Out of the West

We left Badlands National Park yesterday. We decided to avoid the interstates for a bit and went out the south side of the park through Interior, SD and onto SD 44 which tracks almost entirely due east for the length of the state.

It is two-lane blacktop without many towns on it and not much traffic either. We trundled through rolling countryside, mostly grass and cattle, with a few mini-badlands thrown in until we went over the Missouri river. The landscape flattened out by Platte and more crop farming appeared, some corn, but a lot of sorghum and sunflowers.

We only recognized the sorghum because we'd stopped by the Buffalo Gap National Grassland visitor center when we were in Wall. The volunteer there was telling us that she had just learned about sorghum after a visitor asked about a grass crop she couldn't identify, since it wasn't a native grass. She showed us a photo of sorghum. Now we knew what it looked like. They seem to grow a lot of it in South Dakota. Why, I don't know.

We stopped in Winner, SD for lunch at Jodie's, the only place in town open for lunch (and it closed at 1:30PM). Virtually everything on the lunch menu was beef of some sort. Ellen got the one other item, grilled cheese. Good fries, though. Actually, the grilled cheese with tomato and bacon and the patty melt were both pretty good.

We had dropped down to US 18 as SD 44 ended. Finally, we got to the Snake River and passed in Iowa. It was suddenly seemingly crowded. Farms were closer together; towns were about 10 miles apart and on the road; traffic was heavier and it was miles of corn and soybeans...with an occasional industrial dairy operation thrown in. I guess corn and soy are too valuable to let cows graze. We also passed a "Biorefinery", otherwise known as an industrial distillery or ethanol plant.

The road continued to go straight and we got tired. We stopped in the town of Sheldon and stayed at the little campground in their city park, Hills Park. It had a flat spot with electricity, which we used, and water and showers, which we didn't use, all for $15for the night. The only downside to the park was an active rail line next to it. Between dusk and dawn three long freights pulling grain cars passed by. The last, around 6 AM, proved a pretty good alarm clock.

We didn't tarry this morning and continued down US 18 until Clear Lake,IA and the end of the two-lane blacktop. From there it was all divided highway on US 18, US 218 and, finally, I-80, which took us over the Mississippi just above Davenport, IA into Illinois.

That's where we've stopped. We are at the Corp of Engineers campground at Fisherman's Corner, just above Lock #1. We have a campsite right on the river, overlooking the dam and lock. It has a level concrete pad, electricity and really good showers (all of which we've used)—an even better deal than last night at $9 for the night.

Photos