Indiana, Iowa & West Virginia

On Sunday, we left Wabash, Indiana after breakfast, heading for Canton, Ohio. Our first stop was the Trader Joe’s at Fort Wayne. To make sure we weren’t disappointed, Kathy called ahead first, and found that they did, indeed, have the special Indiana shopping bags.

Leaving Fort Wayne, we headed for Canton, Ohio on the 2-lane  “Old Lincoln Highway”. This route took us through small rural towns, past flat corn fields as far as we could see, and, finally through the rolling hills and farms of western Ohio. One interesting thing we saw was a number of small cemeteries, popping up in the middle of a corn field or beside the road, with no church or other buildings anywhere near.

Finally, in Upper Sandusky, construction on the original Lincoln Highway detoured us back onto the divided highway. We stopped for a quick lunch at a Subway, and got to our hotel around 3:30 in the afternoon. At 5:00, we met with Kathy’s aunt Joann and her uncle Tom for a wonderful dinner at Olive Garden, catching up with their lives.

On Monday, we got up a little earlier, and left by 8:30 AM. Our goal was to drive down the Ohio River Scenic Byway, from East Liverpool to Marietta, Ohio. It was divided highway to East Liverpool, where we turned off onto 2-lane scenic Ohio Highway 7, going south. 

Halfway there, we decided to take a detour. We crossed the river at Wheeling, West Virginia, and drove the east side of the river (on West Virginia Highway 2) until just before Marietta, Ohio. This was a smaller road, and it was really interesting. 

This section of the road contains Ohio’s only National Forest, The Wayne National Forest. Despite that, the Ohio River is highly industrialized, and the basin is considered one of the most highly polluted in the United States. We drove by several decommissioned coal-fired power plants, with giant machines tearing down the smokestacks. Despite the quasi-apocalyptic vibe, the drive was still fascinating.

Before we crossed back into Ohio, we stopped in Moundsville, West Virgina, at the Perkins Restaurant and Bakery for lunch. It was great comfort food.

Kathy had the grilled fish dinner with asparagus and broccoli, while I had turkey, stuffing, gravy, garlic mashed potatoes, buttered corn and cranberry sauce. Everything was delicious. With drinks and a good tip, the total was $44. Such a deal.

We crossed back into Ohio for the last stretch and arrived at our hotel around 3:30 PM. Tomorrow, we head to Catonsville, Maryland, where we’ll stay with Kathy’s brother Tom, and his family, for a few days.

Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois & Indiana

On Thursday morning we ate the buffet breakfast at our hotel, left Red Wing, Minnesota, and hit the road. Our destination was Dubuque, Iowa. Unfortunately, when you give Google Maps your destination, it gets you there by the most expedient route. Before this trip I had researched the Great River Road, a scenic route that follows the Mississippi River from its headwaters to the Gulf of Mexico. 

On the Minnesota side, this is Highway 61, and on the Wisconsin side it is Highway 35. We wanted to go down the Wisconsin side, so we “short-circuited” Google Maps by putting in the first stop in Wisconsin, and when we got there, we put in our final destination.

We got to Stockholm, Wisconsin (218 residents), the home of the Stockholm Pie Company, widely regarded as the world’s best pie shop, by 9:00 AM. The quant little country store didn’t open until 10:00 AM, so we didn’t stick around. We did stop in Pepin, Wisconsin, the birthplace of Laura Ingalls Wilder, and the setting for her first book, Little House in the Big Woods.

The driving was wonderful; a curving, two-lane road, hugging the banks of the Mississippi, with almost no traffic. Everyone else was using their computerized navigation, clogging up the interstates, while we had the scenic route almost to ourselves. If you have the chance to drive it, we highly recommend it. 

In the small river town of Onalaska, we stopped for lunch. I had the local special, Muskie. It was more than I could eat. Those are two separate 12” long fillets in the picture.

Once we crossed the river into Iowa, we drove through mile after mile of corn fields that were brown and dry.

