Wall, South Dakota may be in "the middle of nowhere" on the edge of the Badlands, but is it truly nowhere? Wall Drug's marketing has made this tiny town famous not only in the United States, but worldwide.

It all began in the 1930s when Ted and Dorothy Hustead bought the "original" Wall Drug Store. Ted was a recent graduate of pharmacy school and was ready to move forward with his career as a pharmacist. The two of them spent their first five years struggling in the town of just over 300 people, when Dorothy had an idea:

"I think I finally saw how we can get all those travelers to come to our store."

"And how's that?" [Ted] asked.

"Well, now what is it that those travelers really want after driving across that hot prairie? They're thirsty. They want water. Ice cold water! Now we've got plenty of ice and water. Why don't we put up signs on the highway telling people to come here for free ice water? Listen, I even made up a few lines for the sign:

"Get a soda . . . Get a root beer . . . turn next corner . . . Just as near . . . To Highway 16 & 14. . . Free Ice Water. . . Wall Drug."

They created their signs, putting them up along the highway on the following weekend. The signs worked. Travelers started stopping in before Ted and his son could get back! The store has never struggled for visitors since. 

Today, travelers are enticed by 5 cent coffee and free ice water at Wall Drug advertised on signs and billboards as far away as Paris, Kenya, London, and the Taj Mahal. In fact, people who have never been to the United States know more about Wall Drug than any other roadside wonder. Hundreds of billboards line the east and west approaches of Interstate 90; I saw the first one when we were in Idaho headed east.

O.K., we know the place exists, but what is it? It is a drug store, a cafe, a photo stop, and a place to get out of the car and stretch your legs. Honestly, it is difficult to describe; this place has a lot going on. A life-size T-rex roars every five minutes or so, alternating with a make-believe mine blast on the other end of the hallway, not to mention the six-foot-tall rabbit on wheels, a miniature Mount Rushmore, and a giant saddled jackalope! 

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” 
– Lao Tzu

The single step at the beginning of a journey is often the most difficult. My current journey's first major step was making the decision to apply for school after being out in the "real world" for four years post-high school. 

Choosing Johnson & Wales was the easy part; I knew I wanted to study at JWU for years. The issue was timing. When does a person voluntarily uproot herself? As it turned out, summer of 2010 was my time. I spent an entire year, from August 2009 to July 2010, completing obligations, transferring responsibilities, and preparing to change my life with a cross country move from Spokane, Washington to Charlotte, North Carolina. 

This move was different from all the others; I'd volunteered to go, and I would be on my own. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, but mostly I was excited to move forward with my life and have the opportunity to spend time on my own endeavors.