Our Grand Adventure
For two years now Tom and I have been planning a great summer trip to the Northwestern United States, but each year there has been a stumbling block. This is our year and we have begun!
June 7 became our take-off day. Originally we wanted to start earlier but due to my early September birthday and the fact that all of our vehicle’s licenses renew on that day and my driver’s license also had to be renew by that date…we had to wait until 90 days before my birthday. So June 7th was the day.
We managed an early start despite the usual last-minute hassles with the dogs and hooking up the truck to Molly. By 9 AM we were on the road, straight north on Ohio 8 then west onto the Ohio Turnpike, that becomes the Indiana Turnpike, that becomes the Illinois Turnpike. We have made the trip across Ohio and Indiana so many times that we know it by heart but the mess around Chicago is always a challenge especially with a 39’ motorhome towing a small pickup. We had spent the night in a Cracker Barrel parking lot in Hammond IN, so we were ready to challenge the traffic by 6:30 AM. Between the GPS and Tom watching the traffic and me watching signs with made it through without a hitch.
Once past Chicago we were in a part of Illinois neither of us has visited. The land flattened out and the farms became larger and larger with huge corn fields stretching in all directions. In the distance were clusters of trees usually indicating a farmhouse, barn, and outbuildings. It reminded me of southern Ohio along I75 towards Cincy. As we near the Mississippi the land began to form rolling hills still covered primarily with corn fields and a few feed lots and dairy farms. About mid-day we crossed the Mighty Mississippi, this always is exciting for me. Crossing the great river and entering a new state. Eastern Iowa continued the rolling hills and fields of corn. We noticed strips of grass or shrubs in many of the fields. We surmised they are to prevent runoff in heavy rain. By 4 o'clock Tom was tired and the girls were ready for a long walk so we parked Molly for the night in the Clive, IA Cracker Barrel parking lot.
Tomorrow will put us in Lexington NE.
June 8th, 2016