What can we say? This was our biggest voter turnout yet, and we are thrilled to be wrapping up the main United States portion of our trip with such a wonderfully big bang! Never have we been so broken hearted to skip through a state, and we are very sorry to the great people of North Dakota who gave a really commendable effort and actually held a massive lead for a really long time. That said, we would like to congratulate the South Dakota voters, because clearly you had what it took to win this one, and we are so excited to meet you and the state you fought so hard for!

If you are new to how things work here at alexandluke.com, once a state wins a directional vote we then ask for your suggestions to help guide us around that state. We have received plenty of suggestions already, and will work hard at trying to get to as many as we can, especially ones that come up again and again, or anything that strikes us as especially remarkable or quintessential to the culture of that particular place. So keep the suggestions coming!*

*Note – we love fresh food, and would love nothing more than to hear your suggestions for establishments that might offer us a break from the usual fried-up roadside fare. If you can offer such a suggestion, we will praise your kindness, good looks, and stunning intelligence amongst ourselves in the car on the entire length of the drive up to Canada – thats a promise.

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Our days in Iowa have come to an end – it is time to move on, which means it is also time for you to vote again! It is sure to be an epic battle as the Dakotas are pit up against each other to win the title of the final state we really explore before heading back over the border into Canada.

Since Minnesota lost the last vote, we vowed to spend all of our touring efforts in Iowa, but because you pushed us to the east side of Iowa and after some careful map studying, it has become apparent that we will need to spend one night in or near Minneapolis before heading west to the Dakotas. As a result, this vote will be active until we reach Minneapolis tomorrow (Monday October 4), which is about a 5 or 6 hour drive from where we are now. True to how you voted, we will not spend any time exploring Minnesota, though maybe we will be able to report on the state of things in Minnesota from the views offered on the highways… who knows.

Whats important right now is which Dakota you want us to explore and document! So what will it be… South “Great Faces, Great Places” Dakota OR North “Legendary” Dakota?

Vote Now!
[poll id="50"]

Let people know how you voted on Twitter and we will send warm fuzzy feelings your way!

Click #NorthDakota to let people know you voted for North Dakota on Twitter.
Click #SouthDakota to let people know you voted for South Dakota on Twitter.

This poll will close as soon as we get to Minneapolis Minnesota. Depending on the vote, will drive toward South Dakota and start exploring, or we will drive toward South Dakota and then shoot north and into North Dakota where we will start exploring.

This will be happening sometime Monday October 4th 2010

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We thought we would be driving to Minnesota for sure when we started on our drive to Des Moines this morning, but low and behold the Iowa voters staged a massive comeback on the last stretch of highway and it looks like we are staying put!

Thanks for voting everyone! If you have Iowa suggestions or things you would like us to report back on in this mighty state, let us know!

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So this brings us to Round One of The Final States Showdown! This round is Iowa vs Minnesota and (pay extra attention here) the loser will merely be driven through, while the winner will have our full, undivided attention for a number of days. I know that sounds harsh, but time is ticking, and we have to keep our pace up on the home stretch of the last six states so that we can get ourselves back to Canada before we are in danger of getting in trouble with customs, AND so that we can find ourselves way up in the Canadian territories and back again before they completely freeze over.

So what will it be? A few days in Iowa, or a few days in Minnesota??? Do you want us to visit the Mall of America (Minnesota), or the birthplace of Ashton Kutcher (Iowa)? As always, its up to you!

Vote Now!!!
[poll id="49"]

Let people know how you voted on Twitter and we will think such lovely thoughts about you!

Click #Minnesota to let people know you voted for Minnesota on Twitter.
Click #Iowa to let people know you voted for Iowa on Twitter.

This poll will close as soon as we get to Des Moines in Iowa. Depending on the vote, we will stop and find a place to stay, or keep on driving until we reach Minnesota.

This will be happening sometime Wednesday September 29th 2010

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Feel free to start sending the Nebraska suggestions our way! Keep in mind that we will be approaching from the very North West end of the state, and likely ending up in Omaha, which is way at the other end. How we get there will depend on the suggestions that push and pull us in various directions over the next couple of days.

Thanks for voting!
A&L

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Its VOTING time again! Today we woke up in Casper Wyoming, where we will be having some lunch, looking around a bit, and then driving east to Lusk Wyoming because its the last town in Wyoming before making the decision drive NE to South Dakota or SE to Nebraska. This is where YOU come in!

As per usual, our next direction is completely up to you.  Take a look at our Map of Progress, decide what route you think we should take to finish up the last few states, and consider the following events going on in each state this weekend before you cast your vote!

South Dakota has the Edgemont Fall Festival AND The Buffalo Roundup Arts Festival and Chili Cook-off.

Nebraska has the River City Roundup/Douglas County Fair AND Nebraska’s Junk Jaunt (300 miles of yard sale).

Of course, we will also be taking any suggestions you may offer us as soon as we enter whatever state you vote us to… so without any more delay – its time to vote!

[poll id="48"]

Let people know how you voted on Twitter and you will be our BFF.

Click #South Dakota to let people know you voted for South Dakota on Twitter.
Click #Nebraska to let people know you voted for Nebraska on Twitter.

This poll will close as soon as we find somewhere in Lusk Wyoming to sit down with our laptop.

This will be happening sometime TODAY Saturday September 25th 2010

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