After spending five great days in the hustle and bustle of Chicago and eating my way through as many deep dish spots as possible, it was time to continue west. I traded the sound of honking horns and the typical cacophony of city streets for wide open and endless fields of corn, cows and wind turbines. 

I have tried to avoid toll roads on this trip and I’ve noticed that in doing this, it may take a little longer but you get to see the countryside and travel down those beautiful  “middle of nowhere”roads.

Taking the “middle of nowhere” roads through the Midwest takes you through small agricultural towns with pumpkins available for sale on every corner, where passing combines is more common than a slow mini van and roads are labeled with letters. You’re greeted with the town sign, population and sometimes even a sign indicating you are in the presence of the high school girls basketball state champs from 1992. The local coffee shop’s sign celebrates this year’s homecoming King and Queen.

From Wisconsin, to Iowa, to Minnesota and on to South Dakota; the prairie is beautiful and full of life and tranquility and for some reason just makes you want to do cartwheels or maybe that was just us!