Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Blue Skies and Brisk Winds



Before leaving Austin, MN I had to take a few more pictures around town. The historic sections of many of the small towns we drive through are so charming and Austin is no exception. It is also a very clean town; not a bit of litter or graffiti in sight.




The streets are wide.



The churches have steeples and are located near the center of town. I could fill an album with just pictures of small town churches and the same could be said of old theaters. But someone has probably already done that. We ate at the B&J Grill yesterday. The food was great and even better, they have wi-fi, and the waitress was so alert and timely in her service. We hadn't eaten since breakfast so we were in no mood for waiting around!


If I were to stay any longer, I would have taken a run along the Cedar River in Austin. It might be that we return someday. We wanted to see the Spam Museum but no such luck. They closed the old one and have broken ground for a new one to open in Spring of 2016.



The next four pictures give the real flavor of this stretch of I90. It is mostly flat, wide open spaces with farms and fields,  rows and rows of windmills, and pastures of Angus cows as we get closer to South Dakota. Some would say it is a whole lot of nothing, but not me. It is really a peaceful and very tidy looking countryside. Also, the look of these pictures tells the viewer nothing of the ferocity of the wind which nearly slammed the car door on my kneecaps when I got out for lunch at the Blue Line Cafe in Worthington, MN. 







After all the wind and cold temperatures of the morning in Minnesota, we were surprised to be able to shed our jackets in Mitchell, SD. This afternoon's  56 degrees was a world of difference from the 38 degrees in Minnesota yesterday and NO more wind! The Corn Palace wasn't very corny. I guess the season hasn't arrived but they were working on it.

Tonight we are in Chamberlain, SD which is on the Missouri River. It is a beautiful location mostly frequented by fishermen it seems. It is truly a pretty place and we noticed, home of the Chamberlain Cubs. Does that mean there are bears around here? It is beginning to look like 'out west' again. Lots more trucks to pull fishing boats and men in cowboy hats. We see increasing numbers of Wall Drugs signs too.



Our Super 8 room has a great view of the Missouri and the I90 bridge. The sunset was spectacular. 



We ate at the Busted Nut Bar and Grill. The food was just so so. I had the French Dip sandwich and the salad bar. Aside from the clever name of the place, the view of the marina and the bird watching was worth the stop. I can imagine it is a whole lot more crowded in summer!


No comments: