August 10th

This part of our ride was spent regretfully leaving the Black Hills and heading toward the freeway. The 10th was a clear day, and not too hot – fortunately, for we had many miles to cover once we hit I90. We hit the freeway in good order. The sunflower and soy fields flew by. This part of South Dakota is fairly flat, with much agriculture – at least along the I90 corridor.

On leaving South Dakota, we drove into the southwestern corner of Minnesota! Another state into which we have finally ventured – if only on an edge. We stopped about every 60-100 miles to stretch our legs and move around. We traveled east until we came to I35, where we headed south, into Iowa. By this time, it was getting to be evening, and we were concerned that we weren’t seeing many gas stations or places to stay off the highway. The first city we saw signs for that looked like it might have accommodations was Mason City. It turned out to be 10 miles off the highway, and was a very depressed town – with a Harley dealership (closed) but virtually no roadside accommodations. We got back on the bike and headed back to I90. The next reasonable spot to stop was a rather shabby Best Western in Williams. We pulled in there, grateful to find a place to stay. We dined on the Iowa version of Totino’s pizza. We were safe and dry. What more could one ask?

August 11th

We headed out for Davenport at the crack of 10am. We must have needed the sleep! There was a rather nice breakfast available in the motel. The weather was clear and warm. I saw one cloud on the horizon. The only shade one finds on the highway in the Midwest when it’s sunny and hot is that offered by an occasional cloud. After a couple of hours of riding, we noticed many more clouds gathering.

Rob commented that at least there were rolling hills and trees to see – and rivers. The weather grew hotter.

We finally arrived in Davenport – and found my sister’s place. We’d made it! 2,500 miles so far on this trip!

Sally took us for a drive over to Burlington (IA), where a new and beautiful restaurant has been opened in the old hospital – Martini’s, overlooking the Mississippi.

Rob and I are impressed with all the beautiful Victorian era homes built on the hills above the floodplain of the Mississippi.

We had a delicious dinner (fully making up for our cardboard pizza) and watched the river roll by. It was delightful! Our visit to Iowa is off to a great start – cicadas and all.