CnC: Day 11 Tracking North

Breakfast with Jack and Linda for the last time this trip. They are heading south, back home and we are continuing our travels towards Canada.

With the flooding of I29 to the north, our plans to travel to Souix City and then across to Minneapolis were changed. Today we headed east on I80 for a while and then turned north in to Hwy 59. In some places the road stretched out straight before us. A check of the GPS and it showed zero degree deviation from north.

We traveled through field after field of corn and soybean. These two have been just about the only crops we have been seeing. Earlier there had been the rare paddock of sorghum on a couple of instances. Both the corn and soybean are grown for stock feed and of late ethanol production. Driving through Cherokee there was a processing plant for the soybean. Other areas had large silos for the corn and soybean.

Just to break up the monotony of the corn and soybean crops there were the occasional cattle farms.

Standing proud in the paddocks were the tall wind power turbines. One cluster of them wasn't working even though there was certainly plenty of breeze. It looks as though the farming communities of Iowa are diversifying in their power generation.

Last time we were here, we were fascinated by the stars adorning the sides of barns and houses. This time barn quilting has caught our eye. Barn quilting is a geographical design usually 8 feet by 8 feet. The purpose is purely decorative. Some counties have put together barn quilting trails to see the various designs displayed. It's only been happening since 2001 and in some places the barn must be very old.

There was a small detour to get to Worthington, Minnesota. From the map, it didn't look like the detour was due to flooding, more likely road works. We stopped for coffee. Rather than heading for the golden arches, we found a coffee outlet inside the local employee owned supermarket. Trouble was, there was nowhere to sit to drink our coffees. We ended up sitting on the grass in some shade of a building.

Refreshed, we made a diagonal track on Hwy 60 to Minneapolis. The purpose of our stop here was to buy new sandals for me. On our trip in 2009, I had bought a pair of sandals that have just been the best and I have nearly worn them out. I found that there were three outlets in Minneapolis which sold the particular brand of sandal.

We found the nearest outlet and set about getting fitted and trying on various pairs of walking sandals. Clint had bought a pair of sandals that were on special before we left, but he has found them to be uncomfortable for walking. So there we were in a shop with footwear that we found comfortable. By the end, we had two pairs each. On the way in to the shopping centre we had seen a clothing shop that had some unusual dresses and tops. We went in there on our way out and I now have a very nice top for the price of two souvenir tee shirts. Our shopping spree should have boosted the US economy a little.

As we were leaving the carpark, there was a branch of our bank. Time to draw out some cash. Rather than going inside to the teller, Clint used the drive through ATM facility. Drive through fast food, drive through coffee and now drive through ATMs. Not many incentives to get out and walk.

Found our accommodation for the night. Tonight we are on the top floor. Shouldn't be troubled by anyone walking/stomping on the floor above us tonight. The view out the window is pure Americana - freeway with lots of cars, a fast food outlet, power lines and tall buildings, even a huge American flag flaps languidly in the warm evening breeze.