Mount Rushmore

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We love this place. Nothing—aside from maybe the Statue of Liberty—screams “America” quite so loudly. We’ve been telling the kids about Mount Rushmore for months now, and I was a little afraid that maybe we had overdone it. But then, a couple of hours after we had left, Lowe said out of … Read More

Badlands

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The Badlands begin right down the street from Wall. I can’t imagine how unexpected this land had to be for the early pioneers—and how unwelcome. Somehow every time we come through the Badlands the temperature soars to one hundred. It doesn’t matter what the weather is like in the rest … Read More

Wall Drug

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A couple of months back we started telling the kids about Wall Drug. We told them all about the abundance of toys, sweets, and weird things that you wouldn’t see anywhere else. They were sold. We drove the backroads until we got close to Wall, then we bombed the interstate. … Read More

Corn Palace

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We motored back out onto I-90 this morning with Mitchell, South Dakota on the radar. Along the way we spotted a giant bulls head (sort of) and had to stop, because it was ridiculous, and we needed to pee. Turns out some farmer with moderate welding skills is also a … Read More

Little House on the Prairie

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Up early in Springfield, MN, this morning we gathered ourselves up and went for a stroll around town. Came across a beautiful mural without any hint of graffiti. I don’t know if kids are just this good in Springfield or if they’ve been threatened with death, but it’s working. The … Read More

Porsche Roads

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I love this car, and these three people squeezing into it with me. We’ve all been looking forward to this road trip since we first conceived of it back in April. The car had been sitting too long, and we always wanted it out at my mom’s house anyway (because … Read More

A Minnesota Send-Off

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Since the State Fair life has been one big letdown. No cheese curds, no corn dogs, no mini-donuts, nothing. We did hang out with friends, go boating at my dad’s house, and spend a long weekend at the lake with Ali’s family—all of which was nice too, I guess. But … Read More

Minnesota State Fair

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There are a few things that are quintessentially Minnesota: snow, ice, humidity, mosquitos, and the State Fair. We love the fair, and are always happy when we can time a visit to coincide with it. We’ve been to a lot of fairs on our travels, but none compare to Minnesota’s. … Read More