Corn, corn and more corn as far as the eye can see

I had no idea of the number of farms and amount of corn being grown in the upper Midwest. So far we have come across major corn fields uninterrupted from west-central South Dakota on through Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. I am in awe at the amount of corn based products we must consume to support so many farms. To think about the many uses for corn reminded me of the scene from the movie Forest Gump when Bubba names all the different ways to prepare shrimp. Of course his accent makes the scene.

The farms are as varied as can be and we passed through many farms who have barns that are noted on a Barn Quilt tour in this region. Ironically the Barn Quilt is not a quilt you hang over the rocking chair or lay on the bed, it is a large square piece of wood painted with geometric patterns to represent a square of a quilt. They are large and attached to the end of a barn to showcase the pattern, color and add some interest to the barn. Here is a link for more info on Barn Quilts in America. Sadly, I did not take any photos of them I can find. http://barnquiltinfo.com/

We had a long drive day and it was windy which offers a solid upper body workout keeping our circus train in our lane.

At least his face is safe.

We got a far as Mitchell South Dakota before we stopped. We needed to catch up on school, banking and laundry. The kids have been working on journals of our trip and some nights they take over our entire living space.

We stayed just off the highway for two days in an old KOA that was privatized.  It was hot and the place was pretty empty except for the flies. Oh man the flies were relentless. Open the door and three or more would get in despite our best efforts to keep them out. Budget friendly and just what you might expect in the middle of a rural farming community. While it was no five-star facility we always try to look at the positive side of any locale.

No frills, but had all the essentials plus the ever wonderful WIFI. The pool was closed for the season but the playground had a lot to keep the kids busy on their free time. All dirt roads but plenty of large shade trees as it was the warmest we had been since mesquite Nevada. Run by a friendly couple, they employed their elderly mother with the tasks of keeping the place clean and tidy. She could work circles around her grown children. They left us to our own devices and gave us free reign of the place. Glad to move on to Forest City, Iowa and the Winnebago factory tour.