It may be corny, but...

We have started the long trek back to Pennsylvania. We miss the dogs so much and can't wait to get them back. But it will take several days till we are home. Driving along I-90 in central South Dakota we enjoyed the rolling hills and the contrast between the yellow clover and green grass. The natives tell us this much green is unusual for this time of year but they have had more rain than normal. Since the state had droughts the last several years, the rain is welcomed.






East of Rapid City the exits on I-90 are labeled with strange street names. The exit is in the middle of nowhere and the name will be 152nd Avenue, 161st Avenue, or this one, 173rd Avenue. As you can see there is nothing around here but grasslands and cattle farms. Is this extreme planning for the future expansion of Rapid City?









There is extensive roadwork on I-90 and we came through two sections that were under construction for very long stretches. But this one was so unusual. The westbound lanes were torn up for several miles and this farm tractor was discing the roadbed! Maybe he took a wrong turn and thought this stretch of soil needed to be worked?











Temperature were in the mid-80's and the sun was very hot today. As we drove through south-central South Dakota we saw several large herds of cattle. Some were taking advantage of the shade provided by billboards. This herd had some belly deep in the pond.








We planned on overnighting in Mitchell SD and visiting the Corn Palace. As we drove along I-90 we saw only grass and grains in the fields - no corn. Then we crossed the Missouri River and suddenly there was corn everywhere. We reached our campground around 5 pm Central Time. Yep, we're loosing those hours we gained on the trip west. We set out to see the world famous Corn Palace. It sounded hokey but we wanted to check it out. It is amazing! The Corn Palace goes back to 1892 and this is the first building that was used. It was intended to celebrate the harvest and showcase the crops that could be produced in South Dakota. It was also an attempt to draw attention to Mitchell, in hopes it would become the state capitol. It never made that distinction but Corn Palace has been redecorated with a new theme each year since 1892.


Every year, the murals on the outside of the building are taken down and redone with a different theme. The design is transferred to roofing paper which is then nailed to the panels. The corn ears are sized and cut in half longitudinally before being nailed to the panels. It takes over 100 acres to produce the materials for the murals each year. There are 12 different colors of corn used - didn't realize there were that many colors.






Obviously the murals on the outside of the building are subject to the elements. They also are subject to feeding by birds! We saw a few pigeons looking for an easy meal but surprisingly there were very few birds and the sidewalks were not covered with bird droppings!














The inside of the building is also decorated with corn but only replaced every 10 years. This building is used for public events and basketball games. The Mitchell High School plays here and the local college also uses the gymnasium for their games. When it is not basketball season, the gym is used for a very large gift shop, of course.









Corn Palace was certainly entertaining and we never realized corn could be so versatile. They were selling corn cob jelly in the gift shop. Ingredients included corn cob juice, pectin and sugar. The clerk said it tasted sweet - duh? We've all seen corn cob holders and dishes, maybe even coffee cups and serving dishes. But have you ever seen a corn-themed mailbox?

We'll be on the road again tomorrow - Minnesota here we come!