WOO! Day 4! By our fourth day we had settled nicely into the routine.
We started our journey off in Aurora, IL at 1,097 miles on the odometer and left the hotel at 9:10 am.
Day four took us through Wisconsin, almost killed us with a "monsoon" in Minnesota, and ended for the night in Mitchell, South Dakota. Here are some of the Highlights:
"Where's my coffee?"
This is a picture of Lola patiently waiting for me to get my morning coffee from the Starbucks in the Outlet mall. What a good girl! I sort of wished that I 1) had lots of extra money, and 2) had lots of extra time to shop at the Chicago Premium Outlets. It was huge and seemed to have a great selection of stores.
Yabba-Dabba-Doo!
The outlet mall also had a good selection of rides to play in. We chose this picture for our friend Andrew because we weren't going to be able to go to the Flintstone's themed campground in South Dakota. He was really looking forward to some Prehistoric Lola pictures, so we couldn't pass this one up!
Woo-Hoo, Wisconsin!
For one, let me just say that I loved when rest stops had giant signs like this to take pictures at!
Thank you, Wisconsin. Secondly, I must say that I think Wisconsin is a beautiful state!
I enjoyed driving through it even more this year!
Picture with Paul Bunyan statue: Check!
Sadly we did not find a Paul Bunyan with Babe the Blue Ox, but no cross-country journey would be complete without at least one picture with a Paul Bunyan statue! We found this gem in the Wisconsin Dells, another awesome place that I must go back to. I have never seen so many water parks in one place!
Lola and Gambrinus, the Beer King
This statue of Gambrinus, and the following World's Largest 6-pack of beer are in La Crosse, WI. I loved La Crosse and really wanted to spend more time there. This was an interesting stop that I had been looking forward to since I started planning the trip home! It just sort of comes upon you at the end of one of the main streets. VERY COOL, they were even bigger than I had imagined them!
Interesting, although I am skeptical about the 565 miles . . .
See tiny Lola at the bottom of the beer cans? They were massive!
A cool view in Wisconsin, right before entering Minnesota.
A rare moment when Lola decided to wake up and join me. It lasted about 5 minutes before she jumped back down and fell asleep again. Just had to check out the scenery I guess . . .
Welcome to Austin, Minnesota, home of the SPAM MUSEUM!!!
Unfortunately we arrived right at closing time and the windows were mirrored,
so the SPAM Museum exhibits still remain a mystery to me. Sad.
Mr. Spam and the Hogs
We were at least able to get a few shots outside.
Doesn't Lola look like a natural swine herder?
Busted.
In the last 5 minutes before closing, we were able to rush into the gift shop to pick up a few spectacular tidbits. Just as Lola was helping me decide on this lovely Spammy the Pig for my mommy (which she ultimately decided to keep), the Security Guard came up and escorted Lola out of the building! The man gave me some attitude and told me I could keep shopping, but that he would need to take Lola outside. I was extremely uncomfortable letting a stranger take her outside and quickly ended my shopping spree. Lola was perfectly fine of course, and had a swarm of children smiling at her. But I was a little put off, I must say. So yeah, the SPAM MUSEUM is a stickler for rules, apparently. I still would like to go back someday (without Lola) just to see exactly WHAT is in the Spam Museum.
HALF WAY HOME!!!
So, I couldn't capture a good picture of it, but Southwestern Minnesota has a stretch of wind turbines that is awesome. The sunset that night was a gorgeous coral/orange with shades of blue that illuminated the turbines and created a spectacular view. It was a much-welcomed peaceful end to a stressful, death-defying drive through the monsoon. ; ) I would love to do this last part of the days' drive again.
Random picture of the day:
Lola and the Little Green Giant serving Fudge and Jelly Beans
outside of a gas station in a small Minnesota town.
And finally . . . South Dakota!
Our last "new" state.
We rested up for the night in Mitchell, SD after a long, amazing day. The next day was packed full of tourist delight and picture taking, so it might be another LOOONG while before I get it posted. But keep checking back, because there are some EXCELLENT pictures . . . One word: Jackalope!
Sorry for the long wait on finishing our journey. It turns out that Lola and I have very little spare time now that we are back home with so many great friends and family to visit with!
~Crystal and Lola
