Having been considering mileages in yesterday’s blog, today confused the issue and suddenly we are on track again having driven 416 miles not using Interstates.
We had a great day off the interstates. We encountered no traffic jams and the smaller roads being in a grid even out in the stick, tend to go directly West. Thinking back, we spent a lot of time in jams on the Interstates when near cities. We have been struck by the fact that so many “towns” we have never even heard of are actually large cities. Again, our UK heads find it difficult to interpret the real scale of the maps.
On the open highways as we move West, though limited to 55, we are able to maintain speed for long periods. The small towns are more spread now but as you approach its down to 45, 35 and then 25 in town centre.
Today we left the Interstates and headed off down the Mississippi valley southward from Davenport following a Grand River Scenic route. We drifted down the west side of the valley which is a wide fertile flood plain full of small hamlets. A few miles down we stopped at one of the riverside parks and paddled in the river before continuing. Navigation is difficult, with a whole state on the double page of the Rand McNally atlas, interpreting turns is not easy. The smaller roads do not tend to have signage for other towns so you sometimes go past and then have to backtrack to confirm a turn.
We were enjoying the tour which went through small towns then sudden blot on the landscape industrial complexes then open farmland. The Mississippi is wide and navigable for large barges and it is clearly used to shift freight as well as for leisure.
As we drifted south we suddenly ended up on an unmetalled road and for miles created the classic film dust cloud behind us. I am now very happy with the Jeep, I don’t have to think about rough bits of road as the 20” wheels just ride it.
We are faced with a Road Closed Ahead sign and suspect it is just an old one not removed and carry on. Shortly afterwards there are huge earth banks built across the route through which a gap has been bull dozed for the road. We begin to see why; the fields which should be full of corn almost ready for harvesting are dead and lifeless. Irrigation frames stand like memorials to something dead. As we carry on, all houses have a pile of wrecked furniture outside and then as we get closer to the Ohio river itself around the town of Oakville, houses are shifted on their foundations, others are half gone and gaping holes appear at the edge of the road. The human impact of the Mississippi floods is all too clear to see. We took some photos which we felt a little guilty about but it is in no way schadenfreude but a feeling of need to record and acknowledge this. I feel for the farming community which must die as they will never recover from the debts incurred.
We continue for a while through more damaged areas, several side roads have clearly current Road Closed signs and eventually ahead of us is a mass of orange barriers. We acknowledge that this is the end of Grand River road for us and retrace our steps about 50 miles back to a bridge over the Ohio river. We abandon our intention to go south the Burlington and hit highway 92 directly West.
Once clear of the Mississippi and Ohio River valley, we are into rolling farmland. This is clearly heart of old time America, small
towns with a disproportionate number of churches. Obvious communities, it occurs that if you were out of the circle around here your life could be a misery.
Mile after mile of Sweet Corn continues for the rest of the day (as well as that other crop we still haven’t identified), a small plane suddenly appears swerving around low as if the pilot is still sorting out his seat belt with one hand having taken off using the other, a mile to the south a by-plane swoops over the crops. Another small plane a bit closer you can see the crop spraying gear. (All this reminded us of an overheard conversation in an Interstate layby a couple of days ago. Middle aged women in brand new jeep, “ I have my own plane and I could have flown down to Albany in an hour and a half but they said they’d no way to pay me mileage so I’d have to do the 7 hour drive.”.)
It’s now gone 2 in the afternoon and we pass the Four Corners restaurant at a major junction and accept we must eat. It was great, family owned and busy with local as well as passing traffic we had an excellent if not a little filling dinner and took away 2 portions of pie for later. Lynne had onion rings as a side – a full plate of big onion rings!
Making good time on these roads, we reached Des Moins where we had considered stopping (260 miles) but as it was only 5:30 decided to crash on and after using I80 for a little while cut off north to follow an Americas Scenic Byways route. Des Moins followed the rule – all towns are huge cities.
We complete the next 120 miles or so, charging through beautiful rolling lands. Still green though hot, no irrigation systems so it must rain. This is more hilly than we have seen but we are into the straight roads that go forever land and with them pointing directly the way we want to go we make excellent progress.
Approaching Omaha we have to drop South and we were further North than we appreciated – map scales again! We eventually arrive in Council Bluffs on the SE of Omaha where there are many lodges but are informed that there are concerts on and EVERYWHERE is full (It was emphasised).
It’s now going dark, I am shattered after 400 miles drive and we need to find somewhere else. Mabel came in useful here because with the maps difficult to read in daylight, they are impossible in poor light. The illuminated screen meant that I could navigate around to get back to a hotel we saw from the I80 on the West of Omaha.
Subway Vegi-Delight we had bought late afternoon and our fruit pie for tea in room – 21:40.
· Thanks for the comments. It assures we its worth the effort of writing this :o)
We had a great day off the interstates. We encountered no traffic jams and the smaller roads being in a grid even out in the stick, tend to go directly West. Thinking back, we spent a lot of time in jams on the Interstates when near cities. We have been struck by the fact that so many “towns” we have never even heard of are actually large cities. Again, our UK heads find it difficult to interpret the real scale of the maps.
