As we left La Crosse, Wisconsin behind us and crossed back over the Mississippi, we headed north on US-61N/ US-14W for the remaining 30 miles of the Great River Road along the Mississippi, before turning west on US-14W. The first 20 miles or so looked promising, with twists and turns, up and down mountains, with great scenic views. Then suddenly, the road opened up, and straightened and flattened out and we found ourselves heading straight west with nothing but farms on both sides. We passed through many small towns - below 1000 residents - with names like Sleepy Eye, New Ulm, Revere, and Tracey.   We did find some real civilization when we stopped for coffee at a McDonald's in Rochester Minnesota, home of the Mayo Clinic. It was the only time I ever saw a McDonald's employee carrying around a pot of regular and decaf coffee and asking everyone if they wanted a refill. Almost like a real restaurant!
     We were planning for a long day of around 350 miles, the weather started out in the mid-60's and was supposed to warm up to the mid-70's by noon . Unfortunately, it stayed overcast and cold most of the day, though it did finally warm up to the mid-70's around 4:00. Better late than never! US-14W is called the Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Highway, probably because it passes through Walnut Grove, MN, childhood home of Laura, and home of her museum. If only the highway was only half as interesting her books. It was NOT! If it weren't for the constantly changing smells, we both would have probably fallen asleep for the monotony.
     The one other thing that did keep us awake was the wind. One thing we noticed on this section of road was the abundance of wind turbines. Some areas were just covered with these wind farms. It should have donned on us that areas with an abundance of wind farms are probably going to experience some windy riding - duh. It didn't seem to bother me as much, as we were heading directly into the wind, and I was protected by the windshield. But Jody sits a little higher up behind me, and the wind was catching the top of her helmet and trying to tear it off . Once we turned a little south, the wind wasn't so bad. Unfortunately, Jody's sunglasses fell victim. Normally kept in the zippered pouch behind the seat back, Jody forgot to zipper the pouch closed and the wind just took them out! One quick stop at the local Shopko, and she now has new sunglasses for the rest of the trip, along with a better understanding of the operation of a zippered pouch.
     The day was not a total loss, however. About 50 miles from the hotel, we arrived at the Pipestone National Monument. Not having any idea what pipestone was, we went to the Visitors Center, talked to the ranger, and saw a 20 minute film. It turns out that the the Pipestone Monument is a sacred Indian quarry that is still used today to get the special red clay stone necessary for making ritual Indian pipes. There were Native American craftsman fabricating pipes in the Visitors Center and we got to watch and talk to the craftsman. We also visited the museum, and went on about a mile long hike through the quarry to see where the stone comes from . The deposits of the deep red stone can be seen in the pictures.
     Our hotel for tonight is in Madison, SD. It is an AmericInn, the first time we've stayed in one, and it's pretty nice for a lower priced hotel. We were concerned with what would be available for restaurants in the area for dinner, but found the local watering hole called The Pub House. Burgers were pretty good, and the atmosphere was great with the front of the building opening out to the downtown main street and seats both inside and outside on the sidewalk. Real hometown Americana!
     Tomorrow we are off to Wall, South Dakota at the entrance to the Badlands National Park. We are really looking forward to this one as the scenery is supposed to be breathtaking.

352.5 miles today
2909.8 miles total

12.295 gallons today
73.742 gallons total