Bikes, Corn, Wall Drug, and Storms

So, if you are reading this, I hope that I am keeping you interested. Writing it all down is great for me so I get to log what happened. And maybe, you enjoy it too.

Minneapolis is a bike-friendly city. That's great for its inhabitants. But now, it is also great for visitors, if you are fortunate to stumble upon Nice Ride stands. We were so lucky. Just outside the hotel was a stand for these free bikes that you could borrow and ride around town. Well, this morning, we did just that. We grabbed a couple bikes and headed downtown for breakfast. Recommendation: Hell's Kitchen. I don't believe it has anything to do with Gordon Ramsey. The food, the atmosphere was fantastic. Dan liked it so much he bought the chef's cookbook.

From there we rode to the river (headwaters of the Mississippi) and along the river path. Since it was a Tuesday morning, there weren't many people out. We headed over to campus (Univ of MN). Finding the bike stations did prove hard. This program was really new so signage definitely needs improvement. After a nice 2 hours of riding we got back to the hotel and got ready to hit the road.

Driving through the southern parts of MN and across SD is well, relaxing. Rolling hills, long straightaways, cows, hay, big sky. There is not much between Sioux Falls and Rapid City. Well, expect for two things: Corn Palace and Wall Drug.

Corn Palace is a building with a corn facade. Corn husks, corn cobs, and probably just corn too. I assume that inside they have sculptures made out of corn and even the history of corn. But we didn't go in. Seeing it from the outside was enough. Look it up. I am sure they'll convince you to visit.

Now Wall Drug is a different story. Located in Wall, SD, this place has pioneered the roadside advertisements. Look them up and check out their story. Better yet, do a search for 'Wall Drug' and 'Time Magazine' - you'll understand what I mean. We did stop off, saw the 3/4 block store, the 'backyard', the 'T-Rex', and had dinner. Lots of eclectic things to buy there.

Looking back, we traveled about 600 miles today! Rapid City was just over an hour from Wall. And heading into that area, we hit an impressive storm front. Seeing the lead clouds, we expected to spot a twister. One or two may have formed, but fortunately no were near us. We actually headed directly to the Firehouse Brewery in downtown Rapid City. Unlike the Town Hall in MN, this place had only 4 crafted beers and one was out. Dan and I tried the Barely Blonde and the Eagle Pale Ale. Both were decent and both were pale ales. Satisfied and tired, we retired to the hotel.

Tomorrow is the final push through South Dakota, Wyoming, and finally into Colorado. It's hard to believe that I started this 5 days ago. Until tomorrow!

~J^3