On the open highways as we move West, though limited to 55, we are able to maintain speed for long periods. The small towns are more spread now but as you approach its down to 45, 35 and then 25 in town centre.
Today we left the Interstates and headed off down the Mississippi valley southward from Davenport following a Grand River Scenic route. We drifted down the west side of the valley which is a wide fertile flood plain full of small hamlets. A few miles down we stopped at one of the riverside parks and paddled in the river before continuing. Navigation is difficult, with a whole state on the double page of the Rand McNally atlas, interpreting turns is not easy. The smaller roads do not tend to have signage for other towns so you sometimes go past and then have to backtrack to confirm a turn.
We were enjoying the tour which went through small towns then sudden blot on the landscape industrial complexes then open farmland. The Mississippi is wide and navigable for large barges and it is clearly used to shift freight as well as for leisure.
As we drifted south we suddenly ended up on an unmetalled road and for miles created the classic film dust cloud behind us. I am now very happy with the Jeep, I don’t have to think about rough bits of road as the 20” wheels just ride it.
We are faced with a Road Closed Ahead sign and suspect it is just an old one not removed and carry on. Shortly afterwards there are huge earth banks built across the route through which a gap has been bull dozed for the road. We begin to see why; the fields which should be full of corn almost ready for harvesting are dead and lifeless. Irrigation frames stand like memorials to something dead. As we carry on, all houses have a pile of wrecked furniture outside and then as we get closer to the Ohio river itself around the town of Oakville, houses are shifted on their foundations, others are half gone and gaping holes appear at the edge of the road. The human impact of the Mississippi floods is all too clear to see. We took some photos which we felt a little guilty about but it is in no way schadenfreude but a feeling of need to record and acknowledge this. I feel for the farming community which must die as they will never recover from the debts incurred.
We continue for a while through more damaged areas, several side roads have clearly current Road Closed signs and eventually ahead of us is a mass of orange barriers. We acknowledge that this is the end of Grand River road for us and retrace our steps about 50 miles back to a bridge over the Ohio river. We abandon our intention to go south the Burlington and hit highway 92 directly West.
Once clear of the Mississippi and Ohio River valley, we are into rolling farmland. This is clearly heart of old time America, small
towns with a disproportionate number of churches. Obvious communities, it occurs that if you were out of the circle around here your life could be a misery.Mile after mile of Sweet Corn continues for the rest of the day (as well as that other crop we still haven’t identified), a small plane suddenly appears swerving around low as if the pilot is still sorting out his seat belt with one hand having taken off using the other, a mile to the south a by-plane swoops over the crops. Another small plane a bit closer you can see the crop spraying gear. (All this reminded us of an overheard conversation in an Interstate layby a couple of days ago. Middle aged women in brand new jeep, “ I have my own plane and I could have flown down to Albany in an hour and a half but they said they’d no way to pay me mileage so I’d have to do the 7 hour drive.”.)
It’s now gone 2 in the afternoon and we pass the Four Corners restaurant at a major junction and accept we must eat. It was great, family owned and busy with local as well as passing traffic we had an excellent if not a little filling dinner and took away 2 portions of pie for later. Lynne had onion rings as a side – a full plate of big onion rings!
Making good time on these roads, we reached Des Moins where we had considered stopping (260 miles) but as it was only 5:30 decided to crash on and after using I80 for a little while cut off north to follow an Americas Scenic Byways route. Des Moins followed the rule – all towns are huge cities.
We complete the next 120 miles or so, charging through beautiful rolling lands. Still green though hot, no irrigation systems so it must rain. This is more hilly than we have seen but we are into the straight roads that go forever land and with them pointing directly the way we want to go we make excellent progress.
Approaching Omaha we have to drop South and we were further North than we appreciated – map scales again! We eventually arrive in Council Bluffs on the SE of Omaha where there are many lodges but are informed that there are concerts on and EVERYWHERE is full (It was emphasised).
It’s now going dark, I am shattered after 400 miles drive and we need to find somewhere else. Mabel came in useful here because with the maps difficult to read in daylight, they are impossible in poor light. The illuminated screen meant that I could navigate around to get back to a hotel we saw from the I80 on the West of Omaha.
Subway Vegi-Delight we had bought late afternoon and our fruit pie for tea in room – 21:40.
· Thanks for the comments. It assures we its worth the effort of writing this :o)
Statistics: Miles today: 416 miles; Miles so far: 1,739; Fuel added so far: 85 gals; States: Iowa, Nebraska; Time Zone: Central (UK-6)
1 comment:
That fruit pie probably rated amongst the best things you'd ever bought at that point!
Don't feel bad about the Mississippi (I don't know how to spell that so I just put in double of everything), I've never heard of it and shall Wikipedia it now, so you've spread the word and done some good.
sf x
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