Kathy thought that maybe the actual corn had already been harvested, but neither of us could figure out how they could harvest the corn, yet leave the stalks still standing. So, we pulled over to the side of the road, walked into the corn fields, and found that the ears of corn were still on the stalk.

Our hotel in Dubuque, the Iowa port on the Mississippi, was the Redstone Inn, a historic 1894 building turned into a B&B. The owner, Robert, had moved here from Mission Viejo and bought the property in 2008.

The building itself is striking both inside and out. The bathrooms have been modernized, but it was a lot different than the Hampton Inn. I had a hard time sleeping, because it felt kind of Adams Famliyish to me. Kathy slept just fine, though.

On Friday, Robert made us breakfast in the dining room, which was nice, china settings and all. Then, we loaded up our car and headed for our next stop, Springfield, Illinois.

Before turning east to Springfield, we drove south to Coralville, Iowa, to visit the Trader Joe’s, and to pick up the Iowa version of the Traders Joe’s bag. Unfortunately, they didn’t have an Iowa Trader Joe’s bag. Bummer.  

Driving from Iowa, through Illinois, toward Springfield, was similar to driving through Iowa. The land was pretty flat, there was corn in every direction, and, skipping the interstate, we had almost no traffic as we rolled through the small rural towns. Our “sight” on Friday was to visit Abraham Lincoln’s home.

This is the only home that Abraham and Mary Lincoln owned. After their death, their son Robert inherited it. He then gave it to the United States government, with the provision that it should be cared for, and that it should always be free to tour. And, the only way you can see it is to take a tour.

We got there at 2:30, which is exactly when the next tour was scheduled. A ranger walked us through the house and talked about each of the rooms; which items are originals and which are replicas. The tour takes about an hour. After the tour, Kathy and I walked around the four-block neighborhood of restored 19-century houses, which are being used for National Park Service offices.   

This time we did stay at a Hampton Inn, and went out to a local restaurant, the Chesapeake Seafood House for dinner. It was 5:30 and the large parking lot was almost filled. Inside it seemed like most people were senior citizens, so we fit right in. Maybe the younger people eat later. Kathy had a hankering for clam chowder and I got some fried clams. Very good, and very large portions. With an appetizer and drinks, dinner was under $50, including the tip. Everything really is cheaper outside of California. 

Friday night I slept great; no haunted house vibes, and I didn’t wake up until 6:30 AM. Hampton Inn has a great breakfast buffet, so we didn’t get on the road until almost 8:00 AM. Google Maps has a new AI feature, called “Ask Maps”, so I decided to try it out. My prompt: “We want to go to Wabash Indiana by the most scenic route, avoiding highways as much as possible.” 

It went really well. It planned out three routes and it was great. Again, we traveled on almost empty, two-lane state roads. The total time on our journey was only an extra half hour. (However, every time you stop, you have to do it again, or it will route you back to the interstates and state freeways.)

When we left Springfield, our tank was half empty. The local gas stations were all about $4.69 a gallon. While that seems ridiculously cheap to those of us from California, we had gotten used to paying around $4.20 in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa. We asked Google. It said that gas was much cheaper in Indiana. It was. Where we filled up, we saw this sign in front of the local high school announcing “JV Volleyball at Judah Christian 8:00”. Judah Christian Gilbert is our son’s name.

Outside of Lafayette, near Perdue University, we stopped for lunch at Christos Grill, which appears to be a local chain. I had a pork cutlet sandwich (think German schnitzel) and soup, while Kathy had a tuna melt and steamed broccoli. The portions were ample, the food was delicious, and the bill, including tip, was $30. We got to Wabash around 5:00 PM. Wabash is in the Eastern Time Zone, so we gained an hour going from Springfield. We’re staying at a Hampton Inn again tonight; we should probably sign up for their loyalty program. Look out the window of our room; endless corn fields.

Tomorrow is Sunday and we’ll be driving to Canton, Ohio, to visit Kathy’s aunt Joann.

