Cheese, Please

The Midwest greeted us with field after field, red barn after red barn. Iconic America. Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan were not places we had a lot of time to explore but all brought adventures none the less. 

Minnesota led us to the Mall of America. So much more than just a mall. You could spend days exploring the place. We spent a couple hours. We definitely didn't see it all. We did see these guys though. Flashback to elementary school! 

We browsed a few shops and then headed for the amusement park. Two roller coasters were our choice. I'll just tell you that there is a serious roller coaster in the middle of this mall. It had a steep drop, two loops, several corkscrews, and speed. Not for the faint of heart!

 

Wisconsin greeted us with cheese. According to a brochure, there are more dairy cows in Wisconsin than school children. This makes for a lot of cheese. We stumbled across a traveler's guide to cheese at the rest area and set off. We had dill cheese, banana pepper cheese, buffalo wing cheese, and muenster cheese. All delicious. We also had some ice cream while amongst all this dairy!

For the record, we are not really NFL fans. We are not Packers fans. However, we ended up on the Lambeau Field tour. It seemed like a must do while in Greenbay activity. It turned out to be fantastic. The field is nice, the history behind the team is interesting, and we know we will never afford a suite rental. We were able to walk through the tunnel and into the stadium. We felt so honored! It was exciting on a random afternoon. I can't imagine how the players feel. We showed up for the grand opening day of the new pro shop. We are now owners of Packers shirts and will wear them proudly every Sunday this fall. #gopackgo

Wisconsin also led us to Barb and Wayne's for the night. Thanks again for opening your home to us and for having a yummy homemade cherry pie waiting on the counter! Pulaski, Wisconsin is home to the Polka Days Festival. Wayne took us out on the town. This was definitely our first experience with polka! Had we known we could have learned a few steps before arriving. We enjoyed a fireworks show, polish sausage (minus the sauerkraut), pierogis, live polka music, and polka dancing. We do not polka in Kentucky...seems like we might be missing out!

We put Pauley on the S.S. Badger and headed across Lake Michigan. Four hours later we spotted land. That's a big lake!

We didn't have time to visit Michigan's picturesque upper peninsula. We will have to explore Michigan on another trip. We stopped for the night in Dearborn to visit with my great aunt. She cooked as if an army were visiting....both dinner and breakfast! We haven't eaten so much food since we left home. It was delicious and it was nice visiting with her!

Road Trip America went international! We crossed the border and spent some time with our neighbors to the north. 

In Corbin we have this great waterfall, Cumberland Falls. It's beautiful and we are very proud of it. Niagara Falls makes it look like a tiny drop with a river flowing every so slowly. Niagara Falls is spectacularly large and rapidly moving! It's true what they say...Canada got the better view. If you want to see the falls in all it's glory, pack your passport. Then head back to the USA and hop aboard The Maid of the Mist. What a fun boat ride!! Wear the poncho because you will get drenched! The mist is more like a steady rain. Head back over at night to see a rainbow mist and if you're there on a certain night, a fireworks show. (We have seen a lot of fireworks while traveling America).

Dear Niagara, New York,

  We would like to suggest that you spruce up the place a bit. You are not giving a very good first impression of America to newcomers who enter our beautiful country through your gates. Take a look over the river at Canada. They have it figured out. 

Sincerely,

The Mindiys

Carved in Stone

George Washington. Thomas Jefferson. Theodore Roosevelt. Abraham Lincoln. Four of the best. Four whom have each left a legacy that lives on today. Four faces that cause you to stare in humbled awe as you see them carved in stone. Mt. Rushmore was one of those places that makes you proud of your country. Makes you proud to call yourself an American. We arrived as the sun was setting. Perfect timing for the evening ceremony. We didn't know what a treat this would be. A talk by a park ranger. A film about the lasting impact of these four great men. A tribute to military present. The lighting of the mountain. We watched this only moments after learning of the tragic death of a young man who has served his country in the fullest capacity. To the Shelton family...these four men carved in stone would be honored to know someone like your son and brother worked to keep the country they built safe. You are in our prayers. 

Mt. Rushmore is surrounded by these old tiny mining towns. Think Gatlinburg with a wild wild west theme. Our camping receipt got us into the National Presidential Wax Museum for free. Obviously we went. I find wax museums to be quite fascinating and slightly creepy. This one didn't disappoint! Mindi also got her picture with Robert E. Lee. According to her Big Mommy, Lee is her kinfolk. :)

We had plans to go to the Crazy Horse Memorial. However, after a tasty lunch of one of those bibuffs we saw all over Yellowstone, we ended up at the Prairie Berry Winery. We learned about this award winning winery in a travel magazine...picked up at a rest area I'm sure. They had free tastings. We were sold from the start. It was fantastic. We did a bit of shopping and have plenty of wine nights scheduled for when we return to Kentucky. 

We have been seeing signs for Wall Drug since we crossed the South Dakota state line. Clearly they want you to stop. Wall, South Dakota is a one stop light (if that) town. All they have is Wall Drug. Wall Drug is a completely overstimulating place. It's nostalgic and has anything you think the typical tourist might purchase. We didn't stay very long. We did find this stuffed bibuff though. The precious man taking our picture insisted Mindi kiss it. :)

Mindi also found this Wild West shooter. She wanted her picture and before I snapped it she jumped into a pose with a "Pow". #anniegetyourguns

South Dakota offered us a drive through Badlands National Park next. This is an ever changing landscape. Erosion uncovers new things and creates new things. It has a very prehistoric look to it. Very 'Land Before Time'. It is places like this that make me wish we could travel back in time and be a fly on the wall. Seeing dinosaurs roam these lands would be pretty cool. 

