Road Trip from Fort Collins to Lincoln to Rochester

We need to be back to the Quad Cities by Saturday, March 19, for the wedding of our friends Mike and Anna. But, we decided to squeeze in a trip to see my sister on our way there. She very recently moved to Rochester, Minnesota, which is not exactly on the way to the Quad Cities, but it's close enough for our purposes. 

The drive straight to Rochester from Fort Collins is 12.5 hrs, so we're thankful to have family in Lincoln, Nebraska to help break up the drive. On Wednesday afternoon we drove the 7 hrs from Fort Collins to Lincoln where we stayed overnight. We were able to briefly catch up with Blake on Wednesday night and Barbie on Thursday morning. We didn't get to see our nephews at all, so we'll be happy to be back in June to spend more time with them. 

The 6 hour drive from Lincoln to Rochester went smoothly other than some annoyingly high winds on I-35. We made good time and we had some adventures on the way. We reached Carolyn's place before she returned from work, so we drove around Rochester to see what her new place of residence had to offer. In addition to Mayo Clinic, we were pleased to see a good selection of stores, a variety of parks, and an extensive looking river trail. 

What I call "the bridge of torture" over I-80 in Iowa

Doesn't it look menacing and ominous? It is supposed to be "...symbolic of man, machine and transformation -- a modern relic representative of an area with rich agricultural history." Others agree with MY interpretation. Read this news article if you want a good laugh! 

Brandon googled a local burrito place in Des Moines, Iowa called Bandit Burrito. It was the perfect stop for lunch.  

Welcome to Minnesota