Day 3

Day 3 (Saturday) Started with such promise. Or not.

A horrible night at the Jellystone park led to a mercifully early waking. We crawled noisily through Wisconsin Dells. Along the way I noticed 132 different Water Parks. Each one better than the last and all of them able to speak directly to Jeffrey's brain with soothing visions of days and days of gravity-based watery fun.

We finally found the car repair place (hovlandtire.com‎) and met the incredibly nice, but overly optimistic mechanic who hoisted the car up on the jack and announced that our car was not suffering from a frozen caliper, but a seized bearing that had led to a ruined rear axle. After watching him work the phones and hearing estimates of Monday, it became clear that, at best, parts would be in on Monday and the car would be on the road Tuesday, but the more likely scenario was Parts ordered on Monday, arriving at the earliest Tuesday, with the car on the car on the road no earlier than Wednesday.

Rather than wait for the car, we decided to rent something and get back on the road. It meant changing our return route, but waiting for the car meant changing the route as well. So, we called Hertz and by around 1:30 we were in a Honda and on on our way once more.

To get back toward our schedule as best we could, we drove the 600 miles to Badlands Np that day and night. But, it was still the trip, and that meant not stressing too much that we missed the bits we shouldn't miss.

The bigs finds of the day were:

Great River Bluffs (http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/great_river_bluffs/index.html). About a 3 mile (round trip) hike to a beautiful overlook of the Mississippi just across the River in Minnesota.

The Spam Museum (http://www.spam.com/museum/)
As surreal as the words "Spam Museum" are, they don't prepare you for the greatness.

Jolly Green Giant statue in Blue Earth, Minnesota (http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2127)
Huh?

Sadly, the demolition derby next to the statue had already begun, and looked packed to the gills.