Biking, Day 18: August 3, 2009

Day 18: Wasta, SD to Midland, SD
Distance: 75 miles
Route: I-90E, exit at WALL DRUG, spend 2.5 hours being completely smitten and in awe at the kitch for sale while being fueled by 5 cent coffee, I-90E to Route 14E to Midland, SD
Lodging: Stroppel Inn, Midland, SD, $26, shared bathroom, use of 'spa' which was an interesting mineral bath thing. Basically, the Inn was a house, the owners were super nice.

I started the day by leaving the super crappy motel I was in in Wasta and hopping on I-90 for the 13 mile ride to Wall Drug. I was really excited to go to Wall Drug. I know this makes me a gullible fool affected by overzealous advertising. This may be true. However, additionally, Wall Drug has always been a mystery to me. My running coach in college, Mark Young, had a bumper sticker on his car that said 'Wall Drug'. Everyone on the team was always wondering WTF Wall Drug was, including me. So there's that. Plus, Wall Drug literally advertises hundreds of miles out. It preys entirely on tourists, but it has somehow worked. I mean, it's a fantastic case in Marketing. This tourist trap and roadside store managed to survive through the great depression.
The story is actually an interesting one. The founder started a drug store in Wall,SD, which was a small town. Business was slow. Finally, his wife suggested they offer 'free ice water'. They put up signs, and people traveling through the hot prairie stopped for the water.

So, I rode on I-90 and got off at Wall, SD. Wall Drug was hilarious. It looked and felt like Disney World – fake people, overpriced souveniers, photo booths, dinosaurs, and lots of kitch. I loved it. First, I wanted to score myself a cup of the 5 cent coffee that Wall Drug had been advertising on the highway. Scratch that, 6 cups. Lovely.

I basically just walked around Wall Drug trying to find gifts for friends and just taking it all in. I was inspired to buy spurs for my cowboy boots, a button down shirt with snaps, a big belt buckle, and stickers from different states. I did not buy any of it, though. I did buy a few things, which shall remain nameless.

I spent 2.5 hours at Wall Drug. I'm not sure exactly what I did. I drank a lot of coffee, I talked to a lot of bikers, I took a few pictures. I was awe-struck. There, I said it.

I decided to go to Midland, SD, a total of 75 miles instead of pushing it to Pierre, SD, which would have been 136. My time at Wall Drug would have made Pierre really hard to pull off. Plus, it was hot.

I took off and rode quickly on I-90 and then on 14E. I will be riding on Route 14 until I hit Madison,WI. It's a nice road – single lane, decent brim, minimal traffic.

I passed through some small towns, but there wasn't really much going on. Cottonwood, with a population of 12, for example. Finally, I hit Midland. Also quite small. I followed my directions to my motel – the Stroppel Inn and Spa.

The Stroppel Inn and Spa looks like a house. There are a few rooms and two spa baths. They have constant hot running water in an enclosed room. I have never been to a spa like this. I went in the spa, but It's like a big cement pit filled with really hot water. There's nothing like this on the east coast. I'm unclear of whether it is sanitary. I seem fine so far.

My room was like a room at my grandma's house. I used a bathroom in the hall. I had a TV. I had internet. I paid $26.

I planned my next day – I would ride through Pierre, the state capitol, to Highmore, SD.