Traveling through Big 10 country

Lots of driving today -- and lots more of I90. After a quick breakfast we left Sioux Falls and continued our trek east. Soon enough we were cruising through southern Minnesota, and aside from a quick rest stop, a requested visit from a friendly state trooper (actually the second in two days -- Stacey was again impressed with how nice and cute they are here, though he declined on being photographed), and lunch in St. Charles, not much interrupted our trip through the Gopher State. The western Minnesota farms resembled those in South Dakota, but as we headed east, it seemed as if the crops and barns and silos shifted a bit (and of course, more cows). A long, downward set of curves brought us to Wisconsin. More farmland, but many more trees. We passed on the Wisconsin Dells (the waterpark capital of the world) and cruised into Madison. The route took us straight to the capitol (looks like every other state capitol building -- but no protesters for the moment, it was Sunday after all) and then to the University of Wisconsin campus. It was a bit hard to navigate in our 32' traveling thunder, but the campus, its diverse architecture, and the town seemed to posses a great vibe. Syd and Mark cruised around a bit (after we parked near Camp Randall), and Stacey's day was made when we found a Trader Joe's and she enjoyed her Organic Mixed Green Salad! We then pressed on into Illinois -- where we made camp about 50 miles before Chicago and the mosquitoes made dinner on us.