With the bulk of our trip behind us, it was finally time to start the trek home.
Day Nine: Rapid City, SD ⮞ Grand Forks, ND
When we initially set out on this trip, we wanted to stay flexible, and gave ourselves the option of making the trek home in two or three days. We’d done so much driving and some long days already, and we wanted to make sure that we didn’t overwork ourselves too much.
So, naturally, we said “the heck with it!” and detoured back into North Dakota for a night, to add a little more depth to our trip and get the chance to visit some additional friends!
The weirdest part of this day was a brief radius where we kept skirting the time zone line, so we’d go back and forth between Mountain and Central times. Watching the clock in the car, or on your cell phone, change one minute, then change back, then change back again, is just plain weird.
Our first big stop of the day was to visit a friend just across the state line in Minnesota. I wish we’d gotten to spend more time with her, but it was lovely to see a friend and we got to meet some beautiful horses (and adorable barn kitties!)
From there, we ducked back into North Dakota for an unexpectedly wonderful tour of Ralph Engelstad Arena. My husband and I are both huge hockey people, and we both work in college hockey, and let me tell you: NoDak is the place to be. Those facilities are absolutely incredible and on the same level as some NHL facilities. We ended the evening with dinner (with another Buffalo friend!) at the Blue Moose Bar & Grill, just across the state line back in Minnesota, before resting our heads in Grand Forks for the night.
Day 9: 588.1 miles / 3 states
Day Ten: Grand Forks, ND ⮞ Naperville, IL
We hit the road fairly early in order to get a bulk of the drive home done on this day, but we still made quite the day of it! Our initial plan was to detour to the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN to stop by the Minnesota Wild’s team store, but like we faced in St. Louis, that store was also closed for mid-summer inventory. Alas, it ended up being a blessing in disguise because we quickly shifted our trajectory to pop by the Mall of America instead!
We were only there briefly and covered only a very small portion of the Mall, but wow. What a place! Again, it’s one of those places that I’d seen photos of, but you really don’t get the sense of how massive and incredible it is until you’re standing there, looking up at multiple rollercoasters, a three-story M&M store, any kind of restaurant you could possibly want, and a full aquarium. In a mall!
We didn’t stay long, but my overall thoughts include: This place is incredible. Lunch at Burger Burger was very tasty. The only thing that’s missing here is a full-blown grocery store, but it wouldn’t surprise me to learn it has one. Also, the parking garages are very efficient. I love that you can drive in & instantly get reads on how many spots are open on each level, and you can use the MoA website to find your designated stores/restaurants and get instant instructions on where best to park.
Our journey continued through Iowa and into Wisconsin, where we found dinner at a little place called Steve’s Pizza Palace in Platteville. Everything was tasty, even if I thought my dinner was a bit cold by the time it reached the table. We did get to try some fried Wisconsin cheese curds, which… how could you not? Finally, we kept driving and reached Naperville, IL, our stopping point for the last night of the trip.
Day 10: 739.5 miles / 4 states
Day Eleven: Naperville, IL ⮞ Buffalo, NY
Our choice to stay in Naperville meant we were able to avoid Chicago-area traffic as well as construction (especially prudent because setup for the NASCAR street race had begun!). After breakfast at our hotel and a quick gas and car wash stop at Delta Sonic (ah, a taste of home!), we continued on.
A lunch stop at a Culver’s in Indiana led into an ever-so-brief detour into Michigan — literally, just over the state line and pretty much back south. Ryan had never been there before, so it was another one of those “might as well” moments. Then onto Ohio, where dinner was at Waffle House – one last one for the trip – and into Pennsylvania.
Finally, we reached our home in Buffalo later that evening, and just like that, our incredible adventure was in the books. And boy, was it one for the books!
Day 11: 589.7 miles / 6 states
Final Thoughts
Day 1: 536.8 miles
Day 2: 336.4 miles
Day 3: 100.6 miles
Day 4: 851.4 miles
Day 5: 160.1 miles
Day 6: 521.8 miles
Day 7: 479.0 miles
Day 8: 96.6 miles
Day 9: 588.1 miles
Day 10: 739.5 miles
Day 11: 589.7 miles
Total: 5,000.0 miles.
States: 18 (NY, PA, WV, OH, IN, IL, MO, KS, CO, NE, WY, MT, ND, SD, MN, IA, WI, MI)
This was such an adventure, and I’m so glad we did it (and were able to do it!) I feel so fortunate to have been able to make this journey and see so much of the country, so much that I’d never seen before. I added 12 new states to my map, now totaling 31/50! To be in so many of these great places, it really feels like my world opened up and I cannot wait to see more.
My updated map of where I’ve been:
thoughts of Melissa 