One of the recognizable symbols of America is the faces of four presidents carved into the side of Mount Rushmore (Rushmore). The mountain is located right in the center of the country, near the city of Rapid City, South Dakota (on the map). From another center of tourist attraction, Chicago, Route 90 leads to it. A distance of one and a half thousand kilometers can be covered in a day, in about 14 hours. But it is much more interesting to stretch out the pleasure, spend the night along the way, and see provincial America. And if you choose this option, below are the places you can visit along the way without deviating too much from the main route.
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700 kilometers from Chicago you can stop for coffee in a town with the unusual name Blue Earth,
Minnesota (on the map). After your coffee and muffin, you can take a photo with the giant Jolly Green Giant statue. Near it there is a small souvenir shop, where everyone who comes, regardless of whether they bought something or not, is asked to sign the visitors’ book.
Photo: roadpickle.com
After another 320 kilometers along the highway there will be the town of Mitchell,
South Dakota. A typical Midwestern town, tucked away among the cornfields. Local residents decided to take advantage of this and created the only corn palace in the world. In essence, it is something between a gym and a palace of culture with an arena and seats in the stands. The base of the palace is made of the most common building materials, the highlight lies in the cladding: all the walls, both outside and inside, are lined with corn cobs. And they are not just posted, but present stories on various topics. This includes Christianity – Christmas, Epiphany (let’s not forget that people in the Midwest are very religious) – and stories from the times of the development of these lands, and various others. Every year the “exposition” changes, since corn is a short-lived material. All this pleasure is not cheap for local authorities – more than a million dollars a year, but, apparently, the flow of tourists pays for these expenses. Admission is free, there is a small souvenir market inside.
After 110 kilometers you can see a sign for the town of Chamberlain. It is located near the Lakota Indian reservation. Here you can stop by the Indian Museum, located on the territory of St. Joseph. The entrance is free. You can also look at the Missouri River, the largest tributary of the Mississippi, on the banks of which Chamberlain stands. For Americans, this is the same inseparable pair as the Russian Ob and Irtysh.
If you go on Saturday, then after crossing the Missouri bridge, about five kilometers from Chamberlain, turn right at the town of Oacoma. There is an excellent flea market with ridiculous prices (on the map).
Another 200 kilometers and you will reach the Badland National Park. Even from the track you can see how unimportant they are. From a geological point of view, the area is a zone of clayey erosion hills that formed about five thousand years ago. Since the rocks here are very unstable to rain and wind, the area is constantly changing, and if you return here just a couple of years later, you will see that the landscapes have changed. If you’re short on time, just look out the car window, but we strongly recommend spending at least a couple of hours on this place. To do this, turn off the highway onto Route 240. There is a fee to enter the national park, about $20 per car (check the price on the official website of the park). There you will be given a map where both observation platforms are marked, where you can park your car and take excellent views, as well as hiking trails. There is also something like a camp site on the territory, so you can spend the night and explore everything in detail. The western part of the park is free, but the scenery here is simpler.
Don’t forget to see and feed the prairie dogs – animals like marmots, of which there are a great many here. They are almost not afraid of people.
Another hundred kilometers, and you are at the final point – Rapid City. In the vicinity of the city there is not only a rock with presidents, but also an impressive Crazy Horse memorial under construction,
an ancient wooden fort from colonial times, mountain lakes, caves, Custer National Park with herds of bison grazing along the road, the impressive Devil’s Rock and much more. You won’t be bored.
When traveling, pay for purchases with a OneTwoTrip loyalty card, and up to 10% of the order amount on OneTwoTrip, as well as up to 2% of any purchases paid for with the card, will be returned to your account.
Author: Vladislav Yarovind
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