Sept 26th - 28th Chicago to Kadoka

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Passed the 15000 mile mark today. It was a terrible day, weatherwise! We were in a very large weather pattern that circled over us all day. Very strong winds blew heavy rain in Steve's side most of the morning; and then we had some sun. In the late afternoon the rain started again and the wind blew it in on my side. I guess it's good that we shared! When the trees were near the highway, we had to dodge small branches on the road. The leaves were blowing everywhere. The farms here are larger, huge fields of mostly corn, but also a lot of soybeans. Instead of forests there are smaller clumps of trees, and great vistas from the tops of the hills. We drove though the historic town of Galena just before crossing the Mississippi into Iowa.



Galena Illinois est. 1826

We are spending the night in Waterloo, Iowa.



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Wind Farm

 The sky was dark and cloudy when we left Waterloo, so we left the top up. There was a cold wind blowing in my side most of the day, and then the afternoon got nice and sunny and quite warm. Steve did not enjoy the driving; the highway seams were bumpy, construction zones brought it down to 2-way traffic with big trucks passing too close or pushing from behind, and dodging holes. Then we got lost on a detour that was badly marked and without the GPS had no way of finding our way back. We ended up going into Nebraska by mistake at Sioux City, where Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota meet. So within 15 minutes we were in 3 states.

Steve was also bored with the scenery, but I thought it quite picturesque, as I was able to look around and see the details. The farms are immense, mostly corn but also soybeans. We couldn't figure out why the crops were all dried out and dead looking. When we stopped for lunch in a tiny town with one coffee shop it was filled with farmers talking about their crops and tractors and such. So I went to one of the tables and asked them why all the crops were dead. They explained that the corn is used to produce ethanol and has to be dry. They said they don't grow food quality corn here. Producing ethanol does not destroy the protein in the corn so it can still be used to feed cattle. The soybeans are used to produce food oil.

We had some time to ponder what we have learned on this epic journey. Of course there is all the geography, geology, history, anthropology, biology, zoology, botany and all the other "ologies". All that will take a while to sink in. We have learned to do a blog, though we still fight with the layout. We've honed our navigation skills, with and without a GPS. We've learned how to make a very few clothes last till the next laundromat. Though wearing my underwear more than one day is a skill I'd like to  live without. We've learned how to pack and unpack more efficiently, how to fix things that don't work in motel rooms, and how to make ourselves more comfortable in less than ideal conditions. Now all this might sound like not much fun, but it is satisfying to use your adaptability and common sense to make things into an adventure rather than a negative experience. 

  Today-Wednesday was a much better day! We woke up in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to a beautiful sunny day, glad that we had taken the top down the night before. Our first stop was Sioux Falls Park right in the city. The falls are a spectacular sight to see! It is not just one waterfall, but a whole series of steps and falls over a large area of the Sioux River. A 7 storey flour mill was built on the river bank in 1879 and some of the ruins are still there as well as the pump house right at the edge of the falls. The water level has obviosly dropped as you can walk out on the water worn rocks to almost the middle of the river.

After a quick stop at AAA for some more detailed maps we left Sioux City- next stop the Mitchell Corn Palace. What an amazing place! It is a large building where they have concerts and basketball games. The outside is decorated each year with different murals all done with corn cobs, cut in half and nailed to the building. Inside the gymnasium is also decorated all around the walls. 

So here we are in South Dakota heading for Kadoka, we live on Kadota and our cat is named Dakota!



Missouri River



The scenery is much the same as yesterday, corn, soybeans, and hay. At least the hills are a little bit rolling. We crossed the Missouri River and the crops changed a bit to red corn and sunflowers, as well as cattle and a lot of hayfields.

Richard and Linde were waiting for us here in Kadoka, South Dakota and we are off to see Rushmore and the Bad Lands tomorrow.