The lady at the Iowa reception center said that this two crop rotation had become the staple with the demand for ethanol, corn syrup and protein sources. From the looks of the farms, the rotation has been quite lucrative!The Mississippi River divides Illinois and Iowa in Quad Cities/Moline area of I80, and it is running very high, as are all its tributaries. They have had a lot of rain in the area and flooding is a serious problem as we noted and you may have heard. Just north of I80 in Eastern Iowa is where a dam recently breached, flooding many homes and farms. We also noted a large number of windmills at strategic locations along I80 and the rest of our route.
At Iowa City, we left I80 and headed North on I380 towards Waterloo. There we picked up US63 North. The roads were generally good, but 63 became a two-lane highway as we traveled North. In the town of Adams (pop. 800) we ran across a fuel station selling diesel for $2.80 a gallon. Everywhere else it had been $290 to $3.00. Needless to say, we stopped and filled up!
Just North of Adams, you cross into Minnesota and we headed Northwest on Minn. 56 for 31 miles to I90. When we left US63, I thought we had made a mistake. Minn. 56 was a veritable washboard for the first 2 or 3 miles. But this turned out to be just a bad stretch, and the remaining 28 or so miles were on a good two-lane road, although it passed through numerous small towns along the way. the road is known as "The Shooting Star Scenic Highway." Aptly named in retrospect.
We arrived at where the Beaver Trails campground was meant to be, but the GPS pointed us at a whole lot of farmland, and no campground. On the other side of I90 was a Yogi Bear Jellystone campground, but no Beaver Trails. We searched for awhile, then called Beaver Trails. You guessed it, Beaver Trails had become a Jellystone campground! We finally got back to the right side of I90 and checked in.
The site we have is right next to the office and is fine - at least the big tree doesn't block the satellite signal!
After setting up, we headed into Austin and found our perennial Applebee's, had dinner and returned for a relaxing evening - at least for us. Dixie the Wonderdog was in bad need of a bath, and the shower in the coach was the only alternative - and a good one too as it turns out. 
Dixie didn't really think it was such a great idea, but she smells a whole lot better! Overall, the day was a success - a long drive with a happy ending.We had a heavy rainstorm overnight, and I used the opportunity to help the rain wash the coach. Later, while Suz slept, I prepared breakfast (the smell of food cooking has a way of getting her up). After breakfast, we headed back to Austin to visit the "world famous" SPAM Museum.
Austin is the home of Hormel Foods where SPAM was invented and still produced for worldwide consumption. The museum is a fun place, 
with the history of Hormel and SPAM on display, and providing an unbelievable assortment of SPAM memorabilia for sale in the gift shop. 
Us "old farts" remember the role SPAM played in the Second World War and after. I can still remember my mom making SPAM sandwiches. Come to find out, Hormel also makes another of my favorites - Dinty Moore Beef Stew.After the museum tour, we went across the street for lunch at Johnny's Spamarama.
I had, you guessed it, a SPAM and cheese burger. It was good, albeit a bit salty, which is the trademark of SPAM (and all canned meat for that matter).We are now back at the coach and getting prepared to head out for Mitchell, South Dakota in the morning. There is a Cabela's in Mitchell and we intend to get a couple of their lovely lounging chairs. Mitchell is also the home of the "world famous" Corn Palace, but more about that tomorrow! Until then, and since it is now Happy Hour here, Cheers!
John, Suz and Dixie the Wonderdog
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