Ground Zero of Pheasantdom

This was going to be a driving day, mostly on the interstate. While we were trying to avoid them, it couldn’t be avoided today. I wanted to drive through the Badlands NP and that’s right off I-90. It would have been a major pain to avoid I-90, do the Badlands, and still make it to Rapid City where we were spending Labor Day weekend.

But first, there was a stop in Gregory SD. Roadsideamerica.com said there was an outhouse museum there and who could pass up something like that? So off we went on the empty back roads. That emptiness proved a little too tempting to Ken. When we finally did see a car coming in the opposite direction, it turned out to be an officer of the law and you can imagine the result. We proceeded to Gregory at a more decorous pace.

Gregory turned out to have a couple of unexpected delights. As we were coming into town (actually bypassing it) on Hwy-47, we saw a big pheasant in a pocket park. Naturally, we had to stop and take a picture. Pheasants were introduced to South Dakota in 1898 and have flourished on the great plains. Gregory claims to be “ground-zero”.

Ring-necked pheasant. The state bird of SD

We found Main St and the Oscar Micheaux Center. The outhouses were supposed to be behind it. They were, but first we had to investigate the Center. Unfortunately it was closed, but next door was a lovely little garden walk which was billed as the “Black Walk of Fame”. Besides the star for Oscar Micheaux, there were stars for Hattie Davis, Tim Reid, and several others whose names I didn’t recognize.

The Black Walk of Fame

I don’t know how much longer this walk will be tended. The annual Oscar Micheaux film festival was cancelled this year and you have to wonder how much draw it had in this remote area anyway. Oh, Micheaux’s connection to the area? He briefly homesteaded in the region and was married here. He was away on business when his wife cleaned out his savings, left him, and his father-in-law sold his property. He then moved on to become a writer, film director, and producer. From the write-up in Wikipedia, he sounds like a remarkable man.

The outhouses were beyond the end of the walkway . They actually turned out to be a disappointment, but we dutifully took pictures.

Ken happy to be on the top half of the two story outhouse

The rest of the outhouses weren't too interesting...

Then it was back north to I-90 and west to Badlands NP. Ken had been through there in the past and wasn’t impressed (much more rocky splendor in AZ and UT), but I hadn’t been and I wanted to. So there.

In many respects, he was right – AZ has many more impressive rocks. But my imagination was caught by the idea of people migrating west. First they’re traveling across relatively flat, benign, and grassy plains. Then they’re in rocks. It must have been very shocking and discouraging.

Sights near the eastern entrance to Badlands National Park

Big Badlands Overlook

White River Valley Overlook

Roadside a bit west of Yellow Mounds Overlook

We finished off the Badlands with the requisite stop at Wall Drugs for some water and an ice cream cone. And this. I don't know how Ken talked me into riding the jackalope without reciprocating!

Mary Lou riding the Jackalope at Wall Drugs

We finally got into our hotel (Super 8) in Rapid City at 5:23pm. We will be staying here for the next four nights. I wanted to wait out Labor Day weekend and there is plenty to see in the area. Our luck continued to hold, however. Whenever we have an extended stay, either the room is so-so or the wi-fi is bad. It’s the wi-fi this time. The signal in our room (on one end of the building) is very weak, but if I walk to the other end, it’s strong. They obviously didn’t centrally mount their router.

380 mi, 9:14 hrs total, 6:02 hrs moving

[written 11/22/13 – long after the fact]