The hotel we stayed at in Mitchell, South Dakota was definitely our least favorite of the whole trip. First of all, I’m not sure why but there are hundreds of crickets all around the front of the hotel. When we were wheeling our suitcases in at 1 in the morning, I probably killed about 12 crickets because they are all over the ground, walls, and sidewalks. Loren describes it as a “bad Stephen King novel”.
So already walking into this place we’re grossed out. Then in the room, the wallpaper trim is of pheasants. Really? Pheasants? I guess we’re not in Kansas anymore—or we’re so close to being in Kansas. Either way, it was ugly. After noting the bedspreads that would crinkle when you touch them and the slight mold growing in the shower, I saw that there was another door in the room. I went to open it and I’m not sure I can describe what was on the other side.
It was like an open courtyard, except it was completely covered. So it was pretending to be outside when you were obviously not. It was so muggy and all you can hear are the thousands of crickets swarming the building. I took a picture of what it looks like, but the picture actually makes it look nicer. There’s a swimming pool and a weird set-up of mini golf. It’s also all completely carpeted.
One of my mom’s coworkers suggested that if we’re in Mitchell we better stop at the Corn Palace. Not knowing what to expect, we followed his suggestion straight to the weirdest stop we’ve made. It was only about 2 miles from our hotel and in the midst of houses and stores was this:
It is completely adorned with—you guessed it—corn. There are 12 different types of corn, all different colors, which is how they create images and give the structure its unique look. As if stepping out of your car and seeing this building façade wasn’t enough, when you step inside, there are “corn-cession” stands and then finally an auditorium. There’s a basketball court inside and while there are vendors on the court right now, they do play games there.
Every year the design is changed on the outside and hundreds of thousands ears of corn are placed on the Corn Palace. The first one was built in 1892 and even after all that time they’re still coming up with unique ways to “paint” with corn.
After we hit the road, Loren was looking at the map and noticed that the town where her husband grew up in was only a stone’s throw away from I-90. We were driving through Minnesota and Spirit Lake is in Iowa, so we decided to go visit and cross another state off of our list. Around this time, there was a huge storm. It was absolutely pouring and we had been seeing lightning for at least 30 minutes. It’s so beautiful because the land is so flat that you can see for miles and miles, and when lightning strikes, you can see the entire bolt.
Luckily, when we got to Spirit Lake and stopped at a Wal Mart really quick, the storm had passed. Sadly, I didn’t see any “Wal-Martions” but it’s still cool to say that I was in a Wal Mart in Iowa.
After that, our next stop wasn’t until Blue Earth, Minnesota where there is a giant Jolly Green Giant. This 60-foot statue is just off the highway and he overlooks all the many corn fields. A friendly biker told us that he’s there because that’s where it all started. He is sitting at the edge of the “Valley of the Green Giant”.
When we crossed into Wisconsin, we also crossed the Mississippi River. Let me tell you, it is huge! It is easily the widest river I’ve ever seen in person. We didn’t stop and get out of the car to look at it, but this picture I have crossing over, is only half of the river. The trees on the left-hand side are just part of an island in the middle of it.
It was starting to get dark then and since I was driving, we decided to switch drivers. So we stopped at a gas station—that also had a Quiznos—and got some dinner. While we were leaving, a guy held the door out for me and when I thanked him, he said “You betcha”!! I am so excited that I got to hear that in Wisconsin. It really made my day.
After that little stop though, we were driving in darkness, counting down the hours until we got to Illinois to check in at Hotel Loren. I tried to get a picture of the Illinois sign, but it was too dark and didn’t come out. Maybe I’ll get one tomorrow when we’re leaving Illinois. And also, for those of you who know my mom--and who don't--check out her blog and see her side of the trip!! http://ny2ca2ct.blogspot.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment