After getting gas this morning we drove south-southeast, first on a two lane road then a four lane road then finally on interstate to the St Paul/ Minneapolis metropolitan area. Wow – what a huge city with cars, highways, and buildings everywhere! We have very much enjoyed driving back roads and traveling through small towns! This is the largest city and metropolitan area we have passed through since we touched the Pacific Ocean in San Francisco, CA.
We stopped at the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN where we spent a couple of hours wandering around the many levels of retails stores there. We also walked through the Nickelodeon Universe – an indoor amusement park in the center of the mall. Though we are predominantly outdoor people we couldn’t resist visiting the largest shopping mall in the country. While there we learned about Fourth of July Celebrations & Fireworks in the area. We decided to go to an eastern suburb, Woodbury, MN, for the evening. On our way there we stopped and enjoyed salads at McDonalds for dinner. For three hours prior to the fireworks there was a 17 piece Rock Swing Band that entertained us. We got there early and had a great spot where we could actually sit in our van and enjoy the concert and then watch the amazing fireworks display. We reminisced about the Fourth of July Celebration we enjoyed last year in the tiny town of Diller, NE as we walked across this great country. There we had watched a tractor pull prior to the fireworks. There was a huge difference between the two years but both celebrations were very enjoyable. Whether in the country or the city everyone seems to enjoy the Fourth of July Celebration.
We then drove to the Walmart in Woodbury, MN to park the van for the night.
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