Day 7 - More Corn

Day 7
Cedar Falls, IA - Valentine, NE
9.5 hours of corn, soybeans & cows

Fun Facts:
* Rick and Terry Kottman are great hosts!  I recommend that everyone visit at least once in their lifetime.
* The size of one's ankles seems to run in direct proportion to the number of hours driven x temperature squared
* The USA grows crazy amounts of corn and soybeans
* Dairy Queen has a new mini size blizzard
* The midwest is just as barren as you've heard and there's more corn than you can imagine
* The Missouri River is flooded, don't plan on taking Route 29 as a scenic birding route
* It is impossible to keep a windshield bug free in Nebraska
* Try having your headlights on after dark if you don't want to get pulled over by the Valentine, NE police department
*  Heat index yesterday - 115 degrees
*  Heat index today - 106
* I know now that there must be air conditioning in heaven

Not fun facts:
* I witnessed my first cattle feed lot today.  It smelled like raw sewage with cows packed in like sardines, no room to move, no grass to eat and no shelter on a day that was 106 degrees.  Please eat meat responsibly...know where your meat comes from.
* A bird hit my windshield
* I got a sad animal chicken sandwich today when I ordered a Filet-O-Fish at McDonald's

The Mighty Mississippi & Yoga

Day 6
Brimfield, IL - Cedar Falls, IA
5ish hours with detours

Woke up in Jubilee Camp State Park thankful the raccoons from the night before didn't carry me off.  I was convinced on several occasions that the car was moving ever so slightly...but it may have just been the torrents of sweat pouring off me and dripping down to the floorboards of the car causing the shaking.  :-)  After a brief detour to the birthplace of Carl Sandburg it was off to the Mississippi.  Dipped my toes in while dodging a barking dog and no trespassing signs.  Apparently the people of Iowa want the riverbank all to themselves.  Arrived at Terry & Rick's place.  Ahh.  An oasis.  Throw in some restorative yoga, an ice cream cone and fabulous conversations and you can call it a day.  I wonder how many cornfields I'll see tomorrow?  Feel free to take guesses and I'll have some fun prize for whoever comes closest.  :-)  Next destination...Mount Rushmore.

The day with a Segway

Day 5

Cincinnati, OH - Brimfield, IL

6 hours travel time + 1 hour on a Segway

2 swollen ankles from too much driving

4 states passed through today

100 corn fields per state passed through

21 public bathroom used since start of trip

1,000+ miles driven

5 raccoons spotted near the dumpster

2 deer crossed my path as I drove to tent site

Location Information

Eureka, IL  The college home of Ronald Reagan

Kickapoo Creek, IL - no swimming allowed

Farmer City, IL - wins award for most oxymoronic city passed

Learned that the ship that delivered the bombs to be dropped on Japan was hit and sunk by two torpedos on its journey home.  800 of the 1,192 men made it off the vessel.  Because it was a secret mission, it took 5 days for help to arrive.  Only 300 men made it to safety.  (Or so my Segway guide said.)  She also said a wildflower garden looked like weeds to her, so I don't give too much credence to her information.

Learned that salad can be a finger food.

Odd sightings

Sign in campground bathroom:  In case of emergency use phone at gas station 4 miles away.

A crop duster buzzing cars on the highway

A black leather whip in the middle of an off ramp

A hand sticking out of the canal I visited that I thought was fake, and now, that I've looked at the photo more closely, am not sure

Today's highlight:  Viewing hundreds of fireflies lighting up over a field at dusk.

Day w/Ducklings

Day 4
Barkcamp National Park, OH - Columbus, OH - Cincinnati, OH
Travel Time: 4 hrs.

This morning I awoke to the sweet sound of barking dogs and a neighboring camper throwing up in the woods near my car.  This should have been foreshadowing for the outcome of the World Cup Game that ensued.  Great company...sad ending.  Two new friends, topiary, baby ducks, grilled tuna, a bed and a shower in the morning that less than 2,000 other people have showered in.  :-)  Overall, a plus.

