Day 5 Afternoon: Wall Drug, Rapid City, Spearfish Canyon

After leaving the Badlands, we stopped at Wall Drug to buy homemade doughnuts.

Pablo got his fortune read by Zoltan and bought a book about the Battle of Little Big Horn, which he promptly read.

Pablo also had a shady interaction with Poker Alice.

We stopped for lunch at the Firehouse in Rapid City and afterwards took a walk around the downtown area to check out the street corner bronzes of the U.S. Presidents. I made learning cards about every U.S. President for our trip since it's an election year, we planned to visit Mount Rushmore. We reviewed the cards in the car throughout the trip, so the kids had informed opinions about many of the presidents we encountered. They had a bone to pick with John Adams about the Alien and Sedition Act.

Ronald Reagan was not a favorite.

Neither was Andrew Johnson.

Jimmy Carter came off well.

LBJ got a mixed report (domesitc policy=good; Vietnam policy=bad).
John Quincy Adams built roads and canals. He went on to serve as legal counsel for prisoners on the Amistad. He got a thumbs up.

We planned to spend the night at a KOA in Deadwood, but the threat of rain persuaded to opt for a hotel instead. The Deadwood rooms we hoped to book were sold out, so we took a scene drive to Spearfish Canyon and got to a Spearfish Hampton Inn at sundown.
The drive down Spearfish Canyon beside Spearfish Creek was beautiful. Photos don't do it justice.

Turns out the heated pool at the Hampton Inn in Spearfish had spiral tube slide which Emilio and Nina took full advantage of after dinner on Saturday and after breakfast on Sunday. Pablo gave it a try but was unimpressed.