(Read the intro post for background on this trip)

Andrew (24) and I kicked off our day at Wall Drug, the classic South Dakotan tourist trap destination. They were a little drugstore in the 1930s who started to advertise free ice water to drivers going to Mount Rushmore; the business took off from there. It’s even bigger and kitschier than I remember; this was Andrew’s first time. He enjoyed it though, and I got my free glass of ice water and “Where the heck is Wall Drug” bumper sticker. I also rode the fearsome jackelope…

Andrew with free water

Me taming the jackelope

After we drank our fill of free ice water, we went to Badlands National Park (not the best naming…) This is a dramatic landscape of grasslands cut with deep, colored ravines and pinnacles. Andrew had never heard of the park but was super impressed.

Andrew surveying the Badlands

Just as we came out of the Badlands, we stopped at the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site.  This national site is located on what used to be a nuclear missile base housing ten Minuteman ICBM silos (since deactivated as part of the START II arms control treaty.) The little museum and theatre is solid. You can visit an old control room and a silo (both a few miles away), but apparently unless you make an appointment, there’s nothing really to see from the outside. We didn’t go see those.

Mural from the Minuteman control room

The next stop was the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota. I have strong memories of seeing the Corn Palace as a kid, so I figured it was worth a few minutes to swing by and see it again. They change the murals made of different colored corn each year, so it looked different (but kind of the same) than before. There was a fair on the streets around the Corn Palace, with games and food vendors. I took the opportunity to try chislic. This is dish of deep-fried cubes of red meat, classically mutton but often beef or game meats, eaten with a toothpick and served with saltine crackers. It’s a South Dakotan delicacy, even being declared the state’s “official nosh”. Deep-fried meat sounded right up my alley, but the version I had was only OK.

Andrew and me in front of the Corn Palace

My first taste of (beef) chislic

We finally got to Sioux Falls for the night. I don’t recall having spent any time in Sioux Falls before (I think my dad just drove past every time.) The falls area is very nice as is the revitalized downtown area. We also had our first regional burger chain of the trip – Culver’s. This is a mostly Midwestern chain (although they’re in 25 states now) famous for their Butterburger and custard ice cream. We figured anything named “Butterburger” must be good, so we gave it a try. The Butterburger is so named because they butter and toast the buns. It’s a smash burger using never-frozen beef. The patties are pretty thin, so the double was much better than the single, which was overwhelmed by the condiments (which you specify – we had ketchup, mustard, and mayo). The outside the patties was pleasantly crunchy and well-cooked, and the buttered and toasted bun was good. The cheese was not melted however. The crinkle fries were fine but nothing special. I liked the custard ice cream (especially the chocolate, which tasted like the old Frosty Malts at baseball games – definitely a nostalgic memory for me.) Their house-brand root beer was bland and boring. Overall, it was a great fast-food burger. I’d take it over any of the big burger chains, but In-and-Out beats Culver’s in my mind (although I’d like to try them side-by-side some day.)

Culvers Double Cheese Butter Burger and fries. Note the crispy patty edges and unmelted cheese.