Not Since August…my last post. I’m trying again.

Here I sit, a cold breeze to my back. I’m inside, window slightly cracked and it’s 45 degrees outside which is absolutely tropical weather for being in Sioux City, Iowa in November. 

I’ve left the Gulf Coast and am now in the triStates of Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. This is a small town of Sioux City is a major manufacturing town. Old brick buildings in the downtown once housed some sort of manufacturing products that have now moved to the outskirts leaving these  post war buildings as places for quaint shops and thrift stores. Two bridges connect Iowa to Nebraska and South Dakota. In a few minutes (less then 5 minutes) I can cross either bridge and be in a new tax code. 

The eastern side of South Dakota is an area of the state I wasn’t familiar with as most of my time in SD was spent on the western side of the state which gets more severe winter weather, has the rugged mountain range and Mount Rushmore (which is 6 hrs. From Sioux City). I seldom connect farming and industry with S.D. Until i visited this side of the state. 

I make this trip from the Gulf Coast to Iowa to visit my daughter and Granddaughter about every 6 months. I was here this summer in May/June and trekked on over to Mt. Rushmore and Rapid City with the granddaughter and one of her friends. 

1040 miles from home, I drive it straight through stopping for gas and bathroom breaks. 17 hrs. After departing, I stumble out of my car and walk stiffly into daughter’s abode.This trip was thankfully uneventful much unlike the summer trip where I totaled my Grand Marquis in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Each trip I make to Iowa, I take a different route searching for the ‘best’ path here and mostly in this day of Interstate fuss free driving, I still haven’t discovered the “fuss free” part. 

I start on I49. That’s about all I can say about I49 as it’s only about.   80 miles of interstate then it’s all about following a jagged, zigzag path  involving multiple twists and turns, traveling north, south, east and west. Why isn’t there an interstate to take me directly here?

I can get on I10 in Lafayette and stay on it all the way to San Diego (which is my favorite destination). So much to see and do in California which is seriously lacking in Iowa. 

I skim down the highways at 80mph and quickly pull back to 45mph then 35mph as I crept through the many small towns in my path. I’ve quickly learned never to take the “to Fayetteville Ark.” as part of my journey. Traveling through that mountain pass in the middle of the night, dark and deserted, left my imagination conjuring up a flat tire or engine trouble and one of the many serial killers happening upon me. I have an excellent imagination for horror scenes.

This last trip had no mountains in the way. Lafayette to McAllister, Ok. Then on to Sioux City is how I programmed my GPS. It was still on a highway not previously traveled. Where do I mess up? My next purchase will be a LARGE Atlas. I like paper to orient myself to where I’m at as the tiny screen on my Android phone just doesn’t do it for me.

I’m also the ‘fixer’. My first week in Iowa is spent organizing the daughter’s house. I go room by room and organize. During this time, I also repair any thing that needs it. The daughter works long hours and sometimes 9 days in a row at 12 hrs in her cookie making manufacturing job. It’s a sweet job (joke intended) but has forced overtime so when cookie demand is high the hours are long which leaves her little time for anything house related.

I’m at the end of my first week here. Most of the little chores have been done. One last task and the days will be all mine. Now if there was something to do here in this town, I would be all about it. If it wasn’t winter we could kayak down the Missouri River which runs through the middle of town. 

Short Trip in The Van. First time out…

We are off to New Roads, Louisiana..just a little day trip. The van has a big appetite….we will be visiting multiple gas stations any time we take her out.

Fidel built a nice little shelf that fits over the cooler which fits perfectly between the front seats. Our cell phones and iPads ride comfortably there and won’t slide off because of the lip he built around it. 

Through fields of newly planted crops, huge farm equipment traveling slowly on the highway. We crossed the Mississippi River and the Morganza Spillway. The road now meanders beside coolies and cypress trees rising from them; cypress knees scattered among the water and livestock in the fields.

A beautiful day for a short trip.The van is humming along. The powerful engine beneath the hood does not strain when we have to pass other vehicles. A six cylinder might be more conservative on gas but this 5.7 liter engine will have no problems tackling the Rocky Mountains should we ever make that trip.

Grain silos now appear among the plowed fields. Maybe rice?   A water tower proclaiming Point Coupee and the requisite Church for this small village or maybe just a spot beside the road as there is no facilities such as a post office or stores and a mile or two and we are in Morganza . Old houses, neglected and in disrepair line the road; Population 465 people and a post office. The levee spans this town. From the movie “Easy Rider” this is where Peter Fonda’s character was killed.There is a plaque here mentioning the event. 

New Roads, a river town sits beside False River. Beautiful homes line the riverbank with their own boat docks. Quaint shops beckon the tourists and the traffic moves slowly through this village. 

A quick lunch and we were headed back to Lafayette. The van got 15mph..that’s combine town and highway. We saw signs for gas at 4.00 per gallon. I may be using the van for a lawn ornament. On another note, the oilfield maybe picking up once again. Fidel, though retired, may go back to work. In that case, he can drive the van to his jobs and I’ll ride along. I could get a rental when we get where he is going. That’s a slim possibility as he enjoys NOT working and I understand that.