05/14/2007 A Wild Jackalope and Crappy Storms

We began the drive east out of Rapid City early in the morning. We headed all the way across South Dakota on I-90, then I-29 south toward Omaha. The most exciting part of this trip was a stop at Pizza Ranch in Mitchell, SD, where we gorged on bad pizza, fried chicken, potato “wedges,” and soft serve ice cream. The best olfactory part of the lunch was sitting next to a group of old men who, according to Kelsey, smelled like hippos. Kelsey, who has a pet rabbit back in Mississippi, mounted a wild jackalope near the Pizza Ranch.

Two of the wild animals found at the Pizza Ranch in Mitchell, SD.

On I-29 north of Omaha, we intercepted severe warned storms that fired along the cold front, which was slowly sinking southward into a moderately unstable atmosphere. Despite warnings for large hail, these were questionable “storms” due to their lack of lightning and thunder. We met up with the group from (removed b/c of crybaby culture) at a gas station in Modale, IA. We eventually followed the convection eastward toward Harlan, IA, where we broke off the chase and headed toward the West Des Moines Sheraton.

"Storm" near Kimballton, IA.