Day 4 – South Dakota

Miles traveled: 370
Hours on Road: 6
States covered: 2 – Minnesota, South Dakota

The theme for today is windmills. The theme does NOT include storms.

We woke very early today. I wouldn’t have woken early except that a little boy next to me poked me in the face. Once I was awake, I couldn’t go back to sleep, so we all had to get up. I took the air out of the mattresses again. It turns out, it wasn’t 7:00 a.m., as I had thought. It was 6:00 a.m. We’d hit that daylight savings time difference, and I’d never changed the time on my watch.

The highways out here are my kind of driving. Once again, I set the cruise control to 65, and I never had to change my speed except to stop at rest areas. In fact, when we got to South Dakota, the speed limit went up to 70, but I kept it at 67. As we pulled into our first stop to get breakfast (still in Minnesota), I got a phone call from my credit card company saying there seemed to be some unusual spending on the card. I figured it was the gas charges heading across the country. But it wasn’t. Someone had bought themselves shoes early that morning and had used my card. Since that card had to be shut down right away, I’m now down to one credit card and my debit card. God help me if more creeps steal my numbers!

It was at this first stop that Trey finally started talking to us again. Earlier he had been teased and got very mad at his brothers, and the boy sure can hold a grudge. He didn’t speak to anyone for about 45 minutes. The only way I got him to talk again was to say he couldn’t get any breakfast if he didn’t let it go. He was hungry enough that he forgave us.

Along the western side of Minnesota and on into South Dakota, there are thousands of windmills. One piece of farmland had to have had several hundred on it. They’re amazing to watch.

Also in South Dakota, the roads suddenly turn pink. Makes you wonder what kind of asphalt they’re using.

We’re now staying at Lake Mitchell campground. Most people may not know that Mitchell, South Dakota is home to the world’s largest corn palace. Largest? You mean there’s more than one? It was worth the price of admission, let me tell you. (It was free to get in.) While it was probably once a spectacular site, when the entire thing was made of corn, it is now a tourist trap that is mostly made of plastic and decorated with corn murals, which are actually quite impressive.

Our camp site is the best in the campground. We’re right on the water down at the end of a road in a very private spot. We’ve already had our dinner of bruscetta, and now we’re all sitting in McDonald’s, with Cal and Trey playing in the indoor playground and Parker and I enjoying the free Wifi. Trey wants me to tell everyone that we are at McDonald’s #2363. It isn’t supposed to rain tonight, so I’m looking forward to packing up a dry campsite for the first time since we started out.

Cal and Trey are getting bored, so I have to end my writing for tonight. If there’s Wifi tomorrow, you’ll be hearing from me.

http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=1825738027/a=2740108027_2740108027/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/