Oregon Trail - Day One
August 28, 2009
States: IL, WI, MN, SD
One of my very favorite people and best friends is moving from Chicago, IL to Portland, OR. This move has been 10 months in the making and very early on, I decided I would go with KMD as she drove her car across the country. (All of her possessions are being moved by professional movers).
We rose bright and early on Friday morning (read 5:30am), loaded our luggage and snacks into the car and took off. Slowly. We had to take my car to the dealer, mail a letter, get gas and reach the interstate. Traffic getting to the Kennedy was backed up and moving very slow. Finally, we reached the interstate and were able to get outside of the city pretty quickly. We knew having several breaks to stretch and have something to eat were going to be important. I had also been working so much the prior four days in preparation of being gone for ten days, that I was pretty tired. Getting out of the car and into fresh air was important.
KMD has planned our entire trip! She planned our stops to give us several opportunities to sightsee. Our first official stop:
F.A.S.T. Corp, makers of Fiberglass Animals, Shapes and Trademarks. They have the World's Largest Collection of Fiberglass Animals. It was unreal. Some were molds of animals, some were slides, some were shapes and some were even fully painted.
A sleeping ellie:
The symbol of preppiness:
The biggest one:
The most colorful:
After browsing this unusual collection, we headed into Downtown Sparta, WI. It was adorable. Very small town. I almost expected someone to be making a movie, it was so cute. We ended up eating at D's Pizza. It was a little place, that probably spent of its time as a bar. After lunch, we walked up and down Water Street, which is their Main Street. On the lookout for postcards, we waundered into the Sparta Pharmacy and Market. The cutest thing was when they delivered your medication, they also brought you a little bag of homemade popcorn. I love touches like that.
After lunch, we were back in the car and headed toward Minnesota. Our goal: The Jolly Green Giant!
Success:
We paused for a few pictures and a Dairy Queen treat. JGG was much bigger than I was expecting. After some Warrior moves by me to stretch, we continued on the road. Around 8:00, we arrived in Sioux Falls, SD. We are staying at a pretty nice Holiday Inn City Center. (You never know sometimes). We both decided a walk would be nice, so we set off for dinner. We stumbled upon the neatest 50's style chrome encased diner, The Phillips Avenue Diner. I had half of a hot turkey sandwich and some cottage cheese. Yes, sometimes I am an old lady. After a lovely dinner, we headed back to the hotel to plan Day Two and get some much needed sleep.
Happy Trails!
