Day 3: Iowa & South Dakota

I started off with an early morning and made my way to Hawkeye Point, Iowa's high point. 

First thoughts of the morning, BRRRR. It is freezing! I can't believe how sweltering hot it was when I was driving the past 2 days and here I am shivering in the motel parking lot as I am getting into my car. Seriously, I got a sunburn from yesterday's drive. I drove past a sign on my way to the high point notifying me that it was 46 degress. A mere 12 hours ago was it near 80. What strange weather. 

The actual high point wasn't too hard to find, which surprised me because I didn't have an address for it. I actually could see it from off the highway (I recognized it from pictures I saw). 

The high point is literally in a family's backyard! I actually parked in their driveway. It's okay, apparently the family loves to have guests visit the high point, and it was a convenient place to park :)

But wow. It was clear how much the landowners are dedicated to this sign. This family/community does an excellent job taking good care of the high point. It was a beautiful area with a mosaic marker and a pretty scenic view (for how flat Iowa is). They also set up a little mini "Hakweye Point Museum" displaying different farm equipment. There were directional signs right after the marking pointing to where other states high points were. It was fun to see some familiar names :) 

Additionally, there was a small little lookout tower, a guest book, and license plates sent to the family from all different states (presumably people who have visited). Both NH and PA were there! Although I had to put on all of the layers of clothing I had access to, it was still 100% worth it. Although these flat high points are not much of a hike, it definitely still makes you feel connected to a community of people trying to see as many as possible. There was a guy who signed the guest book 2 days ago saying that he was off to South Dakota next. I was standing there thinking about the possibility of running into him at Harney's Peak (SD high point). I guess it is those small realizations/thoughts that make me love doing this journey solo.  

At the High Point 

After stretching my legs and enjoying a few last moments in Iowa I was back on the road and heading to Mitchell, South Dakota to see the famous Corn Palace. I have to say.... there is not much to report on this. Unfortunately the Corn Palace was undergoing some renovations so there was not much to see. I did get a good idea of what the Palace looks like in its full glory, but overall I was pretty underwhelmed. Inside the Corn Palace there were a ton of construction workers and painters tearing the place apart. On the one intact part of the place (this big auditorium) there was a high school graduation rehearsal going on. Like I said, pretty uneventful. Monica will be so disappointed! 

However, one good thing did come out of my visit to the Corn Palace. One of the workers informed me that it is going to snow all weekend in the Black Hills, Mt. Rushmore, & Harney Peak area. GASP.  I was shocked/still am. Since I had time to kill I went exploring in the downtown Mitchell area and found a small thrift shop where I bought a hat and mittens for $1 total. Who would of thought that I should have packed those things for this trip? Well at least now I am a little bit more prepared. 

After that small stop I was back on the road to complete some more driving. Since I didn't spend as  much time at the Corn Palace, as I thought I would, I had a lot of time to kill. Also, I didn't account for another time zone change so I did not want to waste the precious day light hanging out in a motel.

Luckily on the way I saw multiple signs for an authentic 1880 western town so I decided to stop and check it out. I was actually really surprised at how cool this place was. Literally it is all buildings and artifacts from 1880 that they preserved and moved all into one area mimic a mock town.

When I first walked in I felt like I was instantly stepping into the past. It was eerie and a bit surreal. There wasn't anyone else there when I first arrived, so that certainly added to the effect. The place itself was surrounded by miles and miles of empty land, so that made it feel very realistic to me. It looked and felt like the only town on the planet. 

I spent a solid hour walking around and channeling my 1800 self. I was trying to picture what it would actually be like living in that time period and imaging if this place was my home. I think my favorite building in the town was the school house along with a church that was a bit separated. Besides the buildings, as I mentioned before I think the outside of the buildings and the effect they made was definitely he coolest part.

School House

Next it was on to a place called Wall Drug. This place.... Well, I decided to stop there because there were signs popping up advertising for it literally every 5-10 miles for the previous 250 miles. I even saw a sign back in Illinois for it! I had to go to see what all the hype was about. Maybe I got there a little too late in the day or something, but I just didn't get it. It essentially is a huge country store that has a few quirky things like a giant mechanical dinosaur as well as a giant bunny you can sit on. I suppose during peak times there are cool things for kids to do, but I was tired and it was nearing the end of the day so I was feeling a bit jaded about making the drive there. 

Inside Wall Drug

Now I am back at my temporary home gearing for the few days ahead. I guess I have some decisions to make about my hiking plans due to this severe weather storm advisory. I have really been looking forward to Harney Peak, a high point that I actually have to hike to get to. If it is snowing as bad as it is supposed to, I am not sure if it is even going to possible. For now all I can do is get a good nights sleep and prepare for a day in the Band Lands tomorrow!

All the best,

Becca