It probably comes as no surprise that Gary and I are really not “city people”. Although we lived just 30 miles outside of Philadelphia for most of our lives, we rarely ventured downtown and the thought of actually driving anywhere in the city filled me, anyway, with fear and trembling. But one thing we have learned in our travels is that if we are near a “‘big city” we should at least check it out.
Chicago. San Diego. Washington, DC. Every one was worth the drive and the traffic and the stress of getting around in totally unfamiliar territory. And even with the big 4th of July holiday looming large the next day, we knew that checking out Minneapolis was a good idea. We weren’t disappointed!

We took a lovely walk along the Heritage Trail, crossed over the Mississippi several times, learned that Minneapolis is home to the only waterfall along the Mississippi River (the St. Andrew Falls) and it became a city of substance largely due to the grain and logging industry.
Our walk took us down to the water’s edge,

across the beautiful Stone Arch Bridges,

with expansive views of the river and St. Anthony’s Falls.


There were historic buildings


and people on segways touring past the historic buildings!

There were interesting “ruins” and walkways


and views of the locks.

We saw some unusual sculpture

and enjoyed seeing some historic architecture along the way.


And even some unexpected businesses


Self Serve Dog Wash. Who knew?
We only scratched the surface of beautiful Minneapolis -

but we knew there were other sights to see.
Since Minnesota is known as the Land of 10,000 lakes, we thought it only fitting that we check out nearby Lake Minnetonka. It certainly looked like it was getting ready for a big holiday weekend

but what really caught our eye was the Noerenberg Memorial Gardens. Situated right on the lake it is considered one of the finest formal gardens in Minnesota.



I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the many paths and garden beds,

and Gary really enjoyed

the gazebo!
It was a fun day – the crowds weren’t too bad, the sights were great, and the history interesting.
But one of the best things about Minneapolis was being able to connect with some dear friends from Doylestown – Dan and Emily Young. It wasn’t the best weekend for them for visitors (Dan had rotator cuff surgery on Thursday and they are in the process of getting ready to put their house on the market), but they were gracious hosts and we enjoyed our time with them.

And as an added bonus, we were able to park our house in their church’s parking lot.
Sweet!

Tomorrow it’s back on the road for us – we’ll be heading towards Chicago and are looking forward to getting together for a quick visit with my nephew and his family. This life on the really has some perks, doesn’t it?

Apart from our Mt. Rushmore, and Custer State Park touring (all very excellent and highly recommended!), we spent a little bit of time in downtown Rapid City. Some of that was taken up with some frustrating stops to government offices (both for us and for our buds), but we were struck with how lovely “center city” was. On most corners there are statues of the presidents (it was fun trying to identify them without actually stopping) or notable Native Americans, and the city landscaping was in full bloom.

It seemed that even the close to downtown industrial section was working to spruce up their appearance!

But as interesting as the area was, and regardless of how delightful we found the city, EAST was still calling our name.
Thursday morning we were on the road by 5AM, and while we enjoyed another lovely sunrise,

driving east in the early morning does involve just a little bit of sun glare.

But while the road pretty much looked like this

and this

or this

or this

or this

(honest, those pictures were NOT all taken within 10 minutes, they were spread out over several hours) we did get a make a couple of stops to break up the drive.
Like Wall Drug, in Wall, South Dakota – “America’s Favorite Roadside Attraction”.

(For my East Coast friends, think South of the Border done Mid-West style!)
We were there pretty darn early (remember that crack o’dawn departure? Wall Drug wasn’t even open when we arrived) so we didn’t see all of the fun, free, family attractions, but at least we can say we were there.
Our other main stop along the way was the Corn Palace, in Mitchell, SD. Also FREE, and very interesting. The decorations on the outside of the building are all made of corn or seeds or grasses and they are changed every year! Since 1892! These are last year’s murals, since this year’s corn crop isn’t in yet! They use specially grown colored corn and locally grown grasses/grains for these decorations and are currently working on redo-ing the grasses and other parts that are already available. This is truly a must see if you are driving along I-90 in South Dakota!

(The murals inside are also amazing and are both symbolic and honoring to the different artists that have designed the murals over the years. They are refreshed about every 10 years.)
We crossed the Missouri River for the first time (of course, there’s no getting around that if you’re driving across South Dakota!),

and enjoyed the scenic views from the Rest Area on the other side. This area is full of Lewis and Clark history – very interesting!


