Starting Out
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Just outside of
Wisconsin, and across the wide Mississippi.
I love this spot, and have a real attachment
to it, from my first trip out here, so many
years ago. This is the Dresbach stop, along
the river, and just across the bridge,
inside of Minnesota. |
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Above:
High bluffs back both sides of the
Mississippi, and the roads which line it's
banks. During the whole history of the
colonies, and much of the history of the
United States, this was the border area.
Left:
A look out at the river. The hills off in
the distance are Wisconsin. |
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This is the decision
point. A left here, will take me back along
the river, and eventually up to the Twin
Cities. Going straight will take me west,
across Minnesota and into the Dakotas,
Wyoming, and the rest of the west. |
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Left:
Heading west, the traveler climbs up out of
the river valley, and onto the flat areas of
the Great Plains.
Below:
For hours, now, the traveler will pass
through mile after mile of flat cultivated
land. The amount of food being grown here is
staggering. |
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A brief rest, at a brief
rest stop, inside of Minnesota. |
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Already, the west is
calling me. Wall Drug was initially known
for it's ice water, and for the signs it had
place, all over the country, and all over
the world. |
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In 1921, a young army
officer, Dwight Eisenhower, Lead a convoy
across the United States. This was to test
the new motorized vehicles, with which the
Army had decided it wished to replace the
horse. Equipped and employing the logistical
support of a major expedition, which is what
it indeed turned out to be, the convoy took
three months of hard travel, to cross the
country. The future president was appalled
that in what had become the most powerful
nation in the world, a man could not travel
with any more ease than if he were to span
the wilds of Africa or South America. When
he latter became President, Eisenhower was
finally able to remedy the situation with
the Interstate. |
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Yet another rest stop,
this time at Blue Earth. Rest stops keep you
from getting stiff, sore and inattentive.
They also help keep you sane. It is nice to
get out and breath the air of another state,
once and a while. |
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A look down the picnic
area, at the adjacent Interstate. |
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This sign says it all.
The area has been changed beyond all
recognition. |