Mitchell, South Dakota, is the home of the world’s only Corn Palace, which now boasts over  500,000 tourists each year.  We were only in Mitchell overnight, and the streets were closed around the town while hosting their annual carnival, so we did not stop by (we were also there many years ago).  The palace is redecorated each May with the help of Dakota Wesleyan University students, using 12 varieties of corn, grains, and native grasses. 

We made another short stop in Albert Lea, MN, where the people are very friendly, including the professionals at Walgreens Pharmacy, who helped us with our out-of-state prescription refills.  Shopping at Walmart as well as doing laundry occupied the rest of our time there. 

On Sunday, we arrived at the KOA in Wisconsin Dells.  Downtown Wisconsin Dells and the immediate surrounding areas are reminiscent of Myrtle Beach.   If you have children under the age of 18, this is the place for you to vacation!  That said, they do have a beautiful river walk, and after some online searching, we discovered Devil’s Lake State Park, where we went on an lovely, shaded hike along the Tumbled Rocks Trail along the lake.  As can be seen in the pictures below, many of the rocks are various shades of purple.

An internet search revealed the following about the colored rocks:  The rocks at Devil’s Lake State Park are purple because they are Baraboo Quartzite, a type of quartzite that contains iron (hematite) and other impurities. The iron reacts with oxygen to oxidize, which gives the rock its purple color. Baraboo Quartzite is some of the oldest exposed rock in North America (~1.7 billion years old).  Devil’s Lake State Park has the world’s largest display of purple quartzite, and some say it’s the most climbable in the world.

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Wisconsin is also known for its cheese, and we paid a visit to the Carr Valley Cheese Factory & Store in Mauston, WI.  The owner and master cheesemaker, Sid Cook, has won more national and international awards than any other cheesemaker in America.  We were able to sample as many types of cheese as we wanted from their generous offerings, and we left with a large soft-sided cooler full of several varieties. 

After our cheese stop, we drove back to Wisconsin Dells for lunch at a restaurant that’s right on the Riverwalk. 

Another highlight of our trip to The Dells was a boat tour of the Upper Dells on the Wisconsin River.   It totally exceeded our expectations, and the captain and our guide, Emma, were fantastic.  

Wednesday (8/28) was our last full day in The Dells, part of which was spent doing laundry, and the “fun” part included taking our time at the Riverwalk, then stopping for appetizers and a glass of wine at The Boathouse at The Vue Hotel and Restaurant.

On Thursday morning, we’ll head to Chicago for 5 days with Chris, Stu, Natalie, and Isaac.  🙂