While even though the road stayed pretty much the same (and would have been perfect for me to have taken a turn driving except the wind was blowing about 30mph and even Gary was challenged to keep us going straight!), there are alway interesting things to see along the way.

The early morning sun on the newly harvested fields.

The beautiful grasses waving in the “breeze”.

Don’t you think this would be a hard way to stack hay rounds? How did they get that top one up there? Things we may never know.
As we approached Minnesota, the wheat/hay fields began to turn into corn fields -

But just what is THAT?


After a little Google research, it turns out that was the Porter Sculpture Park and while we didn’t stop, it certainly was fun to see along the way.
Never underestimate the value (and fun!) of looking out the window!
It was a long (straight) driving day for us – almost 400 miles, but we made it into Minnesota!

(who even had a rest stop right by the sign so I didn’t have to try and snap it on the fly!)
It was a good day of driving through the Heartland of America – what a beautiful and diverse country this is!
This weekend we’ll be visiting with friends outside of Minneapolis, then a quick stop to see some family (and a new great-neice) outside of Chicago and by this time next week we should be hugging these cuties -

(not to mention their Mom and Dad!)

The tires are turning – better get this posted!

And I mean the Really Big Boys!

We had a beautiful day today as we visited Mount Rushmore and neighboring Custer State Park. And it wasn’t only the bright blue sky that made it beautiful – it was a day spent with our good friends, John and Rosie!

Mt. Rushmore was quite fascinating. We enjoyed a couple of great “Ranger Talks” that helped us better understand this monument – it’s purpose, why the presidents that are there are there, and how this mammoth sculpture was actually accomplished.

It was a very interesting morning!

From there we headed a little south to take in some scenic drives through Custer State Park. We had lunch with the Bison -

Squeezed through some teeny-tiny tunnels -

and I mean really teeny-tiny -

We passed several beautiful lakes


and saw lots of beautiful scenery!

And somehow, before the drive was over, we managed to find some ice cream.

Yep, a pretty darn perfect day!

We had a great day today – combining some scenic non-interstate roads with a little history, some wonderful wildflowers and a little bit of good neighboring.
Here are some of those ribbons of road -





With all that road stretching ahead of us, it only made sense to break up our drive at Independence Rock -

During the middle of the 19th century, the rock was a prominent and well-known landmark on the Oregon, Mormon and California emigrant trails. Apparently it was about half way – and folks often reached it right around Independence Day – hence the name. We could see why it was a good stopping place – there was water, and lots and lots of grass for the livestock. We hiked around it and found many spots where the pioneers had left their mark on the rock.
Here are some shots from our little hike!





All along the way around the Rock there were beautiful wildflowers – I had to combine them into a collage so you wouldn’t tie up all your bandwidth with the pictures!

As we returned to the rig we noticed an older couple with a 5th wheel that seemed to be having some trouble with their awning. And even though Gary is not supposed to be doing ladder-type things (ahem), there is something in his nature that requires him to help. It wasn’t a permenant fix, but I think it will get them to civilization and a true repair!

Later we stopped to see if we (he) could help with a flat tire – but they seemed to have it under control.

I love this man.

The wildflowers along the way were also stunning.

And a couple of times Gary even pulled over so I could get a closer look!


Those seed “puffs” were about 3″ in diameter. So cool!

We’ve made it to Gillette, WY – just a stone’s throw from South Dakota, and it’s back to interstate driving (I-90 this time). It was delightful to take “the road less traveled” today, and it was especially nice that we did indeed get to stop and “smell the roses” along the way!

PS – there are a couple more shots from our day HERE just in case you’d like to see more!

Today was our very first venture into Wyoming! And while we never traveled farther off the interstate than to stop at a rest area, we thoroughly enjoyed the drive! And since I KNEW you would like to come along, I’ve tried my hand at making a “movie” of some of the highlights (ok, so it’s really just a slideshow, but let’s pretend, OK?). Fair warning – I’ve put some music to it, so if that annoys you, feel free to hit the mute button!
Here goes -

I think it’s a little fuzzy, so if you’d like to see the pictures individually (and without the music!), you can do so HERE!

It was a good travel day – full of all new road and some interesting sights along the way! Thanks for coming along! Tomorrow we break away from the interstate as we head north for a stretch. As much as we like “making time” on the big roads, I think we’re ready for the change – it’s always interesting to actually drive through some of these small towns. The memory card is empty and the batteries are charged!
Just sayin!