DAY 4 - MINNEAPOLIS TO RAPID CITY, SD
I am writing this as I sit by the fire, a bottle of Bud beside me in some of the weirdest terrain I've ever seen. We are at a Koa Campground staying in a cabin while our tent dries. The cabin it basically a wooden tent with 5 beds. It has a swing on the front porch and a fire pit next to it. Perfect for us!
This morning, refreshed from our night at the Hampton Inn, with real beds and a breakfast, we hit the road at 10.15 am. A little late, but not too bad.
We started our destination listening to episodes of Car Talk (NPR) that Colleen had downloaded prior to the ride. Hilarious programs about cars.
Here are a few of their "Famous Last Words from people who live in trailer parks":
"Hey, watch this!"
"What does this button do?"
"You light it while I hold it."
"I wonder where the momma bear is...?"
"Uh oh!"
Also, a philosophical question posed to Click and Clack, the Tappit brothers (spelling?):
"If you're doing nothing, how do you ever know when you're done?"
The landscape through the rest of Minnesota was made up undulating hills of corn and soybeans going forever. We saw small planes dusting crops, wind mills, farm machinery working everywhere you looked.
The undulating hills shifted to flatter prairies. The sky opens up so we could see the storm clouds and lightning bolts miles ahead. Yet again, we headed into another storm raining down in a machine gun spray of water bullets. Lightning bolted from the sky all around us. The highway was straight and flat.
It was while we were driving through the storm that we realized we'd made the same mistake again. That is, the GPS gave us our arrival time as 7pm. What we didn't account for is that we were switching time zones. The GPS gives the end time for the time zone it is in, not for what you set your clock to. So, we thought we'd be getting to our site an hour earlier.
The landscape changed into smooth rocky slopes. As the rain finally ended and the sun came out, two full sky rainbows appeared. They spread from one horizon to the other, up into the sky in ribbons of violet, indigo, blue and green, yellow, orange and red. Simply gob smacking.
All along our drive, ads for Wall drugs appeared every 10 or 15 miles. Apparently they sell (and do) everything.
"Wall Drugs has 5 cent coffee!"
"Wall Drugs has a soda fountain!"
"Wall Drugs has a shooting range!"
"Wall Drugs has EVERYTHING!"
Crazy town, Wall, South Dakota. It's like an electronified version of the old west, with a neon sign above an "Old West Saloon" and multiple little stores. Can't forget to mention the Harley Davidson motorcycle parking lot.
We arrived at our Koa campground with lots of light left to set up and prepare our modest dinner of bratwurst, corn on the cob (bought fresh from a farmer), cherry tomatoes and some pickles.
Happy realization that has dawned on us:
The little Ikea pillows I popped into the car just before we left have proved quite usefull. Handy in the car. Great as camping pillows. In addition, they add a splash of colour to our car decor!
Fave Signs for the day:
Help manage your wildlife: Buy fur.
Vericose veins demand excellence.
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