Once we left Georgia, we came back up to Missouri to pick up Mule (our trailer) and head up north. Our next home base is in Northern Wisconsin. Our route took us through the state of Iowa. What did we see? Well, we saw Des Moines, which was quite clean and free of graffiti for a big city, and we saw farms…lots and lots of farms; both agricultural and wind. Which we are grateful for since they feed the rest of the country food and help with alternative energy production.
When leaving Iowa, we had the choice of going straight into Wisconsin or detouring through Minnesota. Both ways took about the same time. So, we opted to take the route through Minnesota since we would be staying in Wisconsin.
We pushed and made it all the way to Bloomington, Minnesota. Any idea what is in Bloomington, Minnesota? The largest mall in the United States – The Mall of America. We grabbed a room for the night that was right down the road. We were not aware that it was also in the flight path of the airport. As we walked up to the hotel, we were worried. I do not know what they did to the roof, walls and windows, but we did not hear a single plane.
We got our room and settled in. We ordered some food to be delivered, ate and turned in for the evening. The next morning we wanted to check out the Mall of America. But, we did not want to try to navigate parking with Ebony and the Mule. As luck would have it, the hotel had a free shuttle to the Mall of America. So, we took it and left everything else in the room.
Something we found out the night before is that the Mall of America opens early and allows people to walk through it. Because the loop around the interior is almost a mile long, people come and use it for exercise. We had no interest in shopping, so going before the stores opened was fine for us. And, let me tell you, if you just want to check it out without shopping and the crowds, first thing in the morning is what you want to do. There were more workers cleaning and doing maintenance than people. It was like having the place to ourselves.
This place is gigantic. Did you know that it is so big and has so much electricity and lighting that they have no heater? Sometimes they have to turn the air conditioning on when it is cold outside because it is too hot inside. Isn’t that crazy? And, in the center of the mall is an amusement park and miniature golf course! You read that right…an amusement park with roller coasters and everything as well as a miniature golf course.
Amusement Park
Miniature Golf Course
The Mall of America is three stories high, has hundreds of stores, fountains throughout and a food court three times the size of a regular mall. We saw the common stores you would find in most malls as well as tons of specialty stores.
Three Story Interior With Natural Lighting
Food Court
When we were finished, we called the hotel and they sent a shuttle back for us. While we were waiting for it outside, we noticed the covered benches had electric heaters above them. We hit the button and it was instant warmth outside in the cold. The driver was there quickly and in no time we were back to the hotel, grabbed our gear, loaded up and were Wisconsin bound! I would not shop at the Mall of America because I would not want to fight the crowds. But, it sure was a sight to see. If you roll through Bloomington, it is worth a stroll. Just don’t go on a holiday. Safe Travels!
