Indiana, Wisconsin & Iowa (20-21 May 2007)

After a quick stop in Indiana, I made my way to Wisconsin where I’d cunningly booked a hotel which was just 2 miles from the beach. Ever so eager to check out the sand, I quickly got directions from the hotel who told me it would be a nice 2 mile run but warned me there was a good and a bad side. Well, 2 miles later, no sign of a beach, I realised that the area didn’t look particularly ‘good’ so I asked a nice lady for directions. She told me that I “looked hot” and that I “turned her on” but wasn’t particularly helpful in providing me with directions to Lake Michigan. After a sighting of a wolf on the other side of the road, I decided to retreat and leave the beach for the next morning. I went for the car option this time and I have to say, I was impressed. Considering it is only a lake, it did a pretty good impression of an ocean with a gorgeous beach.

The beach fun delayed my departure, so I sped along the freeway in the direction of Iowa. But the road soon felt very bumpy and I stopped at the side of the road, thinking my 4th tyre was flat. All seemed good with the world, but as I started driving I noticed a couple of horse and carts with people dressed in black. Either I’d gone back in time or I’d strayed into an Amish community. I figured it was the latter and realised that their way of life included keeping their roads in poor state. I was unbelievably tempted to stop to take a photo, but wasn't sure how they'd react to that new invention, the camera.

Leaving the horse and carts behind, I arrived at the scenic 'Great River Road which runs along the Mississippi river crossing the state boundary between Iowa and Wisconsin (see left pic). Despite many people telling me that there was nothing worth seeing in Iowa, I beg to differ and thought it was beautifully beautiful. I kept expecting Huckleberry Finn to jump out at any moment and run along those rail tracks.