44th On My List

Iowa is the last state I visited and is the 44th on my list. It was almost 6 hours drive to get to my first Iowa tourist destination coming from Moorhead, MN. While driving from Minnesota to Iowa, it was mostly fields after fields after fields of corns and potatoes.

On my list to see in Iowa, I have only 3 noted. First was in West Bend and the rest were in Des Moines. In West Bend, I visited the Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption.

It was beautiful and enchanting. I was in a middle of nowhere while driving to my destination and suddenly this shrine showed up infront of me and was shining with magnificence. The Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption is the world’s largest grotto built by a priest from precious stones plus a museum, a chapel and a campground. The Grotto has been described as a ‘miracle in stone’ by The Iowan magazine. The attraction was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001 and has been featured in Roadside America and Disney’s The Straight Story. It is composed of nine separate grottos with each portrait displays a scene in the life of Jesus Christ. Precious stones can be found from pearls, rubies, sapphires to topaz, malachites, geodes, azurites, quartz and even stalactites and stalagmites with petrified wood.

It was indeed magical to see and explore the grotto but my expedition needs me to leave to my next destinations which were both in Des Moines. The drive from West Bend to Des Moines was almost 3 hours. It wasn’t a busy street and traffic wasn’t bad as compared to Dallas. I got to Pappajohn Sculpture Park easily.

Pappajohn Sculpture Park is a pedestrian sculpture museum of public attractions. The park is 4.4 acre in size and is located within a major crossroads of the urban grid. Pappajohn Sculpture Park is a pedestrian-friendly entryway to downtown Des Moines.

Next attraction in Des Moines was Jim Muto Recreation Area. The location was convenient coz it was just close downtown. Parking was at the streets and there were a bunch of strollers and bikers. It was a good way to relax while waiting for the sun to set.

Before I ended the day, I had a great meal and it was worth a try. I went to a German Restaurant. It was called Hessen Haus. I ordered Jagerschnitzel which was an 8 oz tenderized center-cut pork loin, hand-breaded, fried and smothered with mushroom and onion gravy. It was delicious. It has been 2 decades from my last schnitzel meal.

After that delicious meal, I went out to get to my car and found out that the restaurant was just closed to SCI or Science Center of Iowa. Unfortunately, they were not open to the public at that time.

For the entire duration of my time in Iowa, I can say that I did enjoy it. There were still a lot to see and the people I met were really nice and accommodating. Iowa, as the 44th on my list, was sure a good place to visit. I will come and visit it again but it won’t be anytime soon since I still have 6 more states to finish my goal. But for now, stay safe and follow social distancing while traveling!

Potatoes, Corns, and etc

Minnesota was the next state to visit. Since I’ve stayed in Fargo, ND, I was already closed to Minnesota’s first city which was Moorhead. I, then, checked the city and had stops in Comstock House and Hjemkomst Center. The rest of the places I’ve witnessed while driving around the state were potatoes, corns, and etc. It was wide fields of both potato crops and corns as far as the eye can see.

Comstock House is a historic house museum in the city of Moorhead. It was built for Solomon Comstock and his family since the family was the first settlers and an influential figure in business, politics, civics, and education in the growing city and state.

Hjemkomst Center is also located in the same city as the Comstock House. This center is a museum and served as a home to Hjemkomst Viking ship. Hjemkomst which means homecoming in Norwegian is a replica Viking ship. I was unlucky since they were closed when I visited the museum so, I just took photos outside.

The rest of my Minnesota photo galleries were shot in different locations but with same views of potato crops and corn fields. There were old and beautiful churches, too.

This was actually my second visit of the state but the first time I was here, I only spent it in the MSP Airport. This time, I was out in the field and exploring the countryside of the state of Minnesota. It was relaxing seeing the green fields of potatoes and corns. But for sure, there are more places to see and discover in MN.

