Two Travel Days

Friday, April 28, 2023

When we got up Friday morning the rain was coming down at a nice steady pace another words it was pouring. We sat and had our coffee and contemplated staying one more day. Then the rain stopped and we got our act together and pulled out later then we planned. It was 10:40 and a not so warm 45 degrees. The Stinger "B" is heading south today hoping for warmer weather but not expecting to actually find it. There is a rest area just past Council Bluffs, Iowa in 199 miles and that is today's destination.

Going by Tea, South Dakota

I did nothing to enhance this picture.
The sky may be grey but this field is "sunny"

I was pleasantly surprised the camera pretty much 
picked up the colors I was looking at.

"Whitwam's Wigwams."
This one is near Vermillon, SD and is where we stopped for lunch.

Missouri River

This is the first train we have seen in over a week
and it is moving.

It is raining.

Lewis and Clark Trail

Since August 2010, the 24th Street Bridge in Council Bluffs
 has been home to the artist Albert Paley's "Odyssey." 

As Tom and I travel down the roads in this wonderful country of ours every once and a while we pass by something that prompts me to say out loud,  I wonder what the heck that was about? Most times when I try to research what it is I find nothing and I am left with the mystery of what it was. Then there are the times a picture pops up that matches the one I took and there is an explanation of what it is. Today was my lucky day.

A monumental gateway commissioned by Iowa West Foundation, Odyssey is sited over Iowa Interstate 80 at the S. 24th St. Bridge in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Consisting of four massive mixed-metal sculptures Paley’s Odyssey is a gateway for both the State of Iowa and the City of Council Bluffs. It creates a destination . that can be seen from miles away. For drivers passing under the bridge, the sculptures tower up to 100 feet above the interstate, establishing a true sense of place.

Bringing "Odyssey" to Council Bluffs was a partnership between the Iowa West Foundation and Iowa DOT. The Iowa West Foundation commissioned and purchased the artwork, and Iowa DOT engineers designed sculpture platforms and made sure the sculptures were structurally sound and able to withstand the wind, ice and snow common in Iowa winters.

Albert Paley (born 1944) is an American modernist metal sculptor. Initially starting out as a jeweler, Paley has become one of the most distinguished and influential metalsmiths in the world. Within each of his works, three foundational elements stay true: the natural environment, the built environment, and the human presence. Paley is the first metal sculptor to have received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Institute of Architects. 

Four sculptures, created with three different metals
 (stainless steel, weathering steel and bronze plate) make up "Odyssey."

I really like when the name of the highway
is painted on the highway.

We are parked for the night at a Rest Area just passed
Council Bluffs. This was today's destination.
Mission accomplished.

The wind was with us all day but as luck would have it it was coming our of the north and so we had a tail wind. Stopped for the day the parking was east/west and we could feel the wind hitting on the driver's side of the rig. It really was not that bad nor was the noise from the highway. We both had a good nights sleep.

Saturday, April 29, 2023

When we pulled out of the rest area Saturday morning we had no idea where we would be stopping for the night. I had  called a couple of Walmarts and both had told me no overnight parking allowed. Checking the route we had planned on taking there were no rest areas listed. I had done some research on City and County Parks along the route and I could not find any information about what size rigs would fit in their sites so that option was out. So in the end we made the decision to continue south to the Missouri Welcome Center to see if they would be able to give us some help.

Sitting having my coffee this morning this little guy 
landed in the tree out our front window.

Walking back to check our lights and roll
I decided to snap this picture.

Pretty much the whole ride today on I-29 we could see the green.

Then in the sky I could see a coffee pot.

Missouri 
The Show-Me-State

Then we spotted the Welcome Center and pulled in. Going inside to check for information we lucked out, the two woman working were both welcoming and helpful. Armed with the information they gave us we went back out to the Stinger "B" and looked at our options. The decision was to turn east at St. Joseph and take US-36 across to Hannibal where we would cross into Illinois. If you are wondering, the answer is yes, we are farther south then we planned but sometimes things work out better then you think they will. Before we left the Welcome Center we made some calls, did some checking, and decided to stop at the Pershing State Park for two nights which stretched to three. More about that in the next post

First Lilac spotting.

A dandelion and a "wish".

I spotted this guy across the way at the Welcome Center.

We passed by several Redbuds today.

Almost to our exit where we will turn east.

We were coming up a hill and this guy looked like he
was heading for a landing on our right.

Tom drove us down and up several times today.

This would be a first.
We have never seen anyone working up on a water tower before.

It has been a while but today we passed a vehicle.
It was interesting, to say the least, the way whatever 
this was, was tied down. They had a sun roof and the
ropes did go down in through it.

We have turned on to MO-30 which will take us to our stop
Pershing State Park.

Pershing State Park is a public recreation area covering more than 5,000 acres (2,000 ha) off U.S. Route 36, three miles west of Laclede in Linn County, Missouri. The state park was named in honor of General of the Armies John J. Pershing, who led the United States forces in Europe in World War I and who grew up in Laclede.

Looking out our front window, Saturday afternoon 
just after we pulled in. What we can see are
families and children enjoying their weekend.

When we stopped Friday for the night the wind was still blowing strong coming out of the north. Parked we were looking towards the east out the front window of the Stinger "B". I saw this little guy land way out on this branch facing north. I mentioned to Tom in this wind he must be holding on for dear life. A quote I have in my collection came to mind and it is under the picture below.

“A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking,
 because her trust is not on the branch but on it’s own wings.
 Always believe in yourself” – Unknown

We are glad you stopped by!

If you have time to leave a comment we would enjoy hearing from you.