Payback time. (Episode 1)

So here I am on my very first paid vacation in over 9 years.
It started out rather interesting… Turns out, the rental place didn’t have my car ready for me. Ya know, the little economy ford focus? So they decided the best thing to do was rent me the 2005 Ford Mustang for the same price.

I left at 8:30 Friday night. Drove through PA, through Ohio, Through Illinois, Through Indiana, and the next day, was still driving in Wisconsin. It was about 2pm in the afternoon Saturday, after being on the road driving for over 18 hours straight, I saw a sign that said “Sherwood forest next right” hrm. OK, I could stand a break, let me get out and see what the devil this is all about. I turn off at the exit, see a 30 foot tall paul bunion, and upside down white house. (yes, as in 1600 PA avenue – turned on its head.) I also saw a 21 foot tall pink flamingo, waterslides galore, restaurants, cheesy motels, etc. Either I was extremely road-fatigued, or I had entered a parallel dimension. There were miles and miles of this monstrosity. Waterpark after waterpark, indoor waterparks, outdoor waterparks, zoos, boating, bicycling, skateboarding, boogeyboarding, sailing, touring, camping and whatever you can imagine for 40 miles in one direction and 10 miles in another. Turns out, I found Wisconsin Dells (or Wisconsin Hell as my b/f & I dubbed it.) Let me tell you. This was something. What it was - I don’t exactly know, but whatever it was, there certainly was a lot of it. Its said that Wisconsin is known as the Cheese state, and now I think I know why.

So, after that audacious display of plastic and plaster of paris, I felt awake enough to continue. Stunned awake is more to the point. I mean, really! So we kept driving, through the rest of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and finally South Dakota. At a rest stop near Sioux Falls, I pulled the mustang into the lot right between a gang of Harleys and a 67 ford thunderbird. Well driving a 2005 mustang, and wearing a red white and blue Sturgis shirt, I felt right at home. The b/f gave the bikers some directions to Sturgis, some what to do and where to eat recommendations, they thanked us and we were on our way.

Sunday 12 am, We pulled into Rapid City. Hotels were BOOKED.
Did I mention booked? Not a vacancy in the entire city….

To be continued…