In downtown Wall, South Dakota, The thing I liked the most was the grain elevator at the end of the street. I was not impressed enough with Wall Drugs to even take a photo. it’s just an over hyped, over priced shopping destination.
I stopped into Mitchell, South Dakota to see the famous Corn Palace. It turns out to be their convention center where they have everything from hockey to motocross to band concerts. I couldn’t decide if the workman were repairing a panel or preparing to strip it and install the 2019 – 2020 design.
Next stop was Falls Park in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It was a nice park where you could spend the day.
If you have ever heard of Steam Punk as an art style, then you will understand it better once you see the cab of a steam engine, this one was located at the Sioux City Railroad Museum.
Also located in Sioux City, Iowa was Trinity Heights. It was designed as an inspirational place to reflect on your life and religious beliefs.
Next stop was Kansas City, Missouri, the real Kansas City as the locals call it! This is their Union Station, seems every towns train station is named Union Station. They had a great museum space inside documenting bring it back to life and saving it from the wrecking ball.
On to Branson, Missouri where I road the Branson Scenic Railroad, a real disappointment. Maybe better with fall colors. A wall of rock on one side and trees on the other, couldn’t see a thing except for a few brief exceptions and I was always on the wrong side or the train!
I made it to Nashville, Tennessee to visit my nephew and visited the Tennessee Central Railway Museum and Nashville’s Union Station now operating as a high end hotel. I also got my fill of honky tonks, music, and hot chicken. You could spend weeks here and not see and hear everything this city has to offer. A return visit is a must maybe for the whole summer!
Next stop along the way was the Tennessee Valley Railroad in Chattanooga, TN, and the Incline Railway to the top of Lookout Mountain. This is the conductor on the excursion train I road out of the satellite station in Etowah, TN.
After a couple more stops to visit family and friends, I finally made it to Raleigh, North Carolina to see my kids. I stayed at the NC State Fairgrounds and spent the day watching a horse show.
