Roadtrip: July 2017
Even our "pure driving" day started off with a little bit of sightseeing. Minuteman Missile National Historic Site is a well-done place to learn about the Cold War, even if you don't have time to actually visit one of the old missile silos that are part of the grounds. (I'd love to say next time, but who knows when that will be!)
Spent the rest of the day driving. 700 miles still isn't all that long of a day, but throw in a quick stop at Culver's for lunch (verdict: so-so) and a few rest stops, most notably the Dignity statue in South Dakota, and suddenly it's evening when you arrive!
The biggest thing you notice on this part of the drive is the increasing greenery, going from the prairie into the land of lakes that makes up Minnesota and Wisconsin. The increasing affluence of the area is obvious as well-- farms no longer look like isolated outposts on a thousand acres of grass.
Our evening arrival at HotelRED in Madison revealed a contemporary, dog friendly hotel in a great location, right across the street from University of Madison' football stadium. t'was a very reasonable walk to downtown and the state capitol to sightsee and find dinner. Had some perfectly fried cheese curds at The Old Fashioned, because when you are in Wisconsin, you eat cheese! (and drink a local brew!)