During the summer months, Wall Drug and the Badlands are a hot-spot for tourists passing along I-90. But most weren't there by choice Monday morning, as a blizzard stopped traffic on the busy interstate.
When the winds died down in Wall, the plows could finally clear the roads and hotel rooms began to clear out. For most, it was an unexpected vacation.
"Because of the snow and the storm and the blizzard we had to stop. And our destination at that time became Wall, all of a sudden," stranded traveler Malia Jones said.
"We weren't sure if the roads were going to stay closed the whole night, or whatnot, so we decided that if they weren't open by five or six o'clock, we were in for the night," Molly Ball said.
"It's an unplanned stop for them, but most of them will take advantage of it and just relax," hotel clerk Juanita Schroeder said.
Ball was trying to get back home to Sioux Falls when the storm stopped her cold.
"The roads didn't seem that bad, but they were getting worse as I was getting closer to Wall. The road closure was already in effect by the time we got here on Sunday," Ball said.
Jones was headed the opposite direction, but when the storm moved in, she decided to play it safe.
"It's an old car, and we wanted to make sure that we didn't run into anything weather-wise with an old car," Jones said.
Although getting stranded in Wall isn't on the agenda for most travelers, Jones says that it gave her an opportunity to experience western hospitality first-hand.
"It was great, and Juanita was here and she was a great hostess. I feel like this is home now; we've been here two days," Jones said.
"Usually they're here a little bit longer than they are normally, so you really get to know them," Schroeder said.
And as stranded travelers get back on the interstate, they hope to get to their destinations safely and without anymore interruptions.
"I'm looking forward to the next place we have to stop. Hopefully, it's by our choice next time and not because of the weather," Jones said.
Because Wall is a tourist town, stranded travelers had multiple hotels, gas stations and convenience stores to take care of their needs.
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