Leg #5, MN to SD

This morning we left MN and headed to SD. We knew going in that this was going to be our second longest day at about a 9 hr drive (first longest was our drive to Cincinnati from NJ). We stopped for lunch at Cracker Barrel (thanks dad) a couple hours after we left and it was the perfect break time. Then we headed west towards the Badlands, through Wall (yes, home of Wall Drug) and finally stopped for the night in Rapid City. But our trip would not have been complete without a stop in Mitchell at the Corn Palace. Yes, the Corn Palace. Complete with their mascot Cornelius which we may need to put some money in the therapy jar for HG. She did NOT like him one bit. I think we saw a bit of anxiety step in once she spotted him. She about scaled Ethan to create a maximum distance. Mission completed. While there she had her first gumball, which she promptly swallowed.

We loved the Badlands and we were there at the perfect time of night. Just as the sun sets and the shadows turn purple, greens are darker and brighter at the same time and the clouds and sky take on new colors. We had some great pictures of HG and a family shot overlooking the bluffs as well as pictures after sunset of some big horned sheep was spotted, but somehow the pictures all got lost. Even our wall drug pic. HG pulled out her binoculars and was actually using them correctly, saying "eep, eep" looking out the window for more big horned sheep. I had that on camera as well. I know, we're very sad and can't figure out how it happened. Here are the few we have of today...