Today I was told that South Dakota’s main business is tourism. I can really believe that after travelling the I-90 across most of South Dakota! I was reminded of old Route 66!
We did not stop at any of the tourist spots, however, we are spending the night almost across the street from one of them: The 1880 town in Belvidere.
John Morrell hot dog factory
We only went 10 miles today! What did I say yesterday about “hitting the road?” Well, it’s all about water. Lots of water.
We got a late start today because of wind and rain. We stopped at McDonald’s for some quick blog update, got gas, and the weather got really nice… So, I said, “The city is named ‘Sioux Falls’ for a reason. Let’s find the falls!”
So, after making a wrong turn into the receiving area at the John Morrell hot dog factory, we found ourselves at Falls Park for the whole day. At the park, there is a large waterfall and ruins of the Queen Bee Mill, a $500,000 building built in 1908 that was used as a mill for only 2 years!
The Falls and The Ruins
Critters I found at the park.
We spent another night in Sioux City.
Today we visited Pipestone National Monument. It was both interesting and educational.
Before the White Man came, the western Indians mined special red stone here to make ceremonial pipes. (They smoked wild tobacco and other herbs, depending on the occasion and the individual.) White men also liked the soft, red stone and exploited the area before it was set aside for Indian use only. The land is still considered sacred by Native Americans. They still come to mine this special stone with hand tools, with special permission from the government. Inside the visitor center we watched someone carving this beautiful stone. We walked among the quarry pits and saw a lovely waterfall.
Today was very windy, so we only drove as far as Sioux Falls, and were later treated to thundershowers.
I’m in a hurry… We need to get on the road….
This morning we took a stroll around Winslow’s old downtown, then we drove all day along the Mississippi River until it turned into Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes. It was a lovely drive – and the Mighty Mississippi is really blue and gentle looking here.
Downtown Winslow
Other sights today:
The road followed the river and the train tracks.
Tonight we joined John’s old friend from Experian for dinner. I’ve been exchanging e-mails with her since she left California years ago. It was nice to finally meet her in person!
After dinner, we returned to the road again, turning west from the river. We travelled a secondary highway (Minnesota 212, if anyone’s checking maps) which stretched on forever… There were no truck stops, campgrounds, Wal-Marts, etc, so when we were too tired to continue, we asked at a gas station if we could stay the night. The kind night manager said yes… So we spent the night there in Stewart, Minnesota.
Yet another day of speeding through states! Today we “did” the rest of Iowa, then Wisconsin, and now we’re in Minnesota! Well, it helps that we only went through a small part of Iowa and Wisconsin. We got to cross the Mississippi River twice today and our highway followed it this afternoon. It is still very wide here, but there are a lot of islands.
The “best” of today:
Wisconsin Roads… Pretty!
‘Nuf said.
Tonight we are at a nice city campground: the Prairie Island Camp in Winona, Minnesota.
Today was another day of driving. We went through Indiana, Illinois, and into Iowa! Of course it helps that the states are narrow ones…
All that “dead” corn is apparently used for grain (think corn meal) or seed. In Ohio, Aunt Jeri told us that one stalk of corn yields only one ear!
Our excitement of the day was a stop for an oil change. I think it was supposed to be done about a thousand miles ago. We had to find someplace with tall, wide doors so we could fit. Normally, John does his own, but, it’s rather difficult on the road. Campgrounds and Wal-Marts kind of frown on it. Anyway, we found just such a place in Bloomington, Illinois. They were kind enough to guide us into their bay. It was a squeeze, considering how much our mirrors stick out… We had only inches to spare on either side of the motorhome! John was relieved to see he could just pull straight out… But, then someone told him that the door’s upper clearance wouldn’t make it, so, we had to back out! Anyway, with the employee’s help, our mirrors were spared.
Today we also decided to visit an old friend in Minnesota, so we will continue to head northwest.
We spent the night in Maquoketa,Iowa.
…2 views of Columbus
Yesterday, after watching an Ohio State football game, we enjoyed a barbeque with some of John’s cousins that he had never met before! It made for an interesting visit, with friendships made.
Today, sadly, we had to leave Reynoldsburg, so after Mass with Aunt Jeri and Uncle Bob, we had lunch and left. We had no plan, just to “beat the snow.” Of course, snow isn’t coming just yet, but, we were also concerned with how cold it gets at night… Pretty tough to get up in the morning when the heat hasn’t been on all night! (We do that because the heater is so noisy when it runs – and uses too much propane!
We traveled through the rest of Ohio and into southern Indiana. We are spending the night in Warren.
