Midwest Crossing

We decided to leave Aberdeen on Monday (10/22), headed for Luray, VA, Friday evening. This will make for a less rushed trip than our original plan of leaving Aberdeen on Tuesday.

On Monday we covered 275 fairly easy miles -- all divided four-lane highways -- but didn't get out of SD; we spent the night in North Sioux City, just across the state line from Sioux City, IA. Our KOA guidebook said this RV park closed October 15, but we called and found they were still open for self-contained units. That is, the park's restrooms and showers were shut down for the winter, but the RV park was open for those who didn't need those facilities. The facility we needed most was cable or over-the-air major networks, in order to watch Dancing with the Stars, and that they had. Nice owner even had his son pick up a half-gallon of milk for us in town so we wouldn't have to unhook the PT.

Tuesday was Iowa. It was all interstates, all the time. I'm destroying my reputation as a backroads traveler. We took I-80 across the state, nodding in solemn appreciation of, but not stopping at, sites recognizing John Wayne, Bob Feller, Herbert Hoover, the Amana Colonies, and Madison County bridges. Next trip. Iowa has rest areas about every 30 miles and they have free wireless internet access. We used that service once.

The day's travel was 430 miles. Stopped for the night, just before dark, about 60 miles into Illinois at Knoxville, west of Peoria. We're taking I-74 which angles SE connecting I-80 to I-70.

Wednesday got us across Illinois and Indiana -- 440 miles. (Trivia: I was born in IL, Susie was born in IN. Home again!)

I'm always struck by Illinois's flatness -- I think it's fascinating and awe-inspiring. Miles and miles of farms -- stately houses, sturdy barns, years and years of family traditions. You read that corporate farms are taking over, but it looks like there are still a lot of family farms, continuing the important work that they've been doing since ground was first broken. Here are a couple of pictures:

At a rest stop in Illinois there was a photography exhibit by a local photographer, Larry Kanfer. Had some nice farm and barn pictures. Couple of days later I looked up his website and found these two among many fine pictures. The first one really conveys the feeling I was talking about.

Got off the interstate for a brief stretch in eastern Illinois, looking for a post office and a mom&pop cafe in a string of small towns. Nice towns, but none of those facilities were on the highway. I'm losing my touch. Back to I-74.

A little later in Indiana we found a country cafe. That is, a cafe out in the country, but too sleek to be a real country cafe. E.g., no HS sports pictures on the wall. Beef figured prominently in the restaurant's name and billboards advertized dinner rolls. You chose from about six meats and several sides, plus salad bar. Took care of the day's eating -- leftovers for 'supper.' Too big to be mom&pop, but it probably started that way.

Incidentally, for future reference, our book on Roadfood described a restaurant that I had planned on for dinner, before lunch wiped out the desire and before I realized the place wasn't open on Wednesday. It's Welliver's, in Hagerstown, IN, which is four miles north of exit 137 on I-70. Says the description: It's a buffet "with some six dozen different items from which to build a salad and more than 150 buffet choices ranging from great onion soup to an array of breads ...., to chilled steamed shrimp, pan-fried chicken, .... . The dessert selection is overwhelming: handsome Hoosier pies of every height, color, and substance, plus a very fine hand-dipped ice cream bar." Plan ahead. Just open Th-Sun for dinner.

Indiana is more wooded than Illinois and the fall colors are showing nicely. Sorry, no pix. Sky cloudy and cold north wind blowing.

Wednesday night we were in New Paris, Ohio, just past the Indiana state line. Got in just before dark and well in time for the first World Series game. I'm really glad we allowed five days for this trek to Luray, VA, rather than four. The days are getting short enough that we would have had to drive before sun-up or after sundown.


Thursday is a shorter day -- 260 miles to Washington, PA, where we will get together with Jay and Joyce Rush -- Joyce is Susie's sister-in-law.

More nice farmland in Ohio, becoming more forested in the eastern half of the state. As you approach West VA the rolling hills turn into ridges and hollers. Susie took some pictures as we rolled along. Here's one:

In eastern Ohio I spotted a patriotically painted barn -- statue of liberty and waving flag -- and a website where you could go and contract to have your barn decorated with art: http://www.barnartist.com/. The artist is Scott Hagan. Here are some examples:

J&J are full-time Habitat for Humanity volunteers, spending much of the year traveling in their fifth-wheel RV. Falls they hang around their farm near Washington and go to Penn State football games. They took us to dinner at the Old Red Barn (approximate name) -- which got me on a barn kick back at the computer. If I've overdone the barn thing, it's their fault. Here's an old Ohio barn from the web:

That's enough for now.

Cheers,

Rob and Susie