Murdo, South Dakota: Pioneer Auto Show Museum

Sprawling vehicle collection includes the last surviving "General Lee" from the Dukes of Hazzard TV series, and a car made of wood. Some photo-op cars and murals in the parking lot.

In the parking lot of the Pioneer Auto Museum is this very special elephant. Besides being cleverly made out of various scraps, it's connected to water so that water comes out of her/his trunk.

The big green car-sign that lured travelers from I-90 to the Pioneer Auto Show has been toppled by a freak storm. Hurricane force winds snapped the wooden posts that had held the car aloft since 1972. The car, an extended and supersized version of a 1926 Nash, tumbled 30 feet, bent in the middle, but somehow survived. Pioneer Auto Show has vowed to put it back up within a couple of months -- this time supported by steel I-beams.

Stopped by with high expectations because I'm a huge fan of old and classic cars. I was sickened by the condition of the collection; the vehicles had been left in open sheds and were rotting on their tires. My wife couldn't stay in the buildings because of the musty, moldy air. Also, the admission was close to $20 for the two of us -- way too much for what was offered. Obviously, the collector didn't know when to stop collecting. It's a sad sight to see all these great old autos moldering away. The General Lee (there on lease) was a nice draw, but not enough to bring me back again.

This is another museum that started out as a private collection and turned into something huge. There's an amazing amount of stuff to look at, and the food in the diner is great. There are over 30 buildings, including a "Prairie Town" that has buildings collected from around the area. Like many "collection" museums, it's not the Smithsonian or some intensely curated place. This is a collection of collections (over 60 of them), which is both amusing and fascinating.