Fate nearly wiped Bessie out today at 99,998 miles. A flock of turkeys decided to take flight just as Bessie passed. They, of course, decided to cross the road. Luckily, we didn’t find out why, they all made it safely across and Bessie traveled on for another 2 miles to hit…

100,000 miles! Yeah!

So, in preparation for this momentous occasion, the camera was in hand and on at 99,998 miles. Unfortunately, in my efforts to avoid the turkeys, the camera was forgotten. Or perhaps it was fortunate since I’m still here to talk about it and bring you a photo and video of the 100,000 mile mark. Also available, Bessie’s “anniversary” gift of a car wash video. It’s not thrilling. Don’t watch it. You’ve been warned.

Finally, our last installment for our South Dakota Journey! For our last day, we decided to take it easy, hobnob with some famous people, seek out the strange and unusual, and dine in a junkyard.

Our day started with roaming around Rapid City seeking out oddities from RoadsideAmerica.com. America sure is a strange place! Afterwards, we went to downtown Rapid City to see more strangeness in Art Alley. Is it Graffiti? Is it Art? You decide.

Downtown Rapid City is also home to many, many Presidential Statues. You may recognize these statues from the local Presidential Soda bottles. Wandering around, we tried to name as many as possible without looking at the brochure or the plaques. My knowledge of useless trivia really helped for once. How many Presidents can you name?

Downtown is also home to Sanford’s Grub & Pub, restaurant/junkyard. Don’t worry, it’s sanitary. Their food was marvelous, their menu extensive and their atmosphere not to be missed. Special thanks to the lady at the Presidential walk tour office!

To top off the day, we ventured to Fjord’s Ice Cream and Coffee Shop for a homemade ice cream cone. Fjord’s certainly deserves all the awards it’s walls support. They had a wonderful array of interesting flavors, a friendly staff and delicious treats.

Finally, two videos, long overdue…
The Badlands National Park Sheep
The Wall Drug T-Rex