Day 6 - Minneapolis to Wall, SD

Well today I finally left civilization for the wild wild west. I'm not exactly sure where the 'midwest' ends and the 'west' begins but I'm pretty sure that I'm there. The morning started off a little later than I had intended. Ahh the challenges of staying at a youth hostel. When they say 'shared bathroom,' I assumed they meant something like the suite showers in college. Oh no, no no no. In this hostel, it means one regular sized bathroom that for about fifteen people. To top that off, getting hot water takes about five kajillion years. I had to argue with the proprietor when i checked out because it was 11:15 when I left. 15 minutes and this d-bag wants to charge me for another night, of course the only reason that I was running that late was because he's too cheap to improve the bathroom situation. In the end, I won. Go me! I certainly don't regret staying there though, I'd rather stay in a slightly ghetto place that's near everything than have to drive into the city every time I want to do anything.

The drive today was the longest haul so far, but it was still an amazing day that I won't ever forget. I drove 551 miles today from Minneapolis, MN to Wall, SD. As you could probably see from the earlier pics, Minneapolis is under about a foot of snow and so is the rest of the upper midwest. The first lef of the drive today was pretty much straight south, to Eau Claire, MN, still under a white blanket. Then I hit I-90 west and the border with South Dakota. For the first time since I'd left D.C. it really felt like I was leaving civilization in general. All of the sudden, the towns became MUCH fewer and the landscape was just fields after fields. I'm learning that I have to be a lot less picky around here too. I know full well that if I get a low fuel light, I have to go to the closest station. When it comes to lunch though, I kept waiting to find a normal fast food place, something quick. I seriously went 130 miles without seeing a single McDonalds, Wendy's or any other joint i recognized. I didn't think it was possible in this country. The signs for each exit had the little dinner plate/fork symbol but no specifics. Eventually I got too hungry and decided to get off at an exit and let my GPS do the work. What the signs don't tell you is that the dinner plate symbol is referencing a diner six miles off the interstate. Furthermore, its not a straight shot, you really have to know somehow where these places are. Thank god for the GPS or I would have starved. In the end, I had lunch in Canetonka, South Dakota at Baxa's restaurant. Even with the GPS, I got lost in a town that is maybe eight blocks square. I don't even think its on a map.

About halfway across SD, the climate changed drastically. All of the sudden, the snow was gone and the farmland became rolling ranchland. Everywhere there were free-range cattle and these crazy wild pheasant looking birds. I'll try to get a picture of one, they look like a cross between a peacock and a turkey..if that makes sense. The best part was watching the sun set over the prairie. Honestly it was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen.

I didn't reach Wall until about 8pm, so the famous "Wall Drug" was already closed. The plan for tomorrow is to visit Badlands National Park and then continue to the Black Hills and Mt. Rushmore. I'm excited about my lodging tomorrow night too (I'm at a Motel 6 now.) There is a newly restored 1890's boarding house (that's apparently haunted) in Deadwood, SD that is offering rooms for $39 a night. So that's where I'll be...I think.