Maria Goes to Cali!!!!!: May 2012

Thursday, May 31, 2012

The Corn Palace!!

So after driving 8 hours, we made it to our most anticipated stop of the day...The Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota!! We are OBSESSED with this place!! How can you not be?!? The murals on the outside are made with over 275,000 ears of corn and husks and are updated each year. They are updated from June to August at a pretty reasonable cost of $130,000 per year ;) There are 12 different types of corn, which are strategically placed by a "paint by corn" drawing, drawn on by local artists. The corn is then placed on the mural and stapled into place. We did all the "corny" things possible at The Corn Palace including watching a video about the making of the palace (which actually almost brought a tear to my eye), buying crazy souvenirs, and eating dinner there, which included my corn dog, ear of corn and Dad's sloppy joe, which he was so excited about!! The admission was FREE!! Yes! Something awesome in America is still free! And our dinner was a whopping $8! The Corn Palace is not only an awesome museum but also holds events like proms, high school and college basketball games and concerts. Duke Ellington played there back in the day and naturally Willie Nelson has played there more recently. So, now you know why we love this place! Everyone who worked there was so friendly and bubbly! If this traveling nursing thing doesn't work out, I may consider getting a job at The Corn Palace!! Where all your corniest dreams come true!!
Now, onward to Rapid City, South Dakota for the night!!

Minnesota State Flag

USA! USA! USA!!!

More Windmills ;)

The Jolly Green Giant

Heck yes I met the Jolly Green Giant in Blue Earth, Minnesota!! I met his little friend, Sprout, too ;) I look like a bug standing at 5'2" while greenie stands at over 55'. Jolly Green Giant vegetables are grown in Blue Earth, which gets its name from the Blue Earth River's blue hued clay at the bottom of the river.

Minnesota

We made it to Minnesota!!! The scenery finally changed when we arrived in Minnesota! We were greeted by the Mississippi River on one side of the bridge and what looked like red rocks with TONS of trees growing on them on our other side. Minnesota was so very green!! (in more ways than one...once you see the next picture you will understand :) My Dad was in Minnesota last week for business and said they got about 5 inches of rain in one day! You can definitely tell from all the lush greenery. It was refreshing to finally see something other than brown grass and farms. Sorry farmers out there! But, it's so very impressive how much vast farmland and land in general there is in the United States. Talk about feeling insignificant!! Throughout this journey, I have been so honored to call America my home (corny I know! But the corniest part has yet to come!!!

WINDMILLS :)

I absolutely LOVE windmills!!! They are such impressive structures. This picture cannot capture how many windmills we saw at one time. There had to be at least 30 to 50 in one area. And I think we saw HUNDREDS of windmills on our drive through Minnesota and South Dakota.

Driving through Wisconsin

Onalaska, Wisconsin

Apparently, we are On Alaska! ;)

Michelangelo's Cafe

We stopped here for coffee before heading out on the road. It's a cute little organic/fair trade coffee shop with beautiful murals, mosaics and artwork. They have a good cup of joe, too :)

Me 'n Papa G

Road trip buddies!!!

Ringin' the Bell

Inside the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court

El Capitol Dome

El Capitol

This is The Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin. It's GORGEOUS inside and is home to the state Senate and Supreme Court.

Wisconsin

You may not be able to read the flag but we're in Wisconsin!!

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Destination 1-Complete!!

We arrived in Madison, Wisconsin today at 8:30 pm (central time) after driving about 9 hours across the Midwest (about an 1 1/2 was in Chicago rush hour. Couldn't complain about the skyline, though ;) I can't take any of the credit for driving...AT ALL today!!! All approximately 500 miles were thanks to Papa G! We passed through the heart of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and then Wisconsin, until reaching Madison. The scene really didn't change much from one state to another. Basically, the views are of farms, silos, cows, more farms, more cows, and even MORE farms!!! No wonder people from other states (not from the Midwest) think I'm a cowgirl when I say I'm from O-HIO. The day couldn't have been more beautiful!! The sun was shining the whole trip, without a rain cloud in the sky! I thought when we arrived to Madison, I would want a big wheel of CHEESE, but then I remembered, Leinenkugal's is brewed in Wisconsin, therefore, I HAD to have a Summer Shandy to show allegiance to the state I was walking in. My Dad and I enjoyed some burgers and brews at The Coliseum Bar down the road from our hotel. The bar scene was great with some very friendly bartenders and even sand volleyball courts outside. Definitely a perfect end to a perfect first day on the road!!!