7/22/2010----Badlands, SD

We arrived at the Minuteman Missile Site in Philips, So Dakota.  This is the site of the Control Center (which sits 30 feet below the ground) that controls the missile sites.  There were three control centers that each controlled 100 missile sites.  During the Cold War there were missiles set up all around So Dakota and other mid-west and western states waiting to be launched if Russia decided to send a nuclear weapon our way.  In the control centers sat 2 people on 24 hour shifts in a tiny room with all the controls to set a launch if need be.  (not a job I would want, I can't imagine having the fate of the world upon my shoulders,  with the turn of 2 keys a missile would be launched and cause a nuclear war and the end of the world).  A missile could be launched within 5 minutes.  These 2 people were locked in this room for their 24 hr shift.  I have posted pictures so you can see the size of the door that locked them in and how small this room was.  The missile silo that we visited sat 15 miles away from the control center.  It was hard getting a picture of the missile without a reflection of yourself on the glass, but Jesse did the best he could to get a shot to show you.  It was pretty scary knowing just how close we came to nuclear war and very eerie seeing a missile ready to be launched.  It was very interesting.  Too bad we didn't have an opportunity to have our history and geography classes seeing these places rather than reading from a book.  It is much more interesting this way. 

Leaving the missile site dropped us right into the Badlands.  What an awesome place.  I can't believe how much beauty there is in this world.  We took lots of pictures (I won't bore you with all of them, but have posted a few).  We drove through the Badlands for several hours and could have stayed several more hours but there is lots more to see, so reluctantly, we moved on.

Our next stop brought us to Wall Drug in Wall, SD.  The worlds largest drug store.  It was voted the #1 Roadside attraction in America.  It is a kind of like a honky tonk attraction (reminded us of South of The Border, only much bigger).  There are several shops and eating establishments here.  It was a fun place to walk through for an hour or so.  I have a few pictures posted.

If you want to view the pictures, click on the below site.

http://picasaweb.google.com/motorhome234