I’m sure many of you are wondering where I have been. Anyone? Wow, cricket sounds…that’s deflating the ego. As you all remember, I was on a road trip and invited all of you to join me. That did not include my family vacation at the end of the trip. To be honest, there wasn’t enough room in the cabin and one of my son’s snoring would have kept you up all night anyway.
We’re done with the fishing, golfing, sightseeing part of the trip and are now on our way home so, welcome back. You’re so quiet back there, I’m not sure you’re riding along.
After a brief stay in the Chicagoland area visiting family, we headed west to the exotic state of Iowa. Our drive started by going through the flat corn and soybeans of western Illinois and all I can say is…really, really, flat. If you were a member of the flat earth society, the Illinois landscape would confirm your theory. Driving through this very horizontal landscape long enough, might make you doze off…oops, did it again. As for Iowa, it’s amazing what they did with corn and soybeans.
There was a big difference by the time we reached Iowa. It was still fields of corn stalks and soy bean plants for as far as the eye can see but at least the landscape was nice enough to start rolling a bit. Once we crossed the Mighty Mississippi (Nailed the spelling without spell check!) it appeared greener, more lush and a lot less boring.
As we crossed the border I realized that I was probably the only person visiting Iowa who is not running for President in 2024. As for my wife, I’m not quite sure of her aspirations but she asked me for a donation and handed me a bumper sticker. You would think she would at least ask me to be her running mate…geez!
We did stop in Des Moines, the state capital and largest city in Iowa, for a brief visit. I did a little research about the city and discovered that it is the insurance capital of the United States. How about that? I saw quite a few warehouses around the area. Maybe that’s where they store all those policies.
Our final destination was Council Bluffs, Iowa, just across the border from Nebraska and Omaha. When I booked our hotel, I didn’t know it was attached to a Native American Casino. My wife and I went to the steakhouse in the casino for dinner and were surprised at how nice it was. Our dinner was delicious and the decor of the restaurant was dazzling. As in almost all Native American Casinos, smoking is allowed. As a former smoker, that is very difficult for me. I haven’t had a cigarette in decades but once I smell the smoke, I start craving them. We hurried out of the casino after dinner and up to our room so I could start my withdrawal again.
Tomorrow about 95% of our drive will be in Nebraska. Let’s see how they do with that corn decor.
©2021 BBRiley.net
bbriley.net 