Back in Iowa Again.

Leaving St. Joseph, Missouri, this morning about 10 in very cloudy but warm weather.  We were heading north toward Des Moines, Iowa, about 162 miles away.

The road left the rolling hills of northwest Missouri and settled into the prairies of southwestern Iowa.

Through Savannah, Maryville, Clarinda and Villisca, US 71 goes due north. Near Atlantic, IA, we encountered a very large truck with 3 drive axles and a very, very long articulated trailer.

The truck turned the corner near the light post, where the tanker truck is behind the tree, taking up all of the intersection.  Of course, there were pilot cars everywhere, but is was amazing to watch the trailer "steer" around the corner. All traffic both ways stopped to allow the crew to turn the corner, and they were out all over the road checking clearances.  The rear of the long trailer is connected to the truck pulling it in such a fashion that the wheels steer automatically around the corner much like a "hook and ladder" fire truck!

Once on I80 heading east, we noticed an entire farm of energy producing windmills.  It's hard to guess, but since we've seen a number of those large, long trucks carrying long white tubes, we're surmising that the tubes must be part of the base of a windmill.

And so on through Adair, Casey and Stuart. Through a driving rainstorm that developed back about Morton Mills, we found our Campground, the Des Moines West KOA.  We normally don't stay in a lot of KOA's, but the Iowa State Fair starts tomorrow and so every rv site for a hundred miles is full.  While the price is not a bargain, the sites are large and wide, with grass and fire rings. Unfortunately, the actual parking spot is gravel, and the rain is quickly making mud of it.  No matter, we're safe and sound inside, and Gus is parked behind the motorhome getting a free carwash!  The wet roads coming in this afternoon made a complete mess of both Nessie and Gus. When the weather clears, we'll attempt a thorough carwash.

We just heard on the local news that the parade the kicks off the State Fair is scheduled for this evening!  The plan is to proceed, but I don't anticipate a large crowd due to the rain.  Sturdy people, these Iowans!