Day 36

Slept in a little bit because we were definitely really tired from the last couple of days. Then we finally got up got going and started heading down to Chicago. The drive wasn't bad and was a lot shorter than the last couple we had made. There was, however, a lot more traffic and road construction and we remembered why we don't like big city traffic. Finally made it into Chicago and checked into our hotel which is right off Michigan Ave also known as the Magnificent Mile. After we got settled in we went to dinner at a local pizza place (sorry can't spell or really say the name so not gonna try). We met some girls in the bar there from Ohio and big surprise they knew all about Hilton Head. Ended up talking to them until our table was ready then went and ate. After dinner we went out to a local bar called Pippens because Joseph looked it up before we left and found out they had a Golden Tee Live machine. We ended up playing 3-4 rounds of golf on it then just hung out for a while before we headed back to the hotel to call it a night.

Day 35

We were supposed to wake up and be ready to go at 9am but Joseph miscalculated when he set the alarm and set it for 9:30. Needless to say we weren't ready but it was alright because what we were supposed to do was entirely optional and Eric figured we wouldn't actually be awake to go anyway. We did however wake up a little later in time to go fishing. Eric picked us up and took us to lunch again along with one of the guys that went out with us the night before. After that we went and met up with the fishing guides and hit the river. We started out fishing for Musky which is known as the fish of 10,000 casts. We ended up catching a couple of them but not any that were really big. We did however cast so many times that our arms actually got sore. At 3 Eric our salesman had to go so the other guy from the night before came and took his place. After that we started fishing for Walleye which is a lot easier cause all you do is drop the line to the bottom and wait. We caught a bunch of Walleye but only 3 that were of legal size. We then went to a local bar/restaurant on the river and took a little break and got some snacks. After that we went back out on the river to try for some more Walleye and Musky. Joseph ended up catching a 20" small mouth bass which is apparently a really big bass. That was about it though so we ended up going in at about 9 pm and heading back to the bar/restaurant for dinner. For dinner we ate our freshly caught fish and a few sides similar to what we do down in Hilton Head. Once we were done there we went back to one of the bars from the night before that is actually named The Bar and once again hung out there till closing.

Day 34

Well this day we went to the Greenheck factory for the whole day. And I mean the whole day. Left the hotel at 7:30 and left Greenheck for dinner at 6. We started with a little presentation that told us about the company, its products, its history, and its size. The most interesting thing about the makeup of the company is that it is entirely owned by the employees. They all get stock options when they are employed there but are required to sell out when they retire. After the presentation we went on a tour of the main plant. This was very interesting because of all the machines that we got to watch actually make the pieces for assembly. The most interesting were the fully automated punches and laser cutters. They also had an automated spinning machine that spun the metal, shaped it, and finally cut it to the correct size. After that we went to a product showroom and saw all the things we had just watched them make. We then took a break for lunch and ate with Eric and a few other Greenheck people. Then we started with the industrial stuff and basically did the exact same thing again but with different products and larger machines in the factory. After all that we still weren't done and joined in with another group and went back to the product showroom to learn about louvers, dampers, and modular air handlers. Everything we went over and learned about was very interesting and impressive, but at this point we were glad it was over so we could get off our feet. We then went to dinner with Eric at a local steak place that also brewed their own beer. We then went back to the hotel and took a short break and changed before going out to the local bars with a couple of the younger guys from Greenheck. We ended up going to 4 different bars and seeing a lot of the locals. Joseph and I had a really good time while remaining controlled, but one of the guys that went with us could barely stand at the end of the night. We ended up closing down the last bar at 2am before we went back to the hotel and went to bed.

Day 33

Today we drove to Wisconsin, hadn't had an exhilarating drive like that since west Texas. Tomorrow we spend the day with one of our big suppliers Greenheck, so business all day tomorrow and in typical business style we begin at 7:30am, the guy said he'd give us a break and let us sleep in the next day... yeah... all the way till 9am! Guess I'll finally get some sleep when I get home.

Day 32

Drove pretty much accross the entire state of South Dakota, which is as exciting as it always is. Our views of corn were only obstructed by the seemingly constant road construction, guess they have to do it while the weather is warm. For those who have never seen it, stop in Mitchell and see the Corn Palace Casino. They change the look of the exterior every year by changing the design made by corn... hence the name. Almost stopped off and saw the people we hunt with out here but decided against it after wasting time with my credit card hunt after lunch. Really if you've never been before you should take the back roads from Rapid City to Mitchell, you see alot prettier country that way as well as seeing all of the VERY small towns such as "Gregory, the ground zero of Pheasantdom." That is where we hunt every year for those who don't know. Tomorrow, on to Wisconsin.

Day 31

Spent the day in Keystone which is the town closest to Mt. Rushmore. Of course went and saw Rushmore which is impressive in person, really not alot to do there other than to go see it. Keystone is a neat mountain town, but like most towns in South Dakota not a whole lot to do. We of course found the only two bars in town! The restaraunt we ate at had an interesting setup, to get a cocktail you have to order from a seperate waitress which gets drinks from the bar next door. The restaraunt and bar are under seperate management so you have to pay seperately. This invaribly led to me leaving my card there which I discovered at lunch on the way to Sioux Falls, luckily we were only 20 min out so we went back and got it.

We reccomend staying at Sturgis, the home of a HUGE motorcycle rally in August, and driving the hour to Rushmore to visit then drive back. Would deffinately be worth the drive to see Rushmore.

Day 30

Drove to Mt. Rushmore, which is in South Dakota in the Black Hills area despite where more than a few others have thought it was. Arkansas being the worst guess to date.

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