Roadside Attractions

And the trip begins. The first leg starting in Park Ridge, just outside of Chicago, stretches for about 860 miles along Interstate 90. Directions are pretty straightforward from Tom & Mary’s house- take Cumberland south for a mile and a half; turn right onto I-90, exit south on mile marker 131 in South Dakota, and you’re there. One of the things I think we overlooked in planning the trip was the opportunities we passed on in Wisconsin. Wright’s SC Johnson Wax building in Racine and Taliesin in Spring Green, just west of Madison. Although not far off the path, they would have added at least a half day to the trip. Next time, and if anyone is near Chicago in the future, I would recommend the detour.

Having already purchased a Chicago Bears key for JR, we were compelled to make a quick stop outside of Madison, Wisconsin at a roadside Home Depot for a Green Bay Packer key Stacey for our front door. After crossing the Mississippi River, and driving up the western bluffs into Minnesota (eh, don’t you know), we came across an enormous “wind farm” near Grand Meadow. Dozens of 2.5 Mw windmills were spread across the farm fields, Cristo-like in their continuity. The Dakota’s, Iowa, and Minnesota are some of the consistently windiest places in the continental U.S., and represent a clean and abundant resource for renewable energy. Say what you will about seeing so many of these “propellers” spinning over the farms, the wind turbines are more attractive than a coal-fired power plant.

And what should we stumble across in Austin, Minnesota, but the Hormel Spam Museum. How could we not stop, a move especially appropriate in light of the swine flu pandemic (pork shoulder and ham, in case you asked). Everyone gets their own parking space. Did you know that Hawaii consumes the most Spam of any state in the nation?

Mitchell, S.D. is home to the famous (?) Corn Palace. It’s not, as you might expect, constructed entirely of corn, but rather is an event center, the third in a historic line, that serves the town of Mitchell. A rather gaudy building, it is decorated with husks, stalks, cobs, and who knows what else, as inlays both on the exterior and interior wall surfaces. A group of sweet elderly women serve as docents in this charming slice of Americana.

On the way out of town, we had our picture taken with the jackalope and bison. (Worth noting, the jackalope is larger than the stuffed version at Goode Company BBQ in Houston.

Once we crossed the Missouri River at Oacoma, (and had out picture taken at the world’s largest buffalo, the farm landscape gave way to the enormous vistas of western South Dakota. Wheat fields and pasture extended uninterrupted from horizon to horizon, with only the occasional farm building or power line to give scale to the vastness. It just goes on forever.

As the sun set slowly in the West, and smack dab into our eyes through the bug-splattered windshield, casting speckled shadows upon our faces; we raced to the Badlands, hoping to set the tent before nightfall. Stay tuned for further adventures.

May 5th, and no bonks to be reported. Pick your day while there is still time!