LATEST TRICKS: Westward Ho!

Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota
Monday, September 20, 2010

Packed up Rover and paid one last visit to Schubert's as we headed out of Wisconsin. It was great to see Steve again and to meet some of his other staff, including the lovely Darlene.

Of course, we had to get one more bag of their delicious rosettes and a loaf of their wonderful Swedish rye bread to go. While there, we met the very charming Le Roy Briggs of Missouri. This gregarious retired doctor put great big grins on our faces.

Heading west, we took a wrong turn somewhere along the way and ended up in Potosi, Wisonsin. It was a happy accident, as we discoved the wonderful Potosi Brewing Company. Dee at the Interpretive Center and Transporation Museum was warm-hearted and welcoming. Props to the guys pouring beer behind the beautiful semicircular bar in the Restaurant and Pub, too.

Stocked with Good Old Potosi Beer and Cave Ale, we headed northwest to meet the Mississippi River and to travel a stretch of The Great River Road. We crossed over into Marquette, Iowa for peek so that we could set foot in The Hawkeye State before continuing our journey westward.

We traveled across southern Minnesota to make some time after dark. It was one of the few interstate stretches we had taken since the beginning of the trip. Even this had its delights, such as spotting an ocean of red blinking lights as far as the eye could see in every direction, indicating a massive wind farm hidden in the darkness. Or witnessing a brilliant electrical storm in full panoramic splendor over the broad plains near Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Mother Nature sure puts on a magnificent show!

Last but not least was THE FROGS. Hundreds of them, leaping merrily all over the highway in celebration of the rain. It was like the Olympic Grand Slalom event just trying to avoid them--and not all such attempts were successful. A curious end to a day filled with surprises!

We turned in for the night at an especially lovely Holiday Inn Express in Mitchell, South Dakota. After a long day on the road, we appraciated the warm welcome we received from Bob at the front desk. A retired Intelligence Officer in the Naval Reserves, Bob has visited Hawaii many times over the years and shares our love of the "Big Island" of Hawaii. We exchanged stories before retiring for the night, pleased to have made the acquaintance of a fellow traveler.
--Ted and Laura