Celebrities for the night / driving day today

Last night was funny. Walked to a restaurant nearby called Applebee's. They are a chain and we have been seeing their ads on tv.

Once again customer service was exceptional. When they heard our accent they wanted to know our story before we even got to the table. The manager even took the time out to come and meet us as she had never met anyone from NZ and also heard this was our first Applebee's meal and wanted to thank us and welcome us. The waitress said we were the talk of the restaurant.

Today we wanted to chew a chunk off the big drive heading west. Left at 8am and programmed Rapid City into Peggy-Sue.

734 miles (1181kms) later we are here. That's driving distance equivalent of Invercargill to just past Palmerston North. Honestly it doesn't seem like it. The driving conditions are just so good. We did this in 10 hours and another bonus is we have gained a hour with another time change!

Once we crossed the Mississippi River the landscape changed dramatically. Went from green and trees to brown and barren. Corn paddocks, windmills and sunflower paddocks were about it. Awesome scenery and stuff we have never seen before.

Left state of Wisconsin, crossed through Minnesota and now in South Dakota. (the I90 for those following on maps). Temperature increased also to 99F but is bearable.

I did a share of driving today and really enjoyed it. Set cruise control to 78 miles/hr and just steered the car.

Once we arrived in South Dakota the speed increased to 75miles/hr so Si set the cruise control to 83 as ya do! Great roads and minimal traffic.

Stopped at the info centre and were advised to take the scenic route through The Badlands national park. Took this advice and so pleased we did. It's the 1st national park we've been in and sights were incredible. The park incorporates 244,000 acres and considered one of the worlds richest mammal fossil beds. Well worth the detour.

When leaving The Badlands we thought we were heading into a tornado. It was freaking us both out a bit. We ended up driving around the edge of the storm and saw a great lightening show.

Staying in Rapid City tonight. Ribs on the menu for tea we think.