Day 5: Wisconsin Dells, WI to Sioux Falls, SD

We repacked our car - hopefully for the last time before we get to Denver - before setting out on our big drive. Arielle set up a very efficient clothesline in the backseat to dry the bathing suits and water shoes that were still wet as we drove. We drove three hours straight to Albert Lea, Minnesota (state #33 for Arielle), where we filled up gas and tried two vegetarian soups - broccoli cheddar and tomato basil Parmesan - at local chain Erbert’s and Gerbert’s Sandwich Shop.

We looked at our directions and decided to do something crazy - reroute slightly to make it to both Iowa and Nebraska (states #34 and #35 for Arielle) on our way to South Dakota (state #44 for Abe and #36 for Arielle).

We went south into Iowa to visit Sioux City, passing by the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor, a must-visit for our next trip here, to go to the Jolly Time Koated Kernels Store, which is half popcorn museum and half very functional shop with many, many popcorn flavors to sample. While a slow-moving freight train threatened to make us miss the store experience, we were delighted to find that Robbie Rohlena, the great-granddaughter of Jolly Time founder Cloid H. Smith, was more than happy to stay past the 5:30pm closing time to tell us all about the history of the family business, including a tour of the kitchen with unbelievable quantities of popcorn made daily. We tried many flavors, and ended up purchasing small bags of the Root Beer Float (for Abe), the Salted Caramel (for Arielle), and the Cinnamon Roll (to share). This is absolutely one of those very worthwhile roadside stops on any cross-country tour.

We drove less than fifteen minutes over a bridge to South Sioux City, Nebraska to visit Freedom Park, a half-scale replica of the Vietnam War memorial in Washington, DC that includes the names of 99 soldiers from Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota. A quote entering the park read “All gave some, some gave all.”

Our directions took us straight over the bridge back into Iowa, where we drove the hour and twenty minutes or so to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. We were shocked to see the speed limit rise to 80 mph, which meant a quick trip the rest of the way. We went for dinner to Roll’n Pin Cafe and Grille, where Arielle had fried haddock with steamed broccoli and a garden salad to start, and Abe finally tried the regional walleye fish with Cajun seasoning and baby red potatoes and green beans. It was a great meal! We checked in to the massive and beautiful Sheraton Sioux Falls and Convention Center, the first official USY on Wheels hotel that we stayed in on this trip. We took a quick drive to Parlour Ice Cream House, a fancy place that smartly shows pictures of each of its flavors on a screen. Arielle got the Teddy, which is caramel ice cream with chocolate fudge and chocolate pecans, and Abe opted for the simpler Frozen Chocolate Mousse, which is dark chocolate gelato.

We returned to our hotel wishing we were staying longer because of how big and nice it was, but alas, further adventures in South Dakota and beyond await.

Approximate number of miles covered: 513