Long Drive on the Prairie

Tuesday was a long, long driving day. I’ve tried to limit our daily trek to four hours, with a couple hours driving, then a hike or a sight, and then another two hours, with, possibly, another sight or activity. We drove 266 miles on state highways, to De Smet, South Dakota, before we stopped for lunch at 2:30 PM. That’s 5 hours on our first leg, with another hour and a half to get to our hotel in Sioux Falls.

“So”, I’m sure you’re asking, “why didn’t you take Interstate 90? You could have driven from Wall to Sioux Falls in four hours. What’s so special about De Smet, South Dakota?” Well, I’m glad you asked. When Laura Ingalls was 13 years old, her father, Charles, left Plum Creek and the town of Walnut Grove and moved to the Dakota Territory to work for the railroad and earn some money.

Later that year, Laura and the rest of the family took their first train ride to join him, and spent a very cold winter living in a surveyor’s house on the shores of Silver Lake. When spring came, Charles built the first permanent building in the brand new town of De Smet. That marked the end of their nomadic, covered-wagon days. Laura describes this time in the two books By the Shores of Silver Lake, and The Long Winter. This is the actual school house where Laura and Carrie went to school. The building was moved onto the grounds of the museum, along with the surveyor’s house.

When Laura was fifteen, she managed to earn a teaching certificate, and got her first job teaching in the remote Brewster settlement. This is a recreation of the one-room school that she taught at for $20 a month.   

Inside, there are crude desks and a pot-bellied stove. According to the information panels, the walls were not insulated, nor were the cracks chinked, daubed, nor caulked. Laura describes this time in her book Little Town on the Prairie. 

Before we left for Sioux Falls, we went to the cemetery where the Ingalls family is buried. The pillar that Kathy is pointing at is Charles’ grave, while the plaque on her right is where Caroline (“Ma”) Ingalls is buried. Most of the rest of the family, as well as Laura and Almanzo’s infant child are buried here as well. 

Laura herself, her husband Almanzo, and her daughter Rose are buried in Mansfield, Missouri, which we aren’t going to visit. We are going to stop by Walnut Creek, Minnesota Wednesday, while listening to Laura’s book, On the Banks of Plum Creek.

Plum Creek, Trader Joe’s & Red Wing

Wednesday was another long driving day. After breakfast at the hotel, we set out for Walnut Grove, in a dense, dense fog. Our car kept saying “Eye sight disabled. Cameras don’t work.” We prayed about it and, after about an hour we drove out of the fog, listening to On the Banks of Plum Creek on the car speakers.

Immediately after we crossed the bridge over Plum Creek, we stopped to take a picture with the “Welcome to Walnut Grove” sign. Then we went to the Laura Ingalls Wilder museum, and picked up a map of Walnut Creek as it was in 1870. Then we got back in the car and headed to our next stop, Rochester, on the other side of Minnesota. “What’s in Rochester?” you ask? Trader Joe’s, of course. Here’s Kathy standing beside the key to the Minnesota Trader Joe’s shopping bag.

After Trader Joe’s we drove to our overnight destination, Red Wing, Minnesota. After settling into our hotel room, we left to see the sights. Our first stop was the Red Wing Pottery Museum.

My grandfather on my mother’s side, Elroy Smith, was a potter in Sebring, Ohio. When the depression hit, he was let go. Along with the rest of his extended family, he moved out to Los Angeles in 1934, following a cousin who had gotten a job at one of the movie studios. Red Wing was a center for all kinds of pottery, including sewer pipes. Kathy especially liked these giant pottery vats, used for things like making pickles.

After the pottery museum, we headed downtown to the Red Wing shoe store, where we got our picture taken with the largest work shoe ever made. 

Just to be clear, this is not a “replica”. It was made just like one of their regular shoes, only larger. While we were there I tried to buy a pair of trainers to replace my Brooks running shoes with a hole in the toe. They were out of stock. Our last errand before turning in was to find some gelato. (We ate a late lunch in Rochester.) It turns out that Minnesota and Wisconsin (across the river) is not really gelato country. However, they do make good ice cream. We bought a scoop of pumpkin and a scoop of baked apple pie, and walked two blocks down town the Mississippi River to eat it.