This Time, It’s the North

This time, it’s the north. After covering one of the Dakotas, the next Dakota is up next. I traveled to North Dakota from my last stop in SD. I made a research about the state before I left for this trip and it looked like I got limited tourist spots with the route I have planned. But I just go along with it to take my trip worth it with time constraints.

First was at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. There’s a lot to see in the park but I only went to one. I had a quick stop to Painted Canyon Visitor Center in Medora, ND. It gave a first glimpse of the Badlands.

Painted Canyon is a valley in Billings county. It was named on account of its colorful rocks. It was indeed a colorful sight to behold. It maybe hot but the view was worth the stop and the heat.

Badlands Overlook has beautiful scenery of the different rock formations of clay and sandstones. According to the historical information marker, in the future, the jagged land will be smooth with the sudden downpours of the rain and the river cutting and shaping the rocks.

After my trips in Nebraska and South Dakota, I was craving for city life. I checked where to go that’ll also be a good stop to spend the night. I found Fargo to be more feasible than Bismarck. So, I drove to Fargo. The drive was about 4 hours and 40 minutes.

Fargo is the most populous city in the state per wikipedia.org. It is also considered the gateway to the West. The city is close to Minnesota which is a neighboring state. There were a bunch of big stores and corporations I saw when I got there. I did check some of the restaurants, too. But the best experience I had in Fargo was witnessing the July 4th fireworks real close. I filmed it at perfect time when it was about to end.

Here is the list of places I’ve checked while in Fargo: Paradiso Mexican Restaurant

Porter Creek Hardwood Grill

Lindenwood Park

Fireworks Display

https://youtu.be/7h6wj28qVks

North Dakota may not have a lot of attractions to see but it was fairly decent to travel. The Badlands and its sceneries were not bad. A lot of nature surrounding and the terrains has changed from mountains to hills to low lying valleys and grasslands. I know there are more to explore but it’s better if you do it firsthand. Photos can’t bring justice to the real beauty you see in your own two eyes when you visit North Dakota.

One of the Dakotas

South Dakota was next on the list of states to visit. From Nebraska to South Dakota took almost 3 hours of driving. Since it was close so, I made sure to include one of the Dakotas in my list to visit. When I hit SD state line, it was all plain and flat lands. But it wasn’t my first time seeing a view like that. Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska share the same landscapes.

The picture above was taken in Martin, SD. It was a long 20-mile unpaved road that I have to drive to get to my first destination. My list to see in the state were:

1.Enter the Door Trail

I added this trail because I saw it in the web and it was beautiful with its unique rock formations. The only thing is you gotta drive far to get to the trail. As consolation, I got to see these views.

2.Keystone, SD

Keystone is the city where the famous attraction is situated, the Mt Rushmore National Monument. My first plan was to visit and see the National Monument but to my surprise, it was closed that day. I didn’t know the President of the United States was having a campaign rally in the area as well as celebrating the 4th of July with fireworks and more. It was an exclusive rally and every participant who got in had background checks. I ended up checking the city and camped on a tent for the first time which was the best experience I had so far in this trip.

3.Mt Rushmore National Monument

The next day was the highlight of my trip, Mount Rushmore. The National Monument is a pride of the United States. It showed the 4 founding fathers of the nation starting from George Washington as the first president, Thomas Jefferson was the third president, Theodore Roosevelt as top five president of the US, and Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President who issued the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves forever. It was the perfect time I got there coz it happened to be the 4th of July. The best place to spend Independence Day.

4.Deadwood, SD

The historic city of Deadwood is known for its gold rush history. Minings, outlaws, gambling and entrepreneurs trading back on those old days. The city was mesmerising in its own way. It has those old days vibe and the people were friendly.

5.Roughlock Falls

Roughlock Falls is one of the Black Hills’ most beautiful areas and also one of the area’s most-photographed spots. It was indeed beautiful. The sound of the water flowing was so hypnotizing. It was nature at its best.

