When we were up in Glacier National Park, Lola (the GPS) got so dizzy that she quit talking to H and the compass was so disoriented that it took till Saturday to unwind itself. So, Saturday, the cruise was set and the automatic pilot was on. It must have been set, because the road was straight as an arrow, due east thru brownish gray grasslands of north central and northeast Montana on Rt 2. It took us a week to get across the state that afternoon! We were following an east/west railroad track that had more traffic on it than the road we were on! Long, long trains with 2 and 3 engines pulling miles and miles of grain cars or cars stacked 2 high with semi truck boxes! There was very little truck traffic on Rt 2 which was a relief after being on all those 2 lane winding roads in Washington state, crossing traffic with all those double trailered semis and log trucks! Down Rt 13 to pick up the intrastate Rt 94 and North Dakota was our only change in direction.
North Dakota faired just a bit better - the grasslands changed to sunflower fields and grain fields, some harvested and some still waiting. Only at the oasis of a small town were there any green trees. Bismarck is the state capital but the only part we explored was the Select Inn Motel and the American Steak Buffet across the highway!
Sunday morning and not only has the time changed but the season certainly has also! Yesterday was capri and short sleeve, sunny summer weather. This morning is heavy gray clouds, wet pavement and STRONG tailwinds. It’s definitely fall. No worries about sun in the eyes as we headed on our way - just ahead of the next storm! Due east we flew again and with the tailwind the gas mileage improved, too. H’s navigation system is pointed towards home now! He wants to sleep in his own bed – SOON! Rt 94 in Minnesota changed direction to southeast once we rounded the curve in the road just past Fargo. The colors at the edge of the road, out to the horizon changed to green grass and darker green trees and red barns! Yellow aspen changed to deep red sumac. The occasional vehicle or truck changed to a steady stream of traffic and then heavy traffic as we reached Minneapolis. The Mall of America just south of Minneapolis was the intended port of call for the afternoon. The bypass around to the south of Minneapolis itself was lined with shopping centers and we were heading for the BIGGIE! One of the parking garages was even bigger than the entire Franklin Park Mall in Toledo. We entered the mall at the Bloomingdale entrance on the 4th level of the mall but never did find Bloomingdale’s! We saw it from the pedestrian walkway tho!! We’ve been told that there was an amusement park on the lower level of the mall. Since it was a Sunday afternoon the Nickelodeon, Dora the Explorer, Blues Clues, SpongeBob Squarepants themed mega park was a cacophony of noise, electric colors, amazing rides and KIDS! Talk about sensory overload! There were roller coasters in orange, yellows, purples and lime green. A Demon Drop ride for bigger kids and one for the little ones also! ( I thought about Raegan!) A merry-go-round like the one at the Toledo Zoo and a ferris wheel almost as big as at Cedar Point! There was a swinging ride that was a mammoth skateboard where the passengers were in rotating seats that twirled around and around on top of the skateboard as the giant board swung high like a huge pendulum. AND – the Cedar Point ride that takes you straight up and then zooms straight down - - - it was there too! In bright turquoise! It reached almost to the glass windows in the ceiling! The food court was up on the 3rd level and we ate our Orange Chicken with chow mein from Panda Express at a table right by the railing overlooking the “park”, so we could watch the action below. We did not ‘shop” but we did walk some of the many levels, amazed at all the stairs, escalators and cross over walkways. The Mall of America needs a girlfriend to shop with – not H! We did go into Sears - does that count? Lola was confused with all the layers of the parking garage but she did catch up once we were back out on the street and we quickly wove thru traffic and back up onto the interstate. We made it over the Mississippi River into Wisconsin with fond memories about the start of our journey and our stay downriver in LaCrosse. Menomonie is one town west of Eau Claire and thanks to yet another traveler’s coupon we’ve got a place to “camp” for the night at one more Econo Lodge for a reasonable price. Monday we will see Michigan once more!
