So the day started the way most of my ways end.... At IHOP with the mono-peeps but instead of just going home and passing out... its off to the airport to another airport and to a third one just barely...and a few hundred miles of driving and a few new states too! Oh hey, and an amusement park. Who knew?
mmm, pancakes
lol, on time......
Random waterpark somewhere near Chicago...?
yay! I'm just gonna skip the ranting and bitching and skip to this...
Welcome to IOWA! I pretty much stepped off the plane, into my rental and drove some 200 miles...
yup, lots and lots of driving.. but it'll be worth it.. I hope.
(Arnold's Park is a park I've wanted to hit for a while and has a lot of history and is loaded with classic rides.... ) But first.. SIDE-TRACKED!
Hippo Approved
(if I ever get sick of Orlando...... )
Ok, back to Arnold's
That took too long!
Luckily the park makes up for the fact its in the middle of NOWHERE, and while I get that Iowa itself isnt exactly tourist central, Arnold's is still forever away from anything else...
But its got a Roll-O-Plane, that tilts :D
And more to my liking...
A Rock-O-Plane! And it let single riders on... Unlike.......
the parks Chance Wheel... DENIED! :(
moving on....
The park is home to a pretty easy mirror maze and this odd Tilt-House built about the station of....
The Legend, the main reason I came all the way out here.
And while the ride was absolute-crap in the back row... In the front it was quite enjoyable and re-rideable with some damn good air on the last hill!
In the shadow of the Legend is the parks kiddie coaster, no adults, I didn't even ask...
Oh man!
They also have a small, but fun flume. I had no idea this was even in the park. I guess with the Roll-o,Rock-o,Spider, and Legend... I kinda overlooked it until I showed up at the park. oops.
With lack-of-sleep catching up to me and the fact I still had another 100 mile drive (and another state to get to).. I made my last lap around the park and headed out onto one of the several boat docks to get a few last photos (and to put my foot into Lake Okoboji. you know, for the credit)
A not so sketchy dock on Lake Okoboji, with its FREEZING cold water... Oh hey, and Arnold's Park.
Yeah, its time to leave now.......
So I headed back out on the road again in no-mans land Iowa driving towards Sioux Falls, South Dakota rocking the TRON:legacy OST as the fields roll past dotted with wind-turbines and a light rain in the area thinking to myself... This is just what I needed.. To get away.
I don't know how to explain it I guess, but in that moment it was lovely.
Annddd this big-ass-rest stop thing that marks your arrival to South Dakota... Yup, I've arrived.
In my travels I knew I'd end up here someday.. But I'm not sure why.. or when.. but if I could find excitement in such lovely places as West Virginia and Delaware, I believe South Dakota has a fighting chance..
Microtel, Hippo Approves just to get some sleep.. yeah, sleep, ZzZzz
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