Day 10
Fort Dodge, IA to Valentine, NE
BTW: Smokie is a big suck, just like my boy cat, Percy. He sat and let me stroke him for at least 5 minutes while he sat up on top of the counter.
Map of Day 10 to left.
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Day 10Fort Dodge, IA to Valentine, NE |
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Did I tell you how lucky I was to get a motel room in Fort Dodge? They are building an ethanol plant west of the city and all the workers are staying in motels and hotels in town. In this picture, it was around 7:30 a.m. but everyone has already gone to work. |
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I travelled out of Dodge (hehehe) on #7 which is a long straight highway west. I saw many farms with traditional red barns. |
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It was a warm sunny day and the colors surrounding me were pretty. |
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In the distance (I doubt you'll make any of them out... they're so far away they're only white specks on the horizon) was a wind farm. There had to have been at least 50, maybe even 100 wind turbines. |
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More farms... |
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...and related structures. |
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There was another wind farm near where I turned off Hwy 7 to head back onto #20. |
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There might have been another 50 turbines. They faced in several different directions to pick up prevailing winds. Not even ONE of them was turning... no wind! |
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Not very good for those who depend on the turbines' power but great for motorcycle riders taking a ride on a highway! :) |
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What can I tell you? Yet more farms! |
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A pretty home in Correctionville. |
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This building looked weird because it actually below the height of the highway. Only its roof stuck out above the highway. |
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A farm truck leaving a dust trail as it tears down a farm road. |
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Just shy of Sioux City, the land began to "roll" again. |
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Fall colors were beginning to blend in with summer ones. |
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I honestly forget where this was... |
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... maybe Holland?? |
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I do know that as I was illegally parked along the road... |
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...a police cruiser went by, turned around and came back. Did I get in trouble? No. But the officer did ask if I was having trouble. |
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A greenhouse? |
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When I stopped for gas in Randolph, this cute Westie, complete with summer haircut, greeted me. |
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I asked the garage owner if it was his dog. "Heck no! That pesky dog just likes to come from down the street to visit me." The dog probably comes back over and over again because suckers like me give him scraps of food! |
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Need I tell you?? |
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O'Neill has a shamrock painted on a major intersection of town. |
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I arrived in Valentine around 5:30. I had another welcoming committee. |
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This is Smokie, the owners' cat. Smokie came to the Trade Winds Motel when he was just a wee kitten. He had climbed somewhere inside a car and as the people drove, they heard a little mewing. Luckily Smokie was rescued from somewhere near the wheel well. BTW: Smokie is a big suck, just like my boy cat, Percy. He sat and let me stroke him for at least 5 minutes while he sat up on top of the counter. |
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A guest checking in had two Schnauzers. This is the little boy. |
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After putting my stuff away, I drove back the way I had come into town to take pictures. I took a little detour to get this picture of the road into town. |
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My detour took me over the Bryan Bridge which was declared a historical site because there is no other bridge engineered just like it. It was built in 1932. |
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South of Bryan Bridge... |
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Views north of Bryan Bridge towards the newer highway bridge... |
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Views from the new bridge looking back towards Bryan Bridge... |
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Views looking north towards the railway bridge... |
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I took a "shadow" picture of myself on my bike. My shadow blends into all the summer/fall mix of colors. Neat! |
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Map of Day 10 to left. |