CORN PALACE
After less than an hour of driving, I stopped in the historic town of Mitchell, South Dakota. Numerous billboards advertised the Corn Palace. I had seen pictures of it on postcards, and figured it was a museum having to to with the local agriculture and South Dakota history. Since I had a little extra time on my load, I figured that a short diversion would be a personally rewarding thing. My co-driver decided to emerge from the bunk to experience the local culture with me.
The Corn Palace extrior facade was partially made of corn stalks and husks - how appropriate, for such a place. Inside, I signed a guest book, then proceded to look around the "palace", clockwise. There were various pictures and murals of the Corn Palace's history.
The 1907 structure included a Swastika- type symbol on the exterior - but it didn't mean what most of us would automatically assume; it was an Indian symbol for "good luck".
In the interior of the building was a full basketball court, which also served as a performance arena. The Band Perry had performed here recently. The local high school and college play games here.
In the remaining portion of the Palace, were display cases featuring somewhat insignificant historical artifacts and displays of some of the varities of corn that is raised in the area.
I bought a few items from the gift shop, and resumed my trip West. The Corn Palace wasn't as spectacular as it had been made out to be, but I was glad that I stopped for a free tourist attraction.
SNOW!
Around 7pm, as I approached the western quarter of South Dakota, snow began to fall and stick to the roadway. Road conditions deteriorated quickly. I spent the next 2 hours averaging 40 mph. There were very few other vehicles on I-90 as I drove through The northeast corner of Wyoming. Our next load had come in right after I left the Corn Palace. We had to really hussle. I drove beyond Midnight, aquiring as much distance as possible. Freezing fog defeated my windshied wipers and the defroster. I had to stop on a ramp for driver shift change. I came within 2 minutes of having a DOT Hours of Service violation. There were no services for many miles.
We took turns chiseling ice from the windshield and wipers, while the defroster blew at full speed. A rock chip on the right windshield became a full horizontal crack. We will probably be issued a DOT "fix-it" ticket before we get back to Chicago. There's no hiding that one. So, my partner started his drive on a slippery Montana freeway entrance ramp. He drove much slower than I did, once he got onto the Interstate. I retired to the bunk, eating dry cereal for dinner. I buckled myself into the sleeper net and slept in my clothes (lesson learned from past bitter experiences). We are still rolling, and I didn't hear any cursing during the night - so everything must be alright. It is Saturday.
After less than an hour of driving, I stopped in the historic town of Mitchell, South Dakota. Numerous billboards advertised the Corn Palace. I had seen pictures of it on postcards, and figured it was a museum having to to with the local agriculture and South Dakota history. Since I had a little extra time on my load, I figured that a short diversion would be a personally rewarding thing. My co-driver decided to emerge from the bunk to experience the local culture with me.
The Corn Palace extrior facade was partially made of corn stalks and husks - how appropriate, for such a place. Inside, I signed a guest book, then proceded to look around the "palace", clockwise. There were various pictures and murals of the Corn Palace's history.
The 1907 structure included a Swastika- type symbol on the exterior - but it didn't mean what most of us would automatically assume; it was an Indian symbol for "good luck".
In the interior of the building was a full basketball court, which also served as a performance arena. The Band Perry had performed here recently. The local high school and college play games here.
In the remaining portion of the Palace, were display cases featuring somewhat insignificant historical artifacts and displays of some of the varities of corn that is raised in the area.
I bought a few items from the gift shop, and resumed my trip West. The Corn Palace wasn't as spectacular as it had been made out to be, but I was glad that I stopped for a free tourist attraction.
SNOW!
Around 7pm, as I approached the western quarter of South Dakota, snow began to fall and stick to the roadway. Road conditions deteriorated quickly. I spent the next 2 hours averaging 40 mph. There were very few other vehicles on I-90 as I drove through The northeast corner of Wyoming. Our next load had come in right after I left the Corn Palace. We had to really hussle. I drove beyond Midnight, aquiring as much distance as possible. Freezing fog defeated my windshied wipers and the defroster. I had to stop on a ramp for driver shift change. I came within 2 minutes of having a DOT Hours of Service violation. There were no services for many miles.
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| Hopefully they don't make a big deal about the crack when we cross the scales. |
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