Mitchell, South Dakota has a claim to fame...The Corn Palace. It's exactly what you just imagined, a palace created with corn. Every year they change the theme. We arrived mid-change. The artwork on the inside and outside of the building is created using corn. Here are some facts for you. 

600,000 pieces of corn are used to decorate the outside each year.

9 different colors of Indian corn are used to create the murals. 

Over a ton of nails, staples and wire are used to fasten the corn and grasses. 

When finished this year it will look like this. 

Thank you, South Dakota, for the fun!

Just Eatin' Some Chips

Wyoming (or Wyomee if your Mindi) was full of fun and adventures!! It's pretty, too. 

First up was Yellowstone National Park. We had no idea what a fabulously interesting place this was! We knew about Old Faithful. But did you know that the park is home to the largest collection of geysers and hot springs on earth? They are the most interesting things. They make mud gurgle. They create sapphire water and orange residue. They spout water and steam. They are boiling. They smell. Old Faithful was neat to see but the real deal is the Grand Fountain Geyser. It only erupts every six hours and we showed up just in time. The boardwalk takes you right through its path. Click on the link to journey with us! (Videos are a new blog feature!)

http://youtu.be/omqEM27rBQQ

Spend five minutes in the park and you find yourself humming 'Home on the Range.'  It really is a place where the buffalo roam and the deer and antelope play. It's a toss up as to whether we say buffalo or bison. We decided to go with bibuff. They are everywhere!!!!! Careful when your driving...they roam the roads. Bibuff in the field. Bibuff on the road. Herds of bibuff. Loner bibuff. Literally everywhere. They are gigantic. (I realize there are buffalo in Midway and I drive past them often. I will tell you these were way better.)

We desperately wanted to see a bear. (From the car, of course.) We preferred a grizzly but would have been happy with any bear. So we went on a bear hunt. Yellowstone is huge. Our bear hunt took us all over the park. We were about to give up. We had to leave. Sad faces were present. Then we came upon a traffic jam. Traffic jams mean only one thing. Wildlife has been spotted. Could it be a bear?! We so hoped we got to the place before it left. We then see the passengers in the cars ahead of us piling out with their cameras. A car coming the opposite direction confirms...a mama black bear and her two cubs!! Mindi orders me out of the car with these instructions. "Get good pictures so if they leave I can still see it. And if she starts charging get in the closest car you can find." Naturally I hop out and take off. Oh man! So cute :) She didn't mind the entourage watching. The cubs aren't really all that visible in the pictures. There are better ones on the real camera. Check seeing a bear off the list. Double check for the cubs. 

Yellowstone is also a beautiful place. Fields of wildflowers, lakes, streams, canyons. Two thumbs up, Yellowstone. You were a real treat. 

We ventured into Grand Teton National Park. We have seen a lot of mountains on this trip. These win. They were incredible. We did not have nearly enough time here. I definitely see a return trip. I'm thinking winter. Sitting in the lodge watching the snow fall while sipping hot cocoa and staring at those mountains sounds like a happy place to be. We actually sipped hot cocoa on this chilly morning. We sat on the deck. We were just missing the snowfall. It was a happy place. 

Next stop, Cody...aka cowboy capital of the world.  Home of the Cody Nite Rodeo. Obviously we had our tickets and were ready. Minutes after arriving we hear, "Hey girls, wanna sit on a bull?" Of course we want to sit on a bull!! $10 later and we are up top of 1,800 pounds of pure buckin' bull. Mongo he was called. Big guy. Money well spent :) The cowboys were great. They put on a show that was both athletic and pleasing to the eye. If you don't hear from us again we've returned to Cody and are working the rodeo scene. Just send us our boots. 

Cody is also home to Buffalo Bill and the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. Five museums in one building. It was actually a great museum. We are now William F. Cody, aka Buffalo Bill, experts. 

Travel on down the road and you'll find a giant monolith towering above you. Devil's Tower. Nothing around it for miles. Here's the legend of how it came to be. 

On your way to Devil's Tower you might see these guys. They are serious about those horns. 

You might also see a prairie dog town. I'm still in love with these tiny critters!! Could spend hours watching them play. Both sides of the road were full of them. Totes Adorb!

We met this really cool guy at some scenic overlook on the side of the road. Barry. He sold all his things and is traveling around via bike and RV. His bus is called 'The BUSket List'. We like that. 

In Worland you might encounter a police officer. No worries if he pulls you over going 48 in a 30 zone, just be honest. "Yes, officer, I knew the speed limit was 30. No, I wasn't daydreaming. We were just talkin' and eatin' some chips." He will simply have you smack yourself on the wrist and tell you to slow down. 

As we near the state line we stop to get gas. Mindi says she is going in to buy a Pepsi. The conversation goes like this. 

Her: I'm going in to get a Pepsi. 

Me: I didn't think you liked Pepsi. 

Her: I don't. But I've seen all these signs that it's bottled in Wyomee. 

Me: You know they bottle that stuff in Corbin, don't you. 

Her: I know. But they are so proud of it here and I want to support them.