores. You can get western theme jewelry, cowboy boots, Indian artifacts, many varieties of knickknacks, shavings of Black Hills gold, and quite the cafeteria where you can get some fabulous blackberry pie alamode and hot and cold meals and that famous ice water. And for those who have camera in hand, there are these fiberglass likenesses of cowboys, cowgirls, and Sioux Indians on various benches that you can have your picture taken with.
Soon it is back on the road to the top of the South Dakota Triangle. And a town named after me…well, I’d like to think that. Welcome to:
A small town of 885 midway between Wall and Pierre.
Nice little town, eh??
Once thru Philip and about 90 minutes later, I am back in Pierre after about a 400-mile journey.
Saturday morning brings lots of sunshine and cirrus clouds all around. So let me tell you about my friend Jenn.
I have known Jenn for over 7 years. We met thru the posting boards of the then WB Network and were fans of the TV show “Dawson’s Creek”. Our first meeting was to have happened in August of 2001 when she was on a business trip to Philadelphia but circumstances beyond our control prevented that from happening. But 2 months later, we met at her Mom’s house here in Pierre. Jenn has 2 daughters: Miranda who is 16 and Rebecca who is almost 13. And there are the 2 dogs: Nutmeg and Ginger who are dachshunds. Jenn is the definitive image of a single mom; raising 2 kids and owning her own piece of the rock: a nice cozy two story home in the center of the city. She has worked in public service for most of her adult life. She began as a committee secretary for the South Dakota House of Representatives during Legislative Session at the state capitol. She then went to the Department of Labor as a receptionist, and then the Divisions of Securities as a broker registrar, which meant that she registered investment advisors and broker dealers. She now works for Hughes County as a deputy finance officer and voter registrar. And with it being less than 3 weeks to the presidential election, Jenn has the honors of keeping tabs on the absentee ballots. Not a job for the faint-hearted. Despite all of the duties that are in her life, Jenn manages to keep a smile of optimism on her face and, plain and simple, doesn’t take crap from anybody. We keep in touch by phone every Sunday night and email thru the week. Let’s just say that after a long week, Jenn appreciates that I am around and it’s a good thing to have an adult conversation each week with a good friend.
Anyway, Jenn and I are out to The Longbranch, a local restaurant in town, which serves up a fantastic prime rib. Tomorrow we’ll visit the grounds of the state capitol before we say bye to Jenn and her family and head west back into Nebraska as we surpass the midway point of our journey.
I’m Philip J Zocco. On The Road. In Pierre, South Dakota.
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