Corn Palace

The cheesiest tourist attraction of our trip so far was Corn Palace along I-90 in South Dakota.  The exterior is entirely covered in corn products and the inside features murals made entirely from different species of corn.

Badlands!

After a solid six hours of westward driving on I-90, we just pulled through the gate into Badlands National Park.  The parks ranger at the gate gave us free passes as a graduation gift after we explained our trip.  Less than 5 minutes into the park, we already have some beautiful pictures! 

Boating the Mississippi River

When we started this road trip, we never imagined we would find ourselves riding down the Mississippi River in a powerboat.  Yet, that's exactly where we found ourselves on Sunday afternoon after newlyweds Chad and Margaret Johnson invited us.

We started the day with a hiccup at the gym where I accidentally hit Joe in the chin with a medicine ball during our ab workout.  Next, we stopped at North America's largest mall, Mall of America.  It's just a really big mall with a small amusement park inside. 

Our day really got good when we arrived in Red Wing, Minnesota and visited the Red Wing Shoe Company.  Red Wing sells leather work boots and their store has the Guinness-certified world's largest work boot. 

After helping Chad launch the boat, we cruised about 20 miles down the Mississippi to the Pickle Factory in Pepen, Wisconsin.  We ordered fried pickle spears and had a picnic lunch on the boat.  After loading the boat back on the trailer we ended the day with barbecued pork chops at the Johnsons' new home.

Our afternoon boat cruise and dinner with family and friends reminded us that this trip is not just about the places and things we see; it's people that make our nation great.  We've never felt prouder of the country we've sworn to defend!

Minneapolis Part One.

We first arrived in Minneapolis at 5 pm on Saturday evening and were immediately taken on a tour of the city with Aunt Maureen, Uncle Wayne and my cousin Jessica.  We learned almost everything about the city, including how Minneapolis grew due to a small waterfall on the Mississippi river that could provide hydro power to sawmills.  Minneapolis is also home to the musical artist Prince, and we stopped for a quick photo outside the massive film and music studio he had built and used in the movie Purple Rain. Our evening ended at Mickey's diner, a  railcar restaurant that has survived and gained fame amidst the urban development in St. Paul.

Duluth, Minnesota!

We finally got out of Michigan and across Northern Wisconsin to Duluth, MN.  Duluth is famous for its industry, microbreweries and the scenic lake shore drive north of the city.  Although the rain muted our views along the scenic drive, the food and drink at Fitger's brewhouse was fantastic!  Joe and I are both enthusiastic about getting out of the woods and rejoining civilization for the next couple days in Minneapolis. 

Porcupine Mountain Wilderness Campground

We drove west for three hours following our Pictured Rocks tour to arrive at our next campground at the western tip of Michigan's upper peninsula. Although we had to battle the insects, we had a gorgeous campsite with a view of the sunset over Lake Superior.  This morning we woke and did a trail run to see some of the nearby waterfalls.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

On our way across the sparsely populated upper peninsula of Michigan we have begun to understand solitude. We stopped in the small harbor town of Munising to catch a boat tour with Pictured Rocks Cruises.

The pictured rocks are a national lakeshore of cliffs formed over half a billion years ago. They are know for the various colors caused by minerals and water runoff in the soil making the cliffs appear "painted".