I spent the next morning catching up on some phone calls and emails. I grabbing lunch and caught up with an old friend before heading westward again. Iowa is just about what you would expect: rows of corn with some wind farms sprinkled in.









A few hours later, I crossed the border into Omaha, Nebraska.



I’ve actually wanted visit Omaha for some time. The train museums look pretty cool, and one of these days I really want to make it to the new Rosenblatt Stadium to catch a College World Series game. But for now, I settled for passing through as I had to make it to Grand Island in time for dinner with another friend. Nebraska didn’t look a lot different from Iowa.







The Fairfield Inn & Suites Grand Island was my home for the evening. I’ve stayed in hundreds of Fairfields over the years, and they’re mostly some degree of mediocrity. The Fairfield Inn Grand Island fit right in with the rest of the bunch. It is an older property but ultimately fine overall. I allegedly got upgraded on account of my Marriott Titanium status, but I’m not seeing it.







I met up with my friend and his wife for a dinner, and we caught up over a few pints. Early the next morning, I met them and their kids up for a little hike in a nature preserve.













Then it was back to the Fairfield for a shower and breakfast, and then it was back on the road. My goal for the day is to make it to North Dakota before sunset. Before I could get to North Dakota, I had to make it through corn, corn, and more corn.







The rolling hills of north Nebraska were absolutely beautiful.









I made into South Dakota a couple of hours after leaving Grand Island.







The rolling hills got higher and higher the more north I got.



Woohoo!





I made it to Fort Pierce, which was the midway point through South Dakota, a little after lunch.





About a mile out of Fort Pierce, I ran into a fund raiser where I made a non-optional donation to the Fort Pierce general fund. 🙄



A couple of hours later, I had number 49: North Dakota.









Another one of my travel goals is visiting all of the National Parks. This little jaunt was a perfect opportunity to knock a few more out. I was too late to do any exploring that day, but I was still able to get some good sunset shots at Theodore Roosevelt National Park.













I then drove to Dickinson, which was about 45 minutes away, where a room at the Hampton inn awaited me.







I grabbed a quick bite from Subway, before passing out after the long day. The next morning started out with the incomparable Hampton inn bagel toppers. Then it was back to the park.





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Then came the first of many buffalo sightings.





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And the associated mess throughout the park.



Ran in to a quite a few deer as well.



I drove up to the Painted Canyon and went on a little hike.