Here are some pics of the day:
Wheat Fields in the early morn (like a famous Van Gogh you may have seen)
You can tell by the clouds we are going to get wet (After yesterday's heat, a little rain will be OK)
"It droppeth like a gentle rain from heaven, upon the place beneath...." This was a lovely intermittent rain washing across the Prairie. Even Shakespeare would have liked this...
The Roads are Rutty, Wet and Steep, and we have promises to keep....and miles to go before we sleep. (As you can see, the roads got a little wet and so did we)
We stopped at a roadside cafe for a little morning Cherry Pie and cup of Coffee. I spent my time admiring this pic of JFK in Rocking Chair. We have an original oil of this rocking chair scene at home in Reston painted by Judi's brother Charles. We love this painting and always wondered what inspired brother Charles. Now we know it is this photograph by Jacques Lowe.
The Rocket (on the right) has a new friend (also a Specialized Roubaix) with fancy silver wheels.
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| Heading to Where? The Corn Palace in Mitchell! |
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| An Old Tractor from bygone times |
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| The Puk You Grill.....closed for lunch! |
Finally, Mitchell, SD! Wanna buy a tractor? We didn't see any car dealers in Mitchell, but there you can purchase every kind of tractor known to man. There were tractors from Case (in red), John Deere (in green), New Holland (in blue), Caterpillar (in yellow), Massey Ferguson, Farmall, and others. I would like to get a tractor. If we had more lawn in Reston, we might just get one.
Mitchell's "Corn Palace". Mitchell is the home of the World's only Corn Palace. This elaborate building (decorated with corn cobs, corn husks, corn hair, and corn stalks) is one of a kind and the center of life in Mitchell. The original Corn Palace was built in 1892 for the corn belt exposition. Early settlers displayed the fruits of their harvest on the building exterior in order to prove the fertility of South Dakota soil (contrary to Lewis and Clark). Every year the building is re-decorated with new themes of South Dakota lifestyle and American Indian art. The building is used for every kind of exposition, basketball games for the local schools, conventions and symposia.
Corn Palace Decorations. Each year the Corn Palace is re-decorated, requiring thousands of bushels of corn, grain, grasses, wheat, and rye. The cobs (shown here) are cut in half and nailed to the wall per the artists design.
Corn Palace designs for the last 12 years. The people of Mitchell (and surrounding South Dakota) are very proud of the Corn Palace and their prosperous little town of Mitchell. Had Pierre not been selected as the Capital of SD, Mitchell would likely have had that honor. It's possible the Corn Palace could have been the Capital of South Dakota, with a fresh new face every year. Does this sound a little corny?
Murals of the Corn Palace 2011. Barry and Russell pointing to some of the murals (e.g. Freedom Riders) on this years Corn Palace.
The Corn Palace Float. As we were leaving to check in to our lodging for the night, we ran into the Corn Palace float that would be in the local parade the next day. These people of Mitchell are pretty serious about this Corn Palace and even have a mobile version. Ha!
So we then checked in to the Quality Inn in Mitchell, cleaned our bikes, oiled our chains, and then headed over to the Chef Louis for a great South Dakota prime rib and baked potato. Wow, this biking life isn't too bad.
Tomorrow (Saturday) we are off to Sioux Falls, for our last riding day before a welcome day off on Sunday. More later,
Love to All,
ME
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