We enjoyed another short visit with family in IL until Tuesday a.m. (we eat way too much food when we're there) when we hooked up the Honda and headed west on I-80 and about halfway through IA (we've seen a LOT of corn fields this summer), at DesMoines we picked up I-35 N to Albert Lea, MN where we got on I-90 through MN and into SD. Tuesday turned out to be a very long 600 mile day which is well beyond our normal traveling time/distance but it was good driving weather, good roads and not a lot of places to stay the night.
About 3 p.m. we did stop at a combination 'Welcome Center/Casino/Truck Stop" in MN but it was just too early to stop for the day. As we went to pull out, we didn't have a lot of room to make the turn and guess what......we had to unhook the Honda, make the turn, then hook up again & move on. Of course, it was hotter than heck out there and a couple of trucks were waiting to leave the rest stop, but all in all didn't take us too long and something I'm sure all RVers have had to encounter once or twice.
As we motored through MN, we noticed all rest stops were closed and finally realized that the state government was shutdown because the Governor had not signed the new budget. So we just kept going and ended up at a Flying J in Sioux Falls, SD for the night. It was a long day but really made for a more reasonable day on Wednesday of about 350 miles. Going through MN we noticed all these 'bales' of grass in the median and alongside the roadway. It appears they mow the grass (much different that the grass we're used to) and then bale it, haul it away, and I'm not sure what happens to it then.
We arrived 'Home' in Box Elder (just outside Rapid City) around noon on Wednesday. Our mail service here in SD has a new building with a small campground and when you walk in to register, they have a big sign in the lobby that says 'Welcome Home'. Their business is strictly people like us who are fulltime RVers, construction workers, mobile nurses, etc. who use their services for receiving mail, getting SD licenses, etc. and our little mailbox is 'home'. They also have the biggest US flag in SD (30x60 on a 100 ft. high pole) flying outside their building 365 days a year. It is really very dry here right now after about 20" of rain earlier......feast or famine I guess. I talked to a couple who have been here about 2 weeks and they said it was so muddy when they got here, it wasn't very pleasant, so now we've gone to the other extreme with rain forecasted for next week. The workkamping couple who welcome you and get your settled in, said it has been an awfully wet spring and that's why no grass has been planted. I really don't look forward to the rain/mud next week even though I know they need it badly.
One thing we learned as soon as we got here was the Sturgis Bike Rally is coming up real soon and this area will be overflowing with bikes. In fact, there is an empty field across the street from where we are and they've told us it will be filled with tents, trailers, whatever....and lots of bikes!! Yikes!!! We are about an hour from Sturgis but accommodations there fill up fast so they will spread to this far away. We went to a local restaurant yesterday called 'The Fire House' and our waiter said he makes lots of money during the Sturgis bike rally weeks but he earns every penny during his 14 hour workdays and some rude customers (Bob & Betty if you read this, the rude customers would NOT include you back in your 'biking' days).
Weather here was 95 Friday but today it's much cooler and not expected to get above 85 with a nice breeze. We're not sure how long we'll stay in this area, and may just very well 'nest' for awhile and enjoy the sites around here.
I read the following quote earlier this week and wanted to share -- 'Turn the world over on its side and everything will land in LosAngeles.'
Have a good weekend everyone.
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