And I thought Indiana had bad roads - Part 3
Part 1
Part 2
Left Myrtle-Big Island State Park in Minnesota this morning. Jumped right on I-90 heading west.
I-90 in Minnesota is a mixed situation. There's construction going on, but those spots are fairly short, maybe a mile or two at the most, compared to Indiana that usually has 50 miles of construction, all down to one lane.
If I could give Minnesota I-90 a grade, I'd give a 50/50, maybe a C- (C minus). Some parts were very smooth, and others just hard bumpy. Ker Thump,ker-thump,ker-thump,ker-thump,ker-thump,ker-thump,ker-thump... (no spaces after the comma you know!)
I wanted to rest a while, so my wife drove. Nope, no way I could rest. My head bounced back and forth and back and forth against the head read, and though I'd get a headache with it pounding the head rest so hard. Even a pillow did not help. I had a Diet Coke in the cup holder. It bounced so much, it went flat in minutes.
At the state line between South Dakota and Minnesota on I-90 there's construction going on too. But once we crossed over into South Dakota it was bitter sweet again.
The speed limit now jumped to 80 mph! We couldn't believe that (We've NEVER seen an 80 mph speedlimit ... ever!), and we were surprised to see police watching traffic. We maintained a 60 mph speed and did not vary from it. Finally, the road smoothed out a bit and I actually snoozed a few minutes. My wife did fantastic driving the rig, especially over all that ker-thump, ker-thumping going on.
I was surprised to see as many RVers going the opposite direction, and we were passed by only a couple going faster than 60 mph. Traffic was really light all day, and everyone on the road was pleasantly civil!
We stopped for fuel. Diesel prices are pretty consistent all the way from Indiana to South Dakota, except for varying a few cents, so that's a good thing.
We made it to Mitchel, SD KOA about 2:00 pm local time. Got the camper set up, and headed into Mitchel to see the down town area and of course, The Corn Palace! Really a fascinating town, lots of shops in the down-town area, and on Main Street.
We ended up having Supper at Culvers out by the Wall Mart. Driving that one ton duly and parking on the streets was more than I wanted to challenge. Plus we were pretty tired from driving, walking around and taking in all the sites.
Buy the way, The Corn Palace is pet friendly. If you have a dog, you can take the dog inside. They have a really great gift shop going on inside right now. Took lots of photos and had a really enjoyable time.
I suppose if Indiana had Interstates half as pleasant as what we drove today, I might start driving the Interstates in Indiana again! It's sad, when the county roads in Indiana are in better shape than the Interstates!
Meanwhile, We're back at the KOA now, trying to stay cool. Once again .. pooped out! On to Mount Rushmore in the morning, due West on I-90!
And oh ... whats with these pink colored asphalt sections of Interstate Minnesota and South Dakota. I've never seen asphalt that color before. Where I come from, it's always black! This photo does not capture the color right, but you can see the true black color by the patchwork running across the road. The other is pink?
Part 2
Left Myrtle-Big Island State Park in Minnesota this morning. Jumped right on I-90 heading west.
I-90 in Minnesota is a mixed situation. There's construction going on, but those spots are fairly short, maybe a mile or two at the most, compared to Indiana that usually has 50 miles of construction, all down to one lane.
If I could give Minnesota I-90 a grade, I'd give a 50/50, maybe a C- (C minus). Some parts were very smooth, and others just hard bumpy. Ker Thump,ker-thump,ker-thump,ker-thump,ker-thump,ker-thump,ker-thump... (no spaces after the comma you know!)
I wanted to rest a while, so my wife drove. Nope, no way I could rest. My head bounced back and forth and back and forth against the head read, and though I'd get a headache with it pounding the head rest so hard. Even a pillow did not help. I had a Diet Coke in the cup holder. It bounced so much, it went flat in minutes.
At the state line between South Dakota and Minnesota on I-90 there's construction going on too. But once we crossed over into South Dakota it was bitter sweet again.
The speed limit now jumped to 80 mph! We couldn't believe that (We've NEVER seen an 80 mph speedlimit ... ever!), and we were surprised to see police watching traffic. We maintained a 60 mph speed and did not vary from it. Finally, the road smoothed out a bit and I actually snoozed a few minutes. My wife did fantastic driving the rig, especially over all that ker-thump, ker-thumping going on.
I was surprised to see as many RVers going the opposite direction, and we were passed by only a couple going faster than 60 mph. Traffic was really light all day, and everyone on the road was pleasantly civil!
We stopped for fuel. Diesel prices are pretty consistent all the way from Indiana to South Dakota, except for varying a few cents, so that's a good thing.
We made it to Mitchel, SD KOA about 2:00 pm local time. Got the camper set up, and headed into Mitchel to see the down town area and of course, The Corn Palace! Really a fascinating town, lots of shops in the down-town area, and on Main Street.
We ended up having Supper at Culvers out by the Wall Mart. Driving that one ton duly and parking on the streets was more than I wanted to challenge. Plus we were pretty tired from driving, walking around and taking in all the sites.
Buy the way, The Corn Palace is pet friendly. If you have a dog, you can take the dog inside. They have a really great gift shop going on inside right now. Took lots of photos and had a really enjoyable time.
I suppose if Indiana had Interstates half as pleasant as what we drove today, I might start driving the Interstates in Indiana again! It's sad, when the county roads in Indiana are in better shape than the Interstates!
Meanwhile, We're back at the KOA now, trying to stay cool. Once again .. pooped out! On to Mount Rushmore in the morning, due West on I-90!
And oh ... whats with these pink colored asphalt sections of Interstate Minnesota and South Dakota. I've never seen asphalt that color before. Where I come from, it's always black! This photo does not capture the color right, but you can see the true black color by the patchwork running across the road. The other is pink?
