Nothing half so much worth doing…

To paraphrase a famous quote from The Wind and the Willows:

Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply taking a road trip. 

Even though the weather was abysmal, as you can see from this one-handed phone photo, my spirits were high as I took to the road towards my first night’s stop in South Dakota.  Illinois had its usual wonderful combination of lots of traffic and toll roads with the rain and construction thrown in just for spice.  I whiled the miles away listening to a book on CD and wishing I could use cruise control.

I make two stops during the ten hour drive.  The first is always a combination cheese and fuel (and bathroom) stop in Mauston, Wisconsin where I stock up on cheese and a bag of fresh, squeaky cheese curds.  It amuses me each year that I buy cheese in a town whose first part of its name, Maus, means “mouse” in German, although the city’s website gives this as the origin of the name:

Mauston’s unique name originally was “Maughs Town,” named after its founder Milton Maugh.

These beauties were parked at the gas station.  As you can see from the sign, you can also get all the necessities of life here.  🙂

Once I cross the Mississippi River, swollen to an enormous width this year due to all the rain, I’m in Minnesota, where large, neat farms dominate the fairly flat land.  In Blue Earth I make my second gas stop before heading on to South Dakota.

Mitchell is my destination and if you’ve been following my blog for a few years, you know Mitchell is home to the world famous Corn Palace, where for over 100 years, corn and other grain/grasses have been used to create beautiful designs and pictures.  Take one or two minutes to look at the photo gallery of 12 photos, ranging from 1892 to the 1975 version.  The early versions, reminiscent of ornate Russian buildings, make the current one look quite plain.

As I rounded the corner, I saw a small farmers market where I found jam, farm-fresh eggs, an enormous head of romaine lettuce, and some fantastic cinnamon rolls.  I stopped at the grocery store near my motel and bought strawberries before heading back to relax for the rest of the evening.  I’ll be on the road again early the next morning.  Get a good night’s sleep.  We have 8 hours to drive, then more to do before we head up the mountain.