Another early rise as the drive time to our next destination, Little Bear Campground in West Liberty, Iowa was over five hours. With Jim behind the wheel, we headed out. The first part of the drive was stressful. Our route took us just south of the Chicago area so traffic was heavy and the road abysmal. There was construction — a now constant — and the roads were awash with ruts and holes and all sorts of things that caused bone jarring shock. We could only imagine what was going on in the RV. Once we were on the far side of the Chicago area, things began to improve. By the time we left Michigan, things were definitely looking better. We rolled along enjoying all the scenery.
The term the bread basket of the nation is no joke. The landscape is mostly flat and as far as the eye can see is farm land. The fields consist mainly of corn and/or soy beans. It is really quite beautiful as each section is a different shade of green looking much like a patchwork quilt. Here and there farm houses and out buildings appear. The homes may be brown or some other color but many of the out buildings are painted stark white. You can see them from miles away. There are also solar farms covering acres. In the distance, wind turbines turn lazily in the wind. There is a respect for the environment here. The land gives folks a way to make a living and provide sustenance for their families. The number and size of trucks increased as well. We saw several FedX tractors pulling three trailers! It is like having a train pass you as they go past. The truckers are for the most part considerate and abide by the speed limits. It is a good thing too because we saw highway patrol cars often. With lots of construction going on, the speed limits often reduced to 45 or 55 for miles. For us, it was no problem as we were not in a big hurry.
Finally, we crossed over into Iowa and our long day of driving was over. Little Bear is just off the highway. Since it was Saturday, the camp is quite full. Our site is on the back row away from the highway noise but, it is not level, not even close. Good thing we are seasoned RVers and understand how to utilize pads to offset and bring the rig into level. It was not long until we were all setup and ready to relax. But first, we had to go to the nearest Verizon.
Before we headed out, I called to see if the store we would visit could actually work on the wifi. After six tries, I ended up connected to a call center. Bottom line, no help. So, off we went to the store. I have to admit I walked in with a bit of a chip on my shoulder. My experience with the call center left me frustrated. The young lady was very pleasant and put up with my complaints about my phone experience. She assured me that she could fix the problem, and she did. One last problem solved; I do hope it is the last one.
Next thing to do, find food. We searched the internet and settled on a place called Down Under located in downtown West Branch, the Herbert Hover birth home and location of the National Historic Site we plan to visit tomorrow. After a good meal and a few libations, we headed to camp for some rest and relaxation. Tomorrow we will learn more about our nation’s 31st President.
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