All the Fun Things to See

I write from New London, CT where I've been for a couple weeks now visiting my Aunt Mary Anne. This destination was not intended when I left Logan for the Midwest, but after reaching Chicago I realized I was past halfway there. So I continued the journey and checked off a few more places I've wanted to see along the way. But first a list of places and things I've seen along the way.

World's First JC Penney Store in Kemmerer, WY.

Carhenge, Alliance, NA.

 

Sturgis Bike Rally, which can be read about in my August post, in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Wall Drug, the world's largest drug store in Wall, SD and famous for their "singing cowboys." I wished I had my camera out sooner to get pictures of the grande-sized jackelope that people can sit on and the other oddities they have on display. Wall Drug is the original tourist trap (though don't tell them that) and definitely worth the stop.

 Alexandria, MN was the next stop after passing through North Dakota.

This town is where vikings supposedly showed up in the 14th Century and left a runestone, but this is apparently debatable. The town does have a 25' statue of Big Ole that was in the 1964 World's Fair. I  personally think more towns should have giant viking statues, anything to encourage pillaging, plundering, ransacking, socialism and other wholesome wealth redistribution activities. No wonder is Minnesota is such a bastion for Democratic values, it's part of their viking heritage. The part that made Minnesota thoroughly enjoyable was listening to Garrison Keillor on Prairie Home Companion. I even saw the turn-off for the Lake Wobegon Trail while listening to the news from Lake Wobegon. Listen to the show every Saturday and Sunday evenings on NPR.

Also saw the Mall of America, then made my to Iowa where I stayed with some wonderful friends in Humboldt and saw places that brought back fond memories of riding bikes through cornfields, while wearing white shirts, ties and black name tags. After reminiscing it was back to Minnesota, to Austin, the home of Hormel and SPAM. Here I saw the wonderfully entertaining SPAM Museum and was overcome by all of the options in the gift store.

I'm glad to see that such important national treasures are being preserved for the common man to admire, even if it requires extra preservatives. The SPAM Museum truly is a ribbon of honor to the ingenuity of humanity, as long as it is a first place blue ribbon, with gold font written in all caps. The shelf life for this ribbon is quite astounding...

Some of the prettier country in the Upper Midwest that I have found is along the Mississippi River. The drive from Lacrosse to Prairie du Chien offers spectacular cliffs (by Midwest standards) and the chance to see Effigy Mounds National Monument. The bridges over the river itself offer interesting displays of engineering. 

But far more interesting are the pink elephants along the way.

 If your town can't get a viking statue, than I suppose a pink elephant will suffice. This elephant is a rare species of Iowa Elephant, Republicanus confusitusk. Quite common for hundreds of years as Republicans formerly dominated politics in the caucus state, but have since turned to blushing since the allowance of gay marriage. 

A good cure for blushing is to head east to Milwaukee to see the Harley-Davidson Factory. 

After listening to thousands upon thousands of the rumbling hogs in the Black Hills, it was only appropriate to see where they are manufactured. The most appealing part of the tour was the factory's continuous improvement efforts, some of the better in a manufacturing setting in the US. The tour guide even knew about Lean Teams that worked to improve the factory. Seeking for Operational Excellence really does help companies better utilize their assets and reduce waste along the way. The eagle statue is made out of exhaust and muffler pieces.

Finally I made it to Chicago and ate the greatest pizza I have ever tried in my entire life. A couple days later I left for Connecticut, traveling through Indiana, Michigan, Ontario, New York, and Massachusetts while seeing Ford HQ in Detroit, the CN Tower in Toronto, and Niagra Falls along the way.

Total Drive Time: Good Question. I can say it has definitely been worth it.