Honeymoon-day 3- July 27, 2023

We packed up camp after an amazing night’s sleep at Great River Bluffs State Park, near Winona, Minnesota. On our way out, we witnessed an incredible sunrise and hit the road. In total we traveled around 567 miles across the country without counting detours. Gaining hours as we traveled, it was a long day!

We stopped for a roadside lunch and stretch for a quick hike at Blue Mounds State Park in Minnesota. We broke into our new two-burner propane stove by heating leftover Chinese food for a picnic.

Before getting back on the road, we noticed the most adorable tiny chapel, Blue Mounds Wayside Chapel. We decided it was the perfect spot to exchange our first wedding vow.

Our wedding vows: really an idea I got from my brother, Jamin. He had stated that while he and his wife, Michelle, exchanged vows at their wedding in front of everyone, their real vows were in private. Chris and I loved that and decided that our vows could be anywhere on our road trip. We worked to write 4 individual vows and plan to exchange them at four unique locations on our trip. These can be anywhere the mood strikes us. As it happens, we exchanged 2 yesterday!

We then headed westward toward Badlands National Park, South Dakota. As we entered the park, the skies darkened and the wind became treacherous. We had planned to camp in the park but it quickly became apparent that would be difficult. So we enjoyed the few hours of daylight exploring the Badlands until sunset. We then found one of the existing hotels with availability in the area.

We exchanged one more vow atop one of the formations as the sun turned our faces golden. Taking in the awe-inspiring beauty of nature, and feeling on top of the world, all while vowing to support and love each other made for a moment we won’t soon forget.

We enjoyed various people congratulating us as we drove throughout the park, seeing our “Just Married” sign on the back of our vehicle.

We watched the sunset at the Pinnacles overlook before enjoying hot showers and an incredibly comfy bed for the night in Wall, South Dakota.