Sunset

The weather forecast is for scattered thunderstorms.  The rain would be good because most farmers have gotten their fields planted.

Observations of Minnesota. pt 2

Thursday night May 24. 
   
I thought of a few more observations.

   More and More Buicks.  I can't explain why but they are everywhere !

   The Minnesota weather is hard on vehicles.  Snow and cold weather mean frozen streets.  So to melt the ice the cities spread salt.
     Result:
       RUST

Every state has it's local landmark stores. 
Texas has Buckies
Oregon has Dairy Mart
Oklahoma has OnCue
Kansas has QuikTrip

Minnesota has Kwik Trip.   They are everywhere and they are really busy.

Country trip

On our drive back from Fairmont to Mankato today we enjoyed the views.  The newly planted corn is just coming up.  The three April snowstorms delayed the crops by more than a month.  Look hard and you will see tiny green shoots.  That's corn !

Alittle further on the trip,
we made a stop at a county park along the Red Jacket trail which is bicycle trail that travels for over 30 miles.  The underside of the Red Jacket Bridge is peppered with Barn Swallow nests.  Driving to another area of the park which is on the Le Sueur River, we were attracted to a flurry of activity.  Hundreds of Swallows were flying back and forth from the river's edge to the underside of the nearby bridge with bits of mud to build their mud nests in seemingly impossible building sites.  It was fun to see.

Lilacs

Right now the Lilacs are in bloom in Minnesota.  They are spectacular.  Take a look at what I found on our evening walk with the boys.

Memories of Austin

The State Capitol in Austin, Texas.  Very nice day.  Very nice place.

Columbia the Eagle

Another photo of the Bald Eagle at the Eagle Center.  They have named her Columbia.

 The special license plate support the troops has an image of another eagle that was rescued by the Eagle Center.

Day Trip

   Saturday we took a day trip.  By "we" I mean 9 humans and 3 dogs.  We were staying with Randa's sister, Kris and it was decided that we were going to see the Eagle Center in Wabasha, Mn on Saturday.  So we all piled in a 12 passenger Chevy van ( all 12 of us) and drove for almost 3 hours north and east.  Wabasha is located on the Mississippi River just below Lake Pepin.  Because the river is fairly narrow ( by Mississippi standards) and the Chippewa River joins it there, the river does not freeze over in the winter.  This makes it a haven for Eagles and other birds in the winter and year round.

This is one of the Eagles that are at the Eagle Center.  Her right wing is damaged so she is unable to fly and to hunt.  So her job now is to help educate us humans about these wonderful birds.

Observation of Minnesota

We have been in Minnesota for nearly two weeks and I have several observations.

1.  Lots of Buicks.  Not many Prius's. 

2.  Never buy a used car from Minnesota.  Rust comes with age. 

3.  Farming is king.  It is pleasant driving in the country checking out the scattered farms. 

4.  Black dirt.  Rich dark fertile loam.

5.  In the summer, fields and fields of corn and soybeans.

6.  Springtime is really pleasant.  Cool temperatures.  Newly green leaves.  Blooming tulips and           daffodils.  No bugs.  No humidity.

7.  Thunder storms are possible.  We have almost no thunder in Oregon.

8.   Friendly folks. 

9.   Shopping is the same everywhere.  There are some uniquely Midwestern stores.  But shopping here is pretty much the same as anywhere else.

Camping in Minnesota

While visiting family, we traveled to nearby Sleepy Eye to camp at Sportsman's Landing on the north side of Sleepy Eye Lake.  Two nights of campfires, walks, and food. 

Early morning walks allowed views of St Mary's Cathedral on one side of the lake and the campground on the other side.

Heading North part2

   After visiting with family, we continued our journey north up I-35 through northern Oklahoma and into southern Kansas.  Never been in these areas.  Not flat, not desolate.  So far for my preconceived notions.  Turned NW to end up straight west of Wichita.  The neat thing about driving in rural areas of the Midwest is that roads run east-west and north-south and there is one every mile.  So if you need to get to a place that is northwest of you, you go west for a while and then go north for a while.  By doing this zig-zag dance, you will eventually get there.  And we did.  Mel and Charlene live in his grandfather's house on land a few miles from Pretty Prairie, Kansas.  We parked the rig in their yard and had a great visit.
    The next morning it we were on the road NE and connected I-80 and headed east.  Abilene, Kansas.  Famous for cowboys and cattle.  It was the terminus for cattle drives that brought Longhorn cattle up from Texas right after the Civil War.  Meat was scarce in the north after the war and cattle that were $4 a head in Texas were worth $40 a head in Abilene.  So huge herds of cattle became very familiar in Kansas.Abilene is also the home a Dwight D Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States.  We spent too short of a time at his Boyhood home, museum, and resting place.
     Across the street from the Eisenhower Museum we spotted the Greyhound Hall of Fame.  Of course we had to wander over and check it out.  We found out that there are over 25 Greyhound "farms" in the Abilene area.  I knew that Greyhound Pet Adoption NW drives to Kansas to get hounds for adoption in our area, but I didn't know where they went and how many kennels were available.
    Too quickly we continued on east until we arrived in Kansas City.  A very strong south wind was trying to push us sideways but the truck is very steady.  The value of a dually truck.  But the fuel mileage and speed was effected.  Just on the eastern edge is Independence, Missouri.  We parked at the Campus RV Park.  Not fancy , but nice with grass and close to downtown Independence.  Independence is the home of Harry S Truman, the 33rd President.  The following morning, we visited the visitor center (disappointing), stopped by to photograph the outside of the Truman home (it is closed on Mondays), the visited the museum.  The museum was outstanding.  Lots of data, photos and information well presented.
    We got on the road north about 12:30.  The south wind continued.  In fact, it intensified, to nearly 30 mph.  Where yesterday I had the gas pedal on the floor to keep the speed near 60, now I had to be careful for even with a lot less pressure, our speed would creep up to 70.  Needless to say, we made get time and decided to drive straight through to Minnesota.  We arrived in Fairmont and parked in front of Randa's sisters house at about 9:30.  It was a good day of travel.   

Heading North

We finally got on I-35 north of Fort Worth and crossed into Oklahoma.  We have never been in Oklahoma before.  It did not look anything like what my mind had imagined.  I saw Oklahoma as a dry and dusty cowboy movie.  Not so.  At least, not so with eastern OK.  I hear that the Panhandle is drier and more bleak.  Maybe that area would better fit my mind's eye.
  Oklahoma City looks any other big city.  Lots of people, lots of traffic, lots of box stores, fast food restaurants.  The topography is not flat either.  Myths gone.

Good Bye LBJ

The LBJ Ranch is behind us.  Texas is behind us. 
We left Stonewall and headed north on hwy 281.  Lots of  North Texas towns to drive through.  Lampassas, Montigue.  Town squares and all.  It was fun and interesting.