The Month Of July

July saw the Geofamily on the road for many days.  Three trips total.

One was planned.  That was the Daisy National BB Gun Championship Match (hereafter just referred to as "Nationals").  Took place in early July.

The other two, however, were not on our radar.  These were to the same destination:  Rochester, MN.

Yes.  Mayo Clinic.

I appreciate your concern but while I won't disclose the nature of the treatment or which family member received care I will say that the condition was NOT life-threatening.  Our local doctor decided the condition was outside of his scope of practice and referred us to Mayo.

Therefore we had two impromptu road trips just shortly after arriving back from Nationals.

However we all decided to make the best of things.  First, this is a place (and state) where none of us has been.  Second, we would be close to yet another new state (Wisconsin) and could scratch that one also off our list.  Please refer back to this entry.

Second, the ladies in the family doing what females do, they decided to get in some shopping while we were away from the small burg we call home.  And third, since we were so close, hey why not visit the Twin Cities?

So on the road we went.  Four states in one day.  And since we're not in New England four states in one day tells you just what a long road trip we had.

Heading to Omaha was nothing new.  Heck, the car probably knows the way without our assistance.  Geogal did spend about a month there last year while in professional school.

Next we cross the Missouri river into Iowa.  Previously the only part of Iowa we saw was Council Bluffs so once we were out of the city limits it was all new territory.

I had something of a surprise.  I always thought of Iowa as a flat state and it certainly fits that bill in some areas.  However the stretch between Council Bluffs and Des Moines was surprisingly up-down, up-down.  Some relief in the topography, as my father would say.

Get to Des Moines and leave I-80 for I-35.  Heading north I enjoyed the view of some really tall TV and FM transmitter towers.  Heck, if the stations near where I live had towers that height I would have no trouble pulling in the signals.  But I digress…

After Ames is when fatigue sets in.  Now this is the flat Iowa I envisioned.  No towns or anything of any consequence until Clear Lake.  A good 80 miles of nothing but a lot of farms.  And corn fields.  Lots and lots of corn fields.

But then you get to Clear Lake.  If that name sounds just a little familiar, it was the setting for rock and roll's first tragedy.  The plane crash site is just a bit west of the interstate but there is no memorial or descanso along 35 itself.

Heading north from Clear Lake you then have the anticipation of another state.  Sure enough, just a short drive takes one over the Minnesota line.  A mere 10 miles and you are in Albert Lea and ready to head east on Interstate 90.

Go past Austin (Minnesota, not Texas) and about a half-hour of patience rewards you with the Rochester exit.

All in all the drive takes us around 10 hours.

However the travel time is worth it.  Mayo is impressive (and that term still seems insufficient) and the whole time I was there I kept trying to digest the fact that I was on the grounds of the best medical care provider on the whole planet.

Wow.

Then we had the first return trip.  Will cover that in the next entry.