ohio -> south dakota & colorado

morning after leaving rochester it started snowing, so it was the perfect moment to head towards winter. Leaving behind the bad weather from the east was like escaping, and that's why I drove quite a few kilometers. Fortunately, I didn't miss much in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa (in my opinion). I did make a short stop at Lake Michigan though because they always say that the 'great lakes' are almost like a sea, and I wanted to see for myself. And indeed, it had a beach, waves, and it seemed like an ocean - okay, on one side you could see the Chicago skyline. Agriculture is the main feature along this 1,500 km stretch so I saw mainly hay, tractors, cows, and the typical farms (see photo). In Indiana, I had a fun experience with a carriage and horses, but unfortunately, I couldn't take any pictures of the Amish people. As a change of scenery, I made a stop in Ottawa, Illinois, which is a charming little town with wonderful graffiti. I was impressed again by how good the rest stops are, clean, well-maintained, and in Iowa, they even have free wifi. South Dakota is Sioux territory and along the former prairie (which the European immigrants who were given this land turned into grazing land), my Native American heart felt a little stirred. The many billboards along the roadside to the west are well-known and sometimes shocking, with a bit of 'redneck' American like 'eat meat, wear fur and keep your guns.' On a rainy day, fortunately, there's the Champions League, and I pass by Kadoka where there's a bar, a library, a shop, and a school. After the match at the bar, I take care of a few things at the shop and write emails at the library. I chat with a few locals there, and without planning it, I'm already at someone's home enjoying a nice dinner. This lovely couple always enjoys meeting someone new, and because she's a teacher, the next morning she gave a presentation about Switzerland to children (4th and 5th grade) who, according to her, will probably never leave the US and didn't know where our country is on the map. Some funny questions were asked, like what we have for a dollar, if there are Lamborghinis in Switzerland, why I speak more than one language, and if we read books. A cute chubby boy even gives me one of his cola bottles, making me feel at home, and he has more than 40 bottles. Equipped with provisions like deer salami, sausages, and chili (all homemade/hunted, of course), and after a shower, I'm on the road again - it's sometimes a stroke of luck. In the southwest of South Dakota, there's finally some variety in the landscape. The view over Badlands National Park, by the way, was named because 18th-century French trappers were frustrated with the difficult/bad land they had to traverse, and the Pinnacles are worth seeing. Yay, I'm back in the mountains with curves and mountain passes. Mount Rushmore is on the way, and with a classic move, I can enjoy the whole thing for free. The heads of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln were carved there from 1927-41, and the head of George is the highest at 30m. I don't find Wind Cave National Park particularly special from my perspective, but I've been spoiled so far. The glorious Western times are still visible in many small mountain villages with shops and houses that remind me of cowboys, gold diggers, and trappers. Saddle makers, blacksmiths, and fur hunters were highly valued.