It was a corny and spammy kind of day. (I will explain later.) We were up bright and early for our drive from Rochester, Minnesota to Mitchell, South Dakota, passing more cornfields than I have ever seen in my life! Wind farms punctuated the flat prairies, as we drove along red roads. I could not figure out why they were red until later in the day, but we took back roads as much as we could, so we could see the little villages along the way. Only beanfields bisected the cornfields, which added more color on this fall day.

My husband loves Spam, so we had to stop at the Spam Museum in Austin, Minnesota. It was worth the stop and one of the most comprehensive exhibits we have ever seen. We had to pass four inspections to get into this empty morning spot, but after temperature, mandatory tracing information, questionnaire, and thorough handwashing, we were given a stylus to use on the exhibits. I had no idea there were hundreds of varieties of Spam sold all over the world!

We had a picnic at a rest area before our next stop at Sioux Falls Park. Our answer to red roads–the Quartzite or Jasper rocks featured at the falls is still used in the paving of the roads in this area. We were sad the observation tower was closed, but donned our hiking boots and walked around the whole park, admiring the falls from many angles, thankful to get out of the car.

Our afternoon tourist stop in Mitchell, South Dakota landed at the famous Corn Palace. What an amazing structure, with the history of the crop art dating back to 1891. Home to concerts, sports, and community events, the murals are re-designed each year with 325,000 ears of split corn of all colors.

We have been eating early afternoon to avoid crowds and had a great outdoor meal at the Back 40 Taphouse Grill, with extremely eclectic decor, before settling into a cute lodge for the night. This might be the last cool day for a while, as the temperature is supposed to go up, but we are ready for any weather. (Including snow!) Badlands or bust!