My whole trip in one of the Dakotas was amazing with a lot of new experiences. I have experienced my first camping, a close encounter to the POTUS (President of the United States), about to witness a US campaign rally, spent a memorable 4th of July with the Founding Fathers, and also caught in camera in an independent channel supporting the President’s campaign.

My 40th State

At long last, I got to my 40th state. It’s nothing grand or famous like other states but their slogan said it’s the good one. Welcome to Nebraska! Nebraska is a midwestern state encompassing the prairies of the Great Plains, the towering dunes of the Sandhills and the panhandle’s dramatic rock formations.

I did a quick glance on where to visit and I saw these intriguing sites like an amazing rock formations, weird tourist attraction, a bridge and a castle. So, the state offers a wide range of touristic value. Here’s the list of the places I’ve visited:

• Scotts Bluff National Monument

Scotts Bluff has impressive rock formations. It is appealing and picturesque. It’s beautiful all year around. The National Monument is located in Old Oregon Trail in Gering, Nebraska.

• Carhenge

If England has Stonehenge, the United States has the Carhenge. The creator got inspiration from the Stonehenge since he has been working as a petroleum engineer in England. He made it in his homeland in Alliance, NE. Since he doesn’t have the stone slabs, he used cars instead. They’re pretty cool to look at though.

• Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge

The pedestrian bridge is located in Omaha which is also close to state line of Iowa. There were a lot of hikers, joggers and dog walkers in the bridge. It was clean and kept well with the bridge at 3,000-foot long.

• Joslyn Castle

The castle was designated as an Omaha landmark and was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It was built in the Scottish Baronial style. The mansion castle has four stories.

Nebraska was my 40th state. It was a memorable trip. The state has rich culture, nice infrastructure and adventurous ideas. My trip has been postponed many times but at last, it came to reality and Nebraska was the state I got to travel and explore first.

A Quick Detour

I was overdue for a trip this year. The last time I had an out-of-state travel was back in NOLA during Mardi Gras. I got all my travels planned for the year and I’ve missed two of them because of the COVID pandemic. We’ve been staying at home for months and months now and it’s taking a toll in my mental health. I usually go on a vacation just de-stress from the life stressors of everyday living. I already planned my trip to Portland, OR and San Francisco, CA for March and it got cancelled. The next trip was supposedly a reunion with Ohio friends and second families. I got all booked and taken care of but Dallas became a covid hotspot that I don’t want my friends to get exposed to me and end up quarantined. To make the story short and the whining stop, I have decided to do a long road trip. I got 14 days off and made a decision to go to states that I haven’t visited yet to finish my USA list. I was already heading to Scotts Bluff National Monument but I did a quick detour instead to Denver, CO. I’ve made to Denver at 2130H but got a beautiful sunset view.

I went directly to the hotel I booked. When I got settled in Wingate by Wyndham Denver Tech in Greenwood Village, I drove to grab something to eat in Twin Creeks since they closed as late as 11PM. Before I ended the night, what better to do in Denver when weed is legal. I visited the Green Solution which is a marijuana dispensary. I checked it just out of curiosity but haven’t tried any.

I took the route crossing Wyoming to get to Nebraska. The view suddenly changed from mountains and trees to desert plateaus and valleys. It was gorgeous though. Photos were taken in Ranchettes and Torington.

It took 5 hours to get to Nebraska with the trip route I chose. But it was hella ride. I almost ran out of fuel. Lesson for the trip, make sure you got full tank if you’re going to drive in a vast empty space.

The quick detour was indeed needed to get to my destination. It made me more excited to travel more. Amidst this COVID crisis, it’s hard when tourism is put into halt but I was able to make it. Be mindful about your surroundings, follow social distancing, sanitizing and washing hands. Wearing masks when in public is a must. Traveling can be feasible with being more cautious on following safety rules. This might be the new norm but we’ll get through this by staying together.