Iowa - Day 1 - traveling to the Des Moines area

Newton/East Des Moines KOA, Newton

Tuesday, 1 November 2022

I'd intended to get an early start on today's drive, which Google said would take 3 hours (meaning 5 hours).  But it was actually going on 9:00 before we got underway.

today's route

We passed through Omaha and crossed the Missouri River, leaving Nebraska behind.  A sign told me "The People of Iowa Welcome You."  

Iowa - my 44th state

Immediately across the river was the town of Council Bluffs.  I wanted to explore a bit but decided to come back later in the month because I had so much territory to cover today.

I was immediately surrounded by nonstop farms.  I saw some dead corn still standing but mostly the fields had all been harvested.  I was surprised to see a lot of terraced fields, which I don't remember seeing in other states - or certainly not so many of them.  I found an article from the Extension Service at Iowa State University that explained on sloped land, terraces can be a major help in preventing water runoff and, thus, loss of soil.  They say there are several different styles of terraces that can be adapted for the specific land and type of soil at each field.  They're certainly a popular technique in this part of the state.

Twice I crossed the West Nishnabotna River.  I'm guessing that's a Native American name.

I'd put the kittens in that carrier case for the ride because I was afraid they'd wander all over the RV and get under my feet and so forth.  As a substitute for that kind of nuisance, twice Jimmy got his head and paw out through that hole he'd clawed in the top of the case.  I could see him in the rearview mirror and was afraid he'd rip it to shreds trying to get his body out too, so I found a place to pull over as soon as I could.  Both times he was actually stuck in that hole and I had to pull from one side while pushing from the other.  It felt a little like when Pooh got stuck in Rabbit's doorway, though fortunately I didn't have to wait for Jimmy to lose weight to get him out.  

Anyway, when we stopped for lunch at a rest area, I of course let them out to use the litter box and then just left them out to see how they'd do while we were underway.  I'm happy to report that they did just fine - didn't bother any of the rest of us, didn't prowl or yowl or irritate Lily.  Which means I can leave them out when we're driving, thank goodness.  It's a hassle penning them up.

That rest area had an interesting display that might have shown the reason for the terraced fields.

That's what the display looked like, and here are closer views of those columns.

1850

1900

1950

1975

2000

(I worked very hard to try to make the program place these in a way that would make sense, and this is the best I could do.  Sorry.)  Maybe you can see the rapidly decreasing amount of topsoil these columns show.  They're losing 3" of topsoil every 50 years and by 2000 were down to just over a third of what they had in 1850.  That doesn't sound promising for the future.  And of course it's now been more than 20 years since that last column was built, and the terraces I saw suggest there's been more erosion in that time.

Signs along the road told me the town of Elk Horn has a Danish windmill - the "only authentic working Danish windmill" in America, they say.  It is also home to the Museum of Danish America, created to preserve the heritage of Danish immigrants to this country.  

Another sign told me the town of Walnut is billing itself as Iowa's Antique City, with more than a dozen antique stores.  Considering the mixture of cultures that came to this area, they might have some interesting pieces.

Iowa has a county and a town named for Audubon, the naturalist.  I spent some time trying to figure out why - you know, did he travel here or something?  I finally found a website that explains the name came from influential admirers of Audubon.  

But it also explained how the town of Audubon came to be the county seat, including fierce battles between several other towns that wanted it.  At one point, armed men from one of those towns "hung around the election centers 'challenging' votes."  I actually find that reassuring - I've been worried about the same thing that happened in Arizona during this past election, but now I see that we've done this before and managed to muddle through it.  Here's the link if you're interested, but be warned - it's got some ads with photos that seem really inappropriate for the content of the article.   https://www.ereferencedesk.com/counties/iowa/audubon

A billboard said, "Why Man Invented Fire" - which of course attracted my attention.  And I saw a photo of a beautifully cooked steak.  And at the bottom the sign said, "Beef - It's What's for Dinner."  It would have worked if I'd thought I'd be able to cook a steak tonight.

I saw huge wind farms - several of them.  At one that was right by the road, the shadow of the blades crossed the road as the blades rotated, and it was a really strange experience - seeing it and driving through it.

I heard on the radio an interview with the author of The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams.  I'd completely forgotten that he was one of the men Paul Revere was riding to warn that the British were coming.  Sam Adams was apparently a provocateur extraordinaire and the British were tired of it.  He seems to have pioneered conspiracy theories in this country.  Here's a review of the book, if you're interested.   https://www.washingtonpost.com/samuel-adams

Iowa Public Radio has a regular program called "River To River," and I'm embarrassed to say this is the first time I've realized Iowa's side boundaries include the Missouri River forming the west boundary alongside Nebraska, and the Big Sioux forming the rest of it along South Dakota; and the Mississippi River forming the entire eastern border with Wisconsin and Illinois.

Another sign told me I'd entered the Silos to Smokestacks National Heritage Area.  When I looked it up I learned the name comes from the equipment used in farms and industries critical to the agriculture field.  The National Park Service says the area covers the northeastern third of the state - though I can attest already that there are plenty of farms in other parts of Iowa.

On the radio I heard that about half the corn grown in Iowa goes to make ethanol.  Which makes the political questions that are coming up about it pretty significant to the economy of this state, I'd imagine.

I got passed three times by the same trucks transporting cars.  I guess those drivers have weak bladders and have to stop often to relieve themselves.

I saw a sign for Trainland USA, which is in the town of Colfax.  They claim to have one of the world's largest operating Lionel train collections, and I'm sorry to report that they're open only during tourist season.  They close on Labor Day.  I'd have loved it.

It was about 2:30 when we got into the campground but it was closer to 4:00 before we got settled in.  First the campground changed the site they decided to put me in, and when they took me there told me I could actually have my choice of sites.  After I filled my water tank and dumped my waste tanks, I decided that first site just wasn't level enough and moved to the row on a lower part of the hill where all the sites were empty (not many campers this time of year).  I tried 8 different campsites to find one that was relatively level both end to end and side to side.  I finally settled on one which still wasn't level but seemed better than the others.  Dexter and I went to the dog park there and we settled in.

A horse trailer with 3 horses pulled into the row we'd vacated above us on the hill.  When I walked Dexter before bed, the horses watched us closely while Dext barely noticed them because only their heads were visible through the trailer windows.  

So now we're in Iowa.

One last photo:

Dexter and Jimmy
I like the way Jimmy's looking so trustingly at Dext.
(They're getting warm in front of the heater.)