Summer Vacation Trip - Day 2

We were both awake by 0700 and we ate breakfast (oatmeal, toast, yogurt, fruit) at the hotel.  On the road by 0800 and drove from Lafayette through Chicago and Milwaukee (used I-65, I-94, US-41, I-94).  We ate lunch (leftovers, snacks) on the way.  Encountered lots of traffic and construction issues, so it was a nice feeling to get off the interstate at Windsor, WI (1145) .  We ate some ice cream there and then took back roads (WI-19, US-12 and WI-60) to get to Prairie du Chien.  We crossed the Mississippi River and drove north on IA-76.  We spent a few hours at Effigy Mounds National Monument and even took a hike there.  Mollie was glad to get the (first of many!) passport stamp for her book.  We then drove to Decorah, IA, where we got gas (1635).  Using US-52, we drove towards Minnesota; on the way, we passed the Laura Ingalls Burr Oak town site. We noticed that they were having a "Laura Day" celebration and joined in the fun for a little bit!  The event was just about to end and there was a huge thunder storm coming but we managed to get a special tour of the museum before we got back on the road.  We switched to MN-16 and joined up with I-90.  Stopped for dinner (Pizza Hut) in Blue Earth, MN (done at 1930) and then drove west towards South Dakota.  Just before crossing the border, we saw a sign for the Pipestone National Monument and I tried to find a hotel nearby.  However, everything was full and we continued to encounter the same problem when we tried places near and west of Sioux Falls, SD (because of a music festival).  Mollie found out that her grandmother (Gayle) had gone to the hospital but later learned she was resting at home.  Since we had nowhere to stay and the traffic/weather was great, we kept driving.  I must admit that I was getting tired, though.  I finally gave up at the rest area near Salem, SD.  Mollie agreed to stay there for a few hours of rest and we slept from about 2300 until 0230 (three hour limit per state law and a suspicious car pulled up near us.  I drove us to Mitchell (0315), where we got gas, and then west until we reached a rest area at Chamberlain (0430.  I went to sleep in the car again and didn't stir until the sun was up (Mollie had never woke up through the night).