Day 6: ND, MN, WI, IA

It was a remarkable beginning today. I didn't yearn for the sun, yet the day stated with me driving east and viewing the sunrise just as we were entering Minnesota. It was a beautiful sight after multiple days of rain / snow. It reminded how blessed and fortunate I was. For reasons that I can only feel, but not articulate, I broke down and started crying. It was a profound moment that was deeply personal - while there wasn't anyone to witness it, as I recollect the day, I felt that I must admit this in the day's blog. After all, I was hoping to discover something about myself in addition to America!

Some of you must know that Minnesota is considered the land of lakes. 15,000, I learnt today. Yet, the MN license plates were mentioning 10,000 lakes. Wonder why 5,000 were left out by MN DMV. The fall colors were showing nicely and the temperature had climbed up to 70s. An enjoyable shorts / t-shirt day. I drove across Minnesota, skirted Minneapolis / St. Paul and entered Wisconsin and stopped at the border town, Hudson. It was a quaint and beautiful town by the St. Croix river and lake Mallalieu. We spent some time walking by the river, the park and library. And drove back into Minnesota and onward to Iowa.

Every morning, Apollo is absolutely eager to get back into the car. While his bed is little larger than the crate we have at home, the only reason I can think of for his eagerness is that while he is in the crate, his master is on the other side of the same crate - doesn't matter that the crate itself is moving along highways!

The weather forecast for Des Moines had predicted some thundershowers for the day. After almost 8+ hours of sun or cloudy sky, we did get some rain closer to Des Moines. But the high point was an opportunity to take an impromptu hike by the Prairie Remnant Trail in Story county, Iowa. Both Apollo and I loved it.

Day 6 pics