Cal & Rachel Litwiller's Adventures

Wednesday, August 30, 2017 – Mt Pleasant to Chamberlain, SD

We were awake soon after 7:00 this morning with all kinds of things on our minds as final preparation for our trip. Rachel had to go to the hospital to draw blood for her annual blood test, and Cal carried some of the last items to the Acadia. We went through our check list to make sure we closed everything down as we wanted. By 8:30 we were on the road to Iowa City to have breakfast with Cal’s brother, Wilbur and his wife, Mary at the Village Inn. They wanted to see what the Acadia looked like when it was loaded and ready to go. When the seats are down and a mattress over the top, there is not much storage. Our packing is very minimalist.

We were on the road at 10:30, leaving Iowa City on Interstate 80, heading west. The rest of the day was uneventful, as we drove toward South Dakota. By 6:30pm we made it to Chamberlain, SD and an AmericInn hotel for the night. Before moving into the hotel, we found a nice local restaurant. Chamberlain is on the Missouri river, so when we were finished with dinner we drove across the river to see the area. The Missouri river is surprisingly wide at Chamberlain.

The summer landscape in Iowa this year is lush green corn and soybean fields. Western Iowa has a huge amount of terraces in the fields. Here in South Dakota we have seen fields of sunflowers. At this time of the season, their stalks are brown and their heads are hanging down. There is not a hint of yellow.

As you look at the S Dakota landscape of rolling hills, you can imagine bison/buffalo roaming the area in herds.