The great waterway

The Great River Road was an idea that began to circulate among the governors of the 10 states that were connected by this great water transportation route as far back as 1938. The original idea was to build a unique road along this magnificent waterway. But they realized that it would use of a lot of resources including land and money for a Special" road. So it was decided that they would utilize the already existing network of rural roads and then fledgling hyways. It was called the Great River Road National Scenic Byway.

I traveled another leg of the GRR today from Dubuque IA up to Praire de Chain, then over to the Wisconsin side up to LaCross. During much of this drive the larger part of the river was obscured from view by long island close to the wisconsin side. Then it opened up to the grand views in the pics.

The towns I passed through were mostly small and quaint, a few of them larger.

I found some of the town marquee's very interesting. The one pictured in this post if from New Vienna, IA and the slogan... New Vienna, the eNVy of Iowa.

Well because of a time factor and having to make the twin cities for District conference I left the GRR at LaCross and took the fast Interstate to Rochester and then uo the the TC, arriving at my hotel jst in time to get checked in and showered before going to the "family dinner".

So! That's all for now!

Don't forget...you can catch the GRR at almost any point along the Mississippi River from Lake Itasca to New Orleans. Have a fun Road Trip!

The Freeway or the Scenicway

The Interstate system is a great way to get somewhere fast. Today for instance, I needed to get from northwestern Indiana to at least half way to Minneapolis. I was trying to avoid taking the same route home as when went so I chose to stay on the Interstate accross central Illinois. I love to see the country I travel through. Central Il. is mostly farm land and today it was good soil waiting to receive the seed of the new year. While interesting, the view got old quickly. 4 hours of the same looking fields. My point is that the freeway was a good choice for that drive. But my ford turned off the freeway at Moline Il. and turned on Hwy 84 and the Great River Road. The speedometer dialed down to 55 (any slower and the cars behind me get anxious)and I settled in to a relaxing and scenic drive.

The Great River Road runs nearly 3000 miles through 10 states along the Mississippi River. My childhood home was situated on the Great River Road in east central MN., and I have driven on the GRR through most of Minnesota. But that is only a very small part of the very scenic and exciting pathway through the USA. Today I traveled about 150 along the GRR going North from Moline. Tomorrow I will be meandering through WIS along the GRR, taking in all the sights and sounds I can.

So, while the freeway has it's advantages, perhaps even a specific purpose, it's hard to really experience the journey at 70mph. Slowing down, even stopping from time to time can give you a whole new appreciation of some of the greatest parts of the country.

Next time you travel, give some consideration to your trip. Do you really have to hurry! hurry! hurry! or can you slow down and experience someplace new?