Shelley and Christopher's Oregon Trail Adventure Part 2: Gray Skies Ahead

Before I begin the next leg of the journey, I just wanted to point out that Christopher and I discovered along the way that we have vastly different tastes in music.  This became a bit of an issue on such a long trip.  He tolerated one Keane CD and the entire 10th Anniversary performance of Les Miserable, so instead of torturing him with a nostalgic listen of "The best of the A*Teens" I let him pick the music for the next round.  As you read, you have a choice of songs between Billie Holiday's All of Me or Johnny Bond's Stars of the Midnight Range. Luckily, this musical conundrum was partially solved by listening to The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane which I highly recommend.  I will say that this book would have probably been better suited for a trip through New England during the fall as opposed to a move out west in the summer.

On the third day we experienced chilly weather; there seemed to be a light gray blanket engulfing the skies.  A slight drizzle accompanied us through Illinois and in to Wisconsin.  It felt like a dreary fall day rather than the heat of the summer! The drive to Minneapolis did not allow for too many interesting sights but we did pass through Milwaukee.

By the time we reached Minneapolis, our stop for the night, dusk had set in.  I had hoped to explore the Mall of America while we were there but I was drowsy from my allergies and we were both tired from driving all day.  We planned on getting up early the next morning since we had a 9-10 hour day ahead of us with a stop in the middle. The sunset did allow for a beautiful view of the city and we both got lovely pictures from the parking deck of our hotel. 

  I managed to find a great deal at the Hyatt Regency and the inside of the hotel was sleek, modern, and swanky.  The staff member who checked us in had a friendly, midwestern demeanor.  Our room was just lovely, but the soft pillows were the best part.  

We decided to explore a little around the hotel and chose a Chinese restaurant to eat at a block down. The food was pretty tasty but later I began to break out in eczema from the soy. I scratched all night long.  If it weren't for the pillows I wouldn't have been able to sleep.  I'm sure I looked a little frightening the next day when we checked out! In an attempt to be a little healthier we grabbed some expensive fruit cups  for breakfast from the hotel market.  

A demonstration in healthy eating "on the go." 

The blue skies were a welcome sight as we drove out of the city.

Little did we know that the day was about to take a very dark turn...

We reached the border of South Dakota around mid-afternoon.  Aside from a few interesting signs the view was mostly widespread gold and green plains that seem to go on for miles.  

Around lunchtime we stopped in a Wal-Mart parking lot to meet up with Christopher's friend Drew from his WW 2 reenacting days in high school. Drew was working on a Mink Farm for the summer in an attempt to learn farming skills and techniques to prepare for mission work abroad.  He was very friendly, polite and dressed like an Amish man sans the hat but with the beard, so I imagine he'd look perfect in downtown Portland.  We followed him down several gravely roads, past acres of cornfields and in to a place of sadness. As we drove in, it looked like any typical farm in South Dakota.

Immediately after exiting the car one of the worst smells I have ever experienced assaulted my nostrils.  Christopher and I exchanged grimaced looks.  One of the sons of the owners came to greet us along with a few workers.  Everyone was really welcoming and polite.  The farmer's son informed us that we'd chosen the worst possible time (other than gassing day I assume) to visit because they were preparing the mink paste.  The smell can only be described as combining all the grossest scents you've ever experience while wrapped in vomit.  Drew walked us over to the mink shelters, demonstrating how they take them out of their cages.  

The poor guy he pulled out ended up peeing everywhere.  I just felt really depressed looking at the tiny cages they were housed in, knowing that their lives would come to an abrupt end sometime in September.

The next two images of minks demonstrate my feelings perfectly:

Sadness

and 

Anger

The next picture gives a better look at the meat paste they ate.

We then walked to another section where they process and churn the meat paste.  The plan was to then go out to lunch but Christopher realized our time was running out as we had at least 5 more hours of driving to do before we reached the hotel.  We chatted for a little longer and Christopher gave Drew a few of my granddaddy's books from his days as a Methodist minister.  Later on, Christopher explained to me that Drew was also pretty upset about the fate of the minks.  He was planning on returning home before the gassing in the fall. Most of the furs would then be sold to places in Russia and China. Traumatized and smelly we headed out again towards Belle Fourche our last stop for the day.  There was just hours and hours of flat land and very few places to stop for gas or food.  As night descended we began to realize that it would be 11pm before we arrived at the hotel, so we called ahead to let them know.  It was almost eerie how dark and desolate the little town was with only a light or two to guide us.  The manager greeted us, looking disheveled in his pajamas (I was just grateful he let us in).  I was little less relieved upon entering the room when I was met with a strong hint of cigarette smoke.  The carpet was pretty stained as well.  Luckily our sheets were clean and the bathroom was decent. From this picture it doesn't look too terrible. 

However, the real issue was that the Hyatt Regency room in Minneapolis was cheaper than this place! We turned in quickly, ready to end the day.  The next morning I was in a cheerier mood when I remembered that the hotel had a free breakfast.  That mood soon turned a little sour when I discovered that the "free breakfast" consisted of two juice dispensers that didn't work, two choices of cereal that produced a few flakes every time you twisted the dispense tube, and four or five flavors of expired yogurt.  After turning in our key we scurried out of there for another McDonald's breakfast.  Fortunately for us, breakfast was the only disappointment of the day.  Onward we went to experience the beauty of both natural and man-made wonders....