Wright On!

Day 3 - Ohiopyle, PA to Benton, OH  - 2.5 hrs

Number of Frank Lloyd Wright homes visited today:  2 (Kentuck Knob & Fallingwater)

Miles from Ohiopyle State Park campground to the first house, Kentuck Knob: 2

Number of states I've been in today:  3 (Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio)

Campgrounds I tried to check into today:  2 (The first one looked like the Hotel California campground.  The doors to the office were chained shut with a note about calling for after hours check in...no, thanks.)

Chipmunks spotted: 2

Other wildlife:  birds and a raccoon...also, I can hear bats while I'm typing this

Today's Highlight:  Seeing two robins, in a nest attached to Fallingwater, feeding each other

Tomorrow I'll be visiting Anne, a friend from high school, in Columbus, OH to watch the Women's World Cup!  

Another Day...Another Goat

Day 2 - aka National Tapioca Pudding Day
Ithaca, NY to Ohiopyle, PA
Travel Time:  about 6.5 hours
Lowest Gas Price of the Day:  $3.59
Number of Bridges I Crossed:  Too many...see below.
What I Learned:  New York and Pennsylvania are full of mountains.  I think I went through the Adirondacks and the Allegenhys today.  
Most Unexpected Event:  Somerfest...complete with parade.  It was blocking my route so I stopped and watched for a while.
Expected Highlight for Tomorrow:  Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater

Today I visited Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, NY.  It is a giant farm for farm animals rescued from abusive situations.  It's amazing how relaxed animals get when no one is planning to eat them.  If you don't know where your meat and dairy come from it's likely produced in conditions that would give you nightmares and quickly make you consider veganism.  If you are eating animal products, it's healthier for you and kinder to living things to make sure the living things weren't tortured before you ingest them.  Hope you're not eating a big burger as you read this.  :-)  Farm Sanctuary has a great website and fun t-shirts as well.
Now, for the driving...I've realized today that our country spends a lot of money on signs that state the obvious.  I guess they are okay for people who have given up meaningful thought for Lent, but for the majority of people with a slight amount of common sense...they seem redundant and often a little ridiculous.  Here are a few of the messages that I surely would not have made it my destination without: Be Alert, Slow Down Now, Buckle Up, Slowing Down Can Save a Life, Bridge May Be Icy in conjunction with Bridges Freeze First...on every single bridge, didn't we all learn this in driver's ed??  And my favorite sign of the day...Beware of Aggressive Drivers (I'm wondering if there is a higher concentration of angry drivers in the areas with these signs...or if they are spreading like those attack bees from Mexico?)
Tonight  I also arrived too late for a fire but made one anyway.  Hope it goes out soon.  It's already tomorrow and I'm ready to hit the foam...that's on the seats...that turn into a bed...inside the car  :-)  

And the Journey Begins

Day 1
8ish hours
Ipswich, MA to Ithaca, NY
What surprised me today: a sudden lane split, a suicidal squirrel and something that fell out of a tree and almost hit me in the head
Word I most enjoyed saying today:  Schenectady
Place most likely to have a disease named after it: Schenevus
Things I learned today:  I still love goats, the Toyota Prius is taking over the roadways of America, out of the way is the way, although Ithaca is hip...it's hard to walk far before becoming overwhelmed by someone's body odor, the Erie Canal is a lot bigger than that photo in my sixth grade social studies book.
Best food I had today:  I guess the tofu burrito...that scares me.
What the Element would say about today if it could talk:  Phew!  (Should sound like my Grandmother when exclaimed.)
Most interesting famous site:  Bainbridge - Home of Elmer's Glue
Place I decided not to visit today: The Beer Cave in Oneonta
Tomorrow's predicted highlight:  Farm Sanctuary, Watkins Glen, NY