Sioux Falls S.D. to Sioux Center, Iowa (91 miles)

It was a beautiful morning, and Cal began riding where he stopped yesterday afternoon due to the storm. He rode 48 miles before reaching the Minnesota border. We had lunch in Hills, Minnesota.  He rode a total of 15 miles in Minnesota before reaching Iowa. We just caught the corner of Minnesota, but that was our 6^th state.  Cal rode a total 90 miles today so that we made it to Sioux Center, Iowa by tonight. Cal was ready to stop as the temperature this afternoon was in the mid 80’s and the terrain was rolling hills.    

The crops are looking great in this part of the State, and everything is a healthy green.  The farmers are cutting hay. They even cut the grasses in the ditch and bail them. I like the designs in the fields of new mown hay.

Bailing Hay in the Wide Road Ditches



Design in the Field of Newly Cut Hay



Cal watches his odometer very close as he rides, keeping track of distances he has to go between towns.  Today he realized how accurate the roads are in this part of the country.  They are 1 mile apart regardless which direction you go. He rode 90 miles today, and through the duration of those 90 miles, cross road intersections did not vary – this included going through towns. Surrveyor of long ago were correct.   

The farmsteads in this part of the country have natural windbreaks around their buildings.  Here are photos of a newly planted and another photo of mature plantings.        

Mature Wind Break Around a Homestead

Newly Planted Wind Break



Mature Wind Break Around a Homestead



I took several landscape photos today, but the camera was on a wrong setting, so those photos are too dark.  I will take more tomorrow – beautiful fields of corn and bean, beans and corn, and more corn and beans, but that is our beautiful rolling Iowa.   

It was great to reach Iowa today! Home! Everything is so green!

Minnesota Welcome Sign

Iowa Welcome Sign - Great to be back in the Home State



Tri-State Monument - Location where Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota Meet 



Even thought we are in the northwest corner of the State, we are in HyVee land, and Pizza Ranch land (these are two Iowa businesses we began to see today). For those of you who are not from Iowa, HyVee is an employee owned grocery chain in the Midwest with Corporate offices in Iowa.  Cal and I eat breakfast at our local Mt Pleasant HyVee Deli several mornings each week when we are home.  Pizza Ranch is a pizza chain located in small towns in the Midwest.  Just today we learned their corporate offices are in Orange City, Iowa.  They began in the little town of Hull, Iowa. I forget where we were in South Dakota when we saw our first Kum & Go Convenience store, but we knew we were getting close to home!

Sioux Center is town settled by Dutch immigrants and it still has a heavy Dutch influence. Dordt College, a private Reformed College is located here. From the looks of things, it is a growing town. Tomorrow, Sunday, no stores will be open except HyVee and Wal-Mart.