Tomorrow we’ll be crossing the river to Wisconsin, where we’ll follow the Great River Road down the Mississippi to Iowa.

Devil’s Tower, Rushmore, Custer & the Badlands

 

On Sunday we ate breakfast at our hotel in Buffalo, Wyoming, and got on the road by 8:00 AM. Our first stop was the Devil’s Tower National Monument, called by the Native Americans, Bear Lodge. Apparently, the interpreter on Richard Dodge’s 1875 expedition to the area mistook the Lakota word for bear with a similar word that means “bad god” or evil spirit. Here’s the picture in the park, illustrating the Lakota legend about the tower’s creation, where the vertical columns were caused by a giant bear’s claws.

Of course, we European Americans have similar legends. Kathy and I spent an hour walking around the base of the tower. It is a favorite of climbers, and we saw several groups climbing the different rock faces. We also saw a family of deer running through the forest. 

What I never found was the flat landing area on the back of the tower, where Richard Dreyfus boarded the alien spacecraft in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. At first I thought that maybe that never happened, but when I went into the Visitor’s Center, I was greeted by a statue commemorating the alien visit. And, if you can’t trust the National Park Service, who can you trust?

After our hike, we drove to Spearfish, South Dakota and had lunch. After lunch we drove through Deadwood, and stopped at the Mt. Rushmore National Memorial. The memorial has a large, high-tech parking complex, and it was the first place that didn’t accept our America the Beautiful park pass. 

The Memorial was fairly crowded, with a lot of foreign tourists. It wasn’t overcrowded, but just not as peaceful and awe inspiring as the Devil’s Tower Monument. Also, it was almost 3:00 PM, and both of us were really tired. I planned our trip with two “E-ticket” sights each day, and that might be more than we can handle. We got unpacked at our bungalow in Custer, and then went downtown for dinner. I was sound asleep by 7:30 PM.

Monday morning we got up and left early, planning on eating breakfast on the way. Custer State Park has a scenic wildlife drive, and we wanted to drive it as the sun was rising. The Park is the home to South Dakota’s official bison herd, so we were looking forward to something like the Lamar Valley experience in Yellowstone.

Just as we entered the park, we saw a large bison down in the canyon. Driving on we saw white tail deer, were stopped three times by flocks of wild turkeys crossing the road, met the park’s herd of wild burros, watched innumerable prairie dog towns, and sighted several pronghorn “antelopes”. But no more bison! Finally, though, we came around a corner and the hills were full of them.

It turns out that the previous Friday was the occasion of the annual buffalo roundup. Once a year, in late September or early October, most of the buffalo in the park are rounded up into corrals, where the calves are branded and the mothers are vaccinated. After the calves are born, the herd grows to about 1,450 animals. However, the park can only safely support around 950 bison, and so the excess animals are sold at auction in early November, while the rest are returned to the park.

Leaving Custer State Park, we stopped in Rapid City for a late breakfast, and then took the scenic route to the Interior entrance to the Badlands National Park.

Driving through the park was fun, pulling off at all of the vistas, and walking along the paved boardwalks. We took a few selfies; I have to admit, I was frightened when I got near to the edge. 

We never saw the only animal that was advertised to live in the Badlands.

We did, however, see this fellow on our way out of the park. When we pulled up next to him to take his picture, he only yawned.

We got to our hotel, the Best Western in Wall, South Dakota, by 2:30 PM, and found our room all ready, even though we were early. We unpacked and then headed over a few blocks to see the famous Wall Drug. 

We had originally planned to eat dinner there, but Kathy had her heart set on soup, so we went up the street to the Salty Steer, where she had onion soup and I had spaghetti with bison meatballs. Very good. Apologies for forgetting to take a photo, until the meal was half consumed. Before we left Wall Drugs to head for dinner, Kathy did manage to snag a ride on the Jackalope.

Tomorrow we’re heading for Sioux Falls. Hope you can come with us.