This morning seems like a long time ago. We’re all tired and worn out from pounding down I-90 from Albert Lea, Minnesota to Spearfish, South Dakota. The daily total was 562 miles but we’re here safe and sound.

We did have a few diversions today. I’m going to let the pictures do the talking for the most part. So please follow along.

If you’ve ever been to this area you can probably complete the name of our first stop – it starts out with the phrase “The World’s Only……..” . The location is Mitchell, South Dakota and the site is The World’s Only Corn Palace. The exterior of this building changes every year and this year they must have seen us coming. The theme was “Under the Big Top” which was proudly displayed on the corn covered front of the building. They must have know that our little circus train was headed their way.

No visit to the corn palace is complete without a group photo with “Cornie” the official mascot.

Not long after Mitchell (and the DQ) it was time for a bio-break. Conveniently located was a rest area right on I-90 at Chamberlain, SD. If you’ve followed my blog for a while you know that this place has always felt special to me. Looking down on the Missouri River has always signaled my official entry into the real west. There is now a statue at this location paying tribute the the native Americans who inhabited this area.

It was a long day of driving and we were fortunate to have driven in sunshine almost all day. The luck ran out as we approached Rapid City, the skies darkened and then opened up for a torrential downpour complete with thunder, lightning, and some hail thrown in for good measure. We considered pulling over like so many drivers around us had done. That would have been the smart thing to do so we just drove on. (When it comes to making decisions this gang is not quick. By the time we would have made the pull-over call, the rain would have moved out of the area.)

The last 30 miles was uneventful and dry. The vacation home we rented is beautiful even if it was a little hard to find. The street it’s on doesn’t appear on any GPS or Google Maps. We managed to quickly unload the motorcycles, move the trailers to a separate location, and get all of our gear inside. It was finally time to relax and have some dinner.

Dinner was at Killian’s here in Spearfish.

Tomorrow begins the motorcycle portion of this adventure. Max has laid out several routes to be explored and we are anxious to get started. The circus wagons are parked for now. Thanks for letting me ramble on.