Page 17 - USA ROAD TRIP SUMMER of 2000

farmland.

The hills were rolling so we would get up on a crest of a hill and be
able to see for mile in all directions. What we saw was a sea of

neatly arranged cornfields. Those sections that were cut were
done so on the contours of the hills producing a tableau of greens

and golden yellows with white farmhouses and red barns jutting
up out of the waving stalks. A glorious sight.

At Dubuque, Iowa, we crossed the Mississippi back into

Wisconsin. In this area along the river, the road ran up to the high

bluffs and then plunged back to river level over and over again.
There was also more forest then farming. Talked with a couple of

local men to learn more about the area.

They still milk the cows twice a day as we did on my grandfather’s
dairy farm in Central New York. But instead of the farmer having

to transport his milk to a central milk station, tank trucks come to
the farm every other day to pick up the milk. There has been

consolidation of dairy farming with Land-o-Lakes and Foremost

having contracts with various farms for their milk.

The corn has to be cut at maturity. There would not be enough
barges to carry it all away at once. We learned that there had

been a white sand mining operation in Iowa near the river. The
mine stretched back for miles into the hills. Those mines

maintained a constant temperature and humidity. They are NOW
used to store the corn and soybeans between harvesting and

shipping. Clever.

This was a long day with many firsts in our books of experiences.

Just what I’d hoped for in making this trip. It’s so exciting to see
our fellow citizens working and playing so hard with skills and

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