Wall, South Dakota

This morning we went to the State Capitol building in Bismarck. It's one of the most unusual state capitols - a 1930s art deco skyscraper (erected after the first capitol burned down). Security is way lax compared to the capitol in Sacramento. Lovely 1930s era interiors. And we were able to hop right in the elevator and go to the 19th floor observation deck for a view of the city.

From Bismarck, drove south along the Missouri River (the highways on either side are numbered 1803 and 1806 after the years of the Lewis and Clark expedition along the same route). Very scenic drive with long vistas and panoramas of rolling farmland and hills and river. Drove through the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, home of the Sioux Nation and one of the largest reservations in the country (it is in both North Dakota and South Dakota). Stopped at the reservation headquarters and saw the council chambers and some displays. From there, south to Pierre, the capital of South Dakota, then to Wall, our basecamp for exploring the Badlands tomorrow. Wall is home to Wall Drug, a famous tourist trap that occupies an entire city block full of different western themed stores. Very kitsch but kind of fun.

We were wondering why the unleaded plus gasoline at the gas stations around here costs LESS than the unleaded regular. Turns out it's because it's got ethanol in it, and in ethanol-producing states like these ones, there are various incentives to get you to consume it.

We saw lots of corn, wheat, and soybeans.