NW Adventure Day 24

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On our way Home

With mixed feelings, we start our trek home. Slowly but surely, any hint of mountain is behind us and with each new hill, our minds wander to the things we will need to do when we arrive home. In the meantime, we revisit the cherished memories of the trip, trade off driving, and keep guessing where we will stop for the night. A sign tells us we have crossed the boundary to Central Time Zone, a clear sign we are headed home.

Corn Palace

We took one excursion from the expressway because of what Jerry had heard about Corn Palace and in spite of knowing it would likely be closed for the season. We turned this way and that way, following the signs to Corn Palace. Problem was, they never really said how far it was. Finally, after too many turns to count and without any corn palace in sight and an obvious "To I-90" sign that was in sight, we turned back to the expressway. Who knows if we were close or not but we decided it wasn't worth spending anymore time following signs to an unknown place at an unknown distance. We'll look up pictures on the Internet someday.

Let's Eat

Fairmont, MN seemed like a good stopping place to eat and decide how much further we'd push for today. Exiting the expressway, there really wasn't anything other than fast food and we really were in the mood for something local and a good burger. We got directions to a place called The Channel and did our best to follow the directions. It's a good thing we left bread crumbs to get us back when we were done. The burgers were worth it and we decided to do another hour or so of driving before getting some sleep.

Let's Sleep

This was one of those days one really didn't care where we ended up - - clean room and bed with a hopeful hot shower in the morning. So, we call it a night in Austin, Minnesota. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, we should see our Waukesha home sometime tomorrow. Still mixed feelings but the closer we get to home, the better home now seems. We dream of safe travels tomorrow.

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Photos

Thanks Hampton
Our longest stay at any one place - three nights

No mountains, hills, or buttes left but still red road
Go figure

Just a Minnesota convenience store sign Jerry couldn't resist
The clerk like Rita's Packer sweatshirt -- in Minnesota believe it or not