Minnesota

Miles driven: 2,566

So I'm in Minnesota right now, and it smells like shit. This isn't some deep blog metaphor – it actually does smell like cow shit here. It stings the nostrils, and not in a good way. We had to drive through about 7,000 miles of corn crops to get here, and once we arrived we discovered that there is a distinct lack of good beer. Plus, everyone has that funny Minnesota (MinnesOOOta) accent.

So it would be fine to be a bit depressed after leaving the majestic sights of the Rocky Mountains or the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota. Except I'm finding myself quite happy here. Lanesboro, where we are staying, has a Main Street, and along it are American flags flying every 20 feet. We met a couple tonight whose son is recovering from losing a leg in Iraq (quite well, I might add – he recently ran the Army 10 Miler in DC, which I on the other hand, have not). Much of the town gathered at the local theatre for a performance tonight, probably just as they do at the high school during football season. People eat beef for dinner, so much so that the local restaurant ran out tonight. There are a lot of giant pickup trucks around. So, it really feels like small town Middle America here – and this is exactly what I came to see.

We've had a good few days leading up to this as well. We lit candle lanterns and climbed through an off-trail section of Wind Cave, South Dakota with a park ranger. We drove through Spearfish Canyon and hiked through the amazing scenery of the Badlands National Park. The stretch of country from the Tetons, Wyoming to the Badlands, South Dakota must be one of the most amazing on Earth. I have a new affection for this part of the world.

Not that these parts don't have their more confounding sides. Read the papers, the poll numbers, and the bumper stickers, and you recognize that this part of the country is not particularly sympathetic to the Middle East – and yet, and I cannot find a way to stress this enough – EVERYONE here drives a massive truck or SUV. And these massive vehicles burn TONS of fuel – which helps keep us dependent on the Middle East for energy. I can't tell you how many times I've watched a Ford F-9000 Super Triton Maxi-Cab truck take 5 attempts to get into a normal parking space...and then one person gets out of it. You would expect this part of the country to lead the charge on sticking the middle finger up to OPEC – and yet, they happily fill up their monster trucks on cheap fuel from a place they detest. It quite simply makes no sense. I would start a debate -- but hell, most of these people are armed and I'm driving a European car and still speak with a slight British inflection. Mum did not raise no fool.

Nonetheless, I am embracing the rural experience. After all, it still represents 97% of the land in America. And there is no doubt that us city folk get a warmer welcome here in the country, than the other way around.