And More Traveling

There are two things that are guaranteed to fry Doug's brain: shopping and driving. (Don't tell his boss, who owns the shuttle company that Doug drives for.) I've learned that, if I can find a way for him to get out and stretch his legs, he will continue to drive awhile longer, thus giving me more time to relax and enjoy the scenery.

Today, as we were driving from Lodi, Wisconsin, to Fargo, North Dakota, I could tell that the time was approaching that I was going to have to take over the driving. We spotted a rest area where we could make the switch. But, lo and behold, this rest area had a walking path that led to a scenic overlook. The path led through a woods and up a hill and was just what Doug needed to revive him. Unfortunately, the scenic overlook was no longer scenic, with the trees having grown too tall to permit a view of any kind. So, I don't have a picture of the view, but I do have a picture of the walk:

Trail to Black River Valley Overlook, Wisconsin

After our walk, we enjoyed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the van. It was just the break that Doug had been needing, and he continued to drive for several more hours.

When we reached the western side of Minneapolis, we hit a major traffic jam.

Traffic Jam on I-94 West of Minneapolis

If you could see the lower right-hand corner of our GPS, you would see that the speed limit in that area was 70 mph, and our speed was 9.8 mph. Grrrrr.

Once we were clear of that mess, I did finally take over the driving to give Doug a rest. At the rest area where we stopped to change drivers, I was able to get a picture of this squirrel:

Squirrel at Minnesota Rest Area

Yes, I know squirrels are rodents, but they're just so doggone cute.

My part of the driving was very relaxing. The traffic was light, and we made good time. We stopped for the night in Fargo, ND, where I snapped this picture of the setting sun:

Sunset in Fargo, ND

The End. Well, for today, anyway.