Leaving New York State behind I did my best not to stop in the
"boringness" known as Ohio and Iowa and got some miles behind me in
an effort to get to the focus of this trip, the wild west. I did, however, make
a short stop in Iowa in the town of Clive. I pulled the bike out and went for a
late afternoon ride along their "greenbelt trail" into the next town
of Waukee and back again. You really can't help but appreciate the small town
life and mentality. These small town folk are either super lonely or just plain
super friendly! They constantly wave hello for no good reason, even while
passing along in their cars! In person if you catch their eye they unfailingly
ask in an unmistakably sincere way, "How are you?" and then actually
pause, genuinely caring to hear your answer! What is wrong with these people? Or
what's right?
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| Herbert Hoover's Childhood Home |
Nebraska wasn't
actually on itinerary of places to poke around, but things have a way of
changing. Right in the middle of what is left of the Great Prairies you can
find the Herbert Hoover Historic Site. I pulled off to have a look even though I'm
not sure why he has been awarded his own historic site. Maybe it's due to the
rumor I heard that he single handily built the Hoover Dam, although I suspect
he had the help of at least a couple of mules! Maybe the site is a salute to
his family's vacuum cleaner company. I seem to recall something about him being
president of something. It must have been the family's business. So I guess
that's a big deal! I really should have read the historic informative plates! Anyway,
there you can check out their family's original tiny two room home and a few
other nearly ancient buildings including the blacksmith's building complete
with all the original metal working tools.
If you are a really big fan of his vacuum cleaners you can
also pay your respects to his grave site which sits right next to his wife's,
who I suspect was the real motivation behind the vacuum cleaner! (For everyone
who skipped History class, I'm kidding about the vacuums) All of this is surrounded
by 76 acres of reclaimed Prairie grasslands just off of Interstate- 90.
Originally there were 30 million acres of prairies covering 98% of the plains while
today that has dwindled down to 3000 acres. The signage invites you to stroll
this sample of grasslands to get "the feel" of what they have to
offer. I never did get a chance to ask a ranger if I-90 had the same
"feel" back in the 1800's. For
instance, I would think those old wooden wagon wheels on asphalt probably made
even more of a disturbing din than the hum of today's tires.
As the original settlers crossed this great land and reached
the great plains, possibly via I-90, they stood in shock and awe of the flat
landscape with nary a tree to be seen. At first they doubted the suitability of
the land for farming, reasoning that the lack of trees didn't bode well.
However, as soon as they planted they enjoyed great success and their doubts
were quelled. The reality though, was that the soil was dense and tough to
till. Farming never really took off until Mr. John Deere made the first steel
plow and began manufacturing them. The future "Bread Basket" of
America was born and the rest is history.
Today crops aren't the only thing people are farming in the
Heartland. Wind farms are becoming plentiful. This new species of windmill is a
far cry from what the Dutch brought to America, growing to upwards of 300 feet!
I can't imagine the size of those seeds!
Some people are against these windmill farms, perhaps because the immense draw
on water resources required to grow them to such dizzying heights. Others think
that they are an eyesore. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and taste is
subjective, but I found them to be like a synchronistic ballet of giants
putting on a hypnotic circular dance. Not the best entertainment while driving,
but "watt (sic) are you going to do?"
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| Samuel R. McKelvie National Forest |
Following the setting sun I continued on to Cody, Nebraska
and spent the night at Samuel R. McKelvie National Forest with not a human soul
in site. Tic-tic-tic-tic-tic.... No I'm not counting seconds, I'm counting the
number of blood sucking ticks I had to remove from crawling up my pants every
10 yards or so!
Besides whatever eats
ticks, there are two other things lacking in this national park:
1) Warning signs to watch your step lest you sink a foot
into the plethora of cow patties!
2) Trees: there is a serious dearth of trees for something
referred to a "National Forest".
It's actually more of a "National Grazing Area", but it was
home for the night.
One positive exception to note, especially for all you
extreme thrill seekers, is the reservoir. It has a 20 foot drain which draws
water down a couple hundred feet or so into an irrigation canal. Passing by I
noticed that someone had pulled the plug out of the drain. So if you are
looking for one hell of a slip-n-slide you should head there before they
replace the drain plug or all the water drains out!
The next stop: The Badlands of South Dakota, where the real
adventure begins......
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| Someone pulled the drain plug! |
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