Montana. Wyoming. South Dakota. Until now, I’d never ventured to these parts.
Day 3 – July 12
It was time to continue East towards Minneapolis, Minnesota to check-in for ACP & CMA’s Summer Journalism Conference. Montana is gorgeous. If I weren’t driving, I would have been snapping photos non-stop. Even though I departed Great Falls at six in the morning, lunch time came sooner than I expected and I came across the friendliest-looking place I’ve seen in a long time.
Okay, so maybe this place doesn’t look warm and inviting to you, but having bummed around plenty of Texas dives and bars built from converted mobile homes, you’ll understand why this was the place to go. To call the staff “friendly” would be a bit of an overstatement, but, honestly, they seem to serve mostly locals. They weren’t rude, don’t get me wrong. They were just very…matter of fact. Straight shootin’, if you will. Good folks, overall. After consuming a bison burger with a side of crispy tater tots that hit the spot, I visited the men’s restroom and was treated to something I could only call “charming” in the most country of ways.
One of my recently graduated students went on to call the urinal rig “transcendent.” I may not agree, but someone clearly had fun here. I didn’t dare grab the handles, but the fart fan sign had me chuckling as I left the joint. It was time to move onward to Wyoming.
To be honest, I thought I’d already hit Wyoming, but there wasn’t any defined signage letting me know I’d gone anywhere until I hit South Dakota. Whoops. That being said, I didn’t hit South Dakota as much as South Dakota hit me.
Within fifteen minutes of traversing the local highways, I saw a state trooper driving on the opposite side of the road and I knew something was up. I slowed my speed from 70 mph (5 over the limit) to 66 mph (I can’t drive 65, y’all) just in case and, wouldn’t you know it, look who’s whipped his car around and riding my ass. The lights go on. I have a minor heart attack and I haven’t really done anything wrong. I’ve never gotten a ticket. I’ve gotten a warning for a headlight being out in Austin, TX and was pulled over in Atlanta once by a narcotics officer who told me that he couldn’t connect to the Texas computers to find the info on my car (suuuuuure). Narcotics officers seem to dig me, because this South Dakotan K-9 unit was on me like white on rice. I answered all his questions. Chit chatted about my job, asked about his and the local sights. I walked away with this:
I find it funny that he didn’t even put the speed on there, because he “pulled me over because of my speed.” Regardless, he gave me a written warning (to make me remember or put on my fridge, I can’t quite figure it out) and told me to not speed once I got to the recently-raised-to-80 mph I-90. I can appreciate this sort of warning and helpfulness to a degree. Did you need to freak me out? Probably not, but to be fair, it worked.
I continued my adventure and came to another kitschy landmark that I’ve long been dreaming of.
Back in 1931, Dorothy and Ted Hustead bought the sole drug store in Wall, SD. Business had been less than stellar until July 1936 when Dorothy came up with a brilliant idea. Having been unable to nap during the day due to heat and the loud cars passing through town, she knew how to get people to visit: offer free ice water. Ted set up signs that read: “Get a soda . . . Get a root beer . . . turn next corner . . . Just as near . . . To Highway 16 & 14. . . Free Ice Water. . . Wall Drug.” And an American legend was born. Wall Drug is now an expansive series of shops, attractions, an arcade, a dinosaur, an animatronic jug band, a chapel, a restaurant, and an ice cream shop. The whole town is a tourist trap now. It’s incredible. I highly recommend you check out their site, especially this section on their signs. It’s cheesy Americana and consumerism at it’s finest. One free bumper sticker per family. Additional ones for ten cents. Let your fans do the work for you.
See? I went to li’l Rushmore! I truly wanted to buy a taxidermy jackalope head, but $118 was a tad steep for me. It’s truly a sight to behold. Incredibly family friendly. Fairly priced. A warm, cheesy atmosphere. Definitely worth it.
I made way for Oacoma, where I caught wind that there was some decent camping to be found on the banks of the Missouri River (I’m seeing a theme). Well, word was right and the camping was grand, even though I could hardly sleep due to warm temperatures and a lack of pillows (I only brought one). I can’t complain, though. I got a campfire and got to use my camping gear. I was content.
Day 3 Stats:
Miles traveled: 735
Miles traveled so far: 1,633
States visited:
- Montana
- Wyoming (kinda)
- South Dakota
Day 4 – July 13
I awoke the next day, ready to get back on the road, even if sleep didn’t go well the night before. While researching the route to take to Minnesota, I came across plenty of kitschy, goofy, or otherwise ridiculous pit stops. I am searching for America, you know. Well, when I found out about the next one, I couldn’t bring myself to say “no.”
Austin, Minnesota, you are delightful. Does SPAM need a museum? Most definitely. It’s impact not only on American culture (especially its utilization during wartime), but around the world makes this canned meat something to celebrate. When there’s a whole corner dedicated to Monty Python’s SPAM skit and Broadway musical, SPAMalot, you know that this museum is going to be amazing. It may be small, but it’s fun, thoughtful, and informative. Of course there’s a smashing gift shop full of everything you could ever want (and more) and admission is free.
If you’re in need of some grub, you can check out Piggy Blue’s, a BBQ joint that’s been around since 2000. While they specialize in pulled pork (which was absolutely fantastic), in-house handmade bread, and great sides, they even have a small SPAM-based menu that includes fried SPAM sticks and a SPAM burger. I opted for the day’s special: a pulled pork sammy topped with their jackass sauce, pepper jack cheese, and fried jalapeno and onion straws. The baked beans on the side were divine.
It was an easy drive north to Minneapolis. Well, on the map it was simple. In practice, the traffic was horrid and it was hardly 3:30 p.m. I somehow survived the Twin Cities’ traffic and arrived on the University of Minnesota’s impressive sprawling campus. I checked in for my dorm room (yeah, you read that right) for the next few days.
After settling in, I reached out to Allison Dyche, a former advisor of mine during my undergrad years at SCAD. She had brought a few of her students from Appalachian State University, so we met up for the first time since 2009.
I want to say that it’s peculiar meeting up with someone who used to look out for you and so many years later you’re doing the same thing for students, but it’s not. We got along well and it seemed like little time had passed at all. It’s part of why I love advising. Yes, you’re looking out for your students and you’re a mentor, therapist, accountant and so many other things, but you’re not really above them. You’re with them. You’re making sure their organizations don’t fall to pieces and that their rights are protected.
We parted ways, knowing that we’d be meeting in the morning for the kick-off for the conference. I rambled around campus. Exploring the gorgeous architecture and admiring the campus overall. A new student orientation is taking place this week, as well, so the campus has been quite lively. This inevitably led to dozens and dozens of students wandering the campus to play Pokemon Go. It’s this incredible bonding tool for complete strangers from all walks of life to join in on and meet other folks. No one’s mean spirited about it in person (from what I’ve seen) and most people are happy to share information and helpful tips. The only thing that stopped us was the rain.
Even then, the students just moved into the Coffman Student Union building and continued their adventures there. It makes me happy to see so many people working together and meeting in such an open, fun way. Taking that in, I ran through the rain back to my dorm (I won’t get used to that) for the night.*
Day 4 Stats:
Miles traveled: 424
Miles traveled so far: 2,057
States visited:
- South Dakota
- Minnesota
*Author’s Note: Since the conference is taking place through Sunday, it’s unlikely I’ll post much until it’s over. Carry on, readers!
Two Month Weekend 