Day 66 La Crosse, Wisconsin - Sioux Falls, South Dakota 468km

Ryan’s fever broke this morning after having slept for 14 hours!  Yeah!  We woke to a cool, misty, sunny morning.  The Mississippi was like a sheet of glass.  We bundled Ryan up and plunked him in the canoe we had rented at the campsite.  Jemma and Ryan sat on cushions in the bottom of the canoe and Barry steered us through the backwaters of the ol Mississip.  Frogs jumped out of our way and skeeter bugs criss crossed their way out of our path.  

Canoeing the Mississippi

It was a gorgeous morning and with Ryan feeling better we decided to get into town again, check out Trane Headquarters and push for the Dakotas.  

Apparently Green Bay Packer fans are known as 'Cheeseheads' or 'Cheddarheads'
That's what sitting outside in -40 will do to you!

We walked around historic La Crosse, and Lyndon is right, it is where La Crosse was first played on the sandy valley floor and yup there is a statue!  We had brunch at Fayze. Sooo yummy, prime rib sandwiches, polish sausage and potato omelettes and home made blue cheese dressing.  I think our kids are the only kids who actually enjoy biting into huge blue cheese chunks for breakfast!  So after a HUGE breakfast for around 20 bucks, we headed out to Trane HQ, a lovely lady took our picture and we then set out for Sioux Falls.

Trane World Headquarters, La Crosse, WI

I love the prairies, I love the I90.  I love being the only person on the road.  I love our afternoon “treat” stop where we can buy beef jerkey, ice lollies and a big ol jug of iced tea for 59 cents!  We got to the KOA, checked in with ease (we’re members!) and went to move the rig on into the campsite to find the ol rig wouldn’t start! Shock, horror, it could be the battery or the alternator?????  It was all fine an hour ago??  Within 1/2 hour we had the campground owner bringin us a big ol battery charger and the big rigs beside us all came to our aid with all sorts of gadgets, advice and know how.  Diagnosis:  dead battery

Treatment:  Put trailer battery in car and buy new battery tomorrow!

Just when you think you are good to go, something unexpected happens.  And then you are blessed in some way you never expected.  We decided to stay put and not go see the Sioux Falls light and music show so that Ryan could recover and we could get on the road early tomorrow.  Something big is happening tomorrow, actually 3 things that we know about and maybe more.  We have been seeing signs for the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota and Wall Drug in Wall, South Dakota for the last 600 km and from at least 3 states over.  We have no idea what to expect, well we know a little from the 100 signs we have seen. Homemade pie, boots, a shooting gallery, 5 cent coffee, free ice water,  a Chuckwagon quartet, breakfast, lunch, cowboy hats, gold panning, dinosaurs...