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6:00 am wake up call. I was really sleeping hard when the phone rang, but I need to get going. I am planning on going to the capitol before I bring the car in for servicing at 7 am. the capitol of Iowa sits right on the river, its beautiful. I'm thankful the sun is still behind the dome for my picture.
The car is serviced, gas door repaired and I'm back on the road. Its only 9:45 am.
I initially m going to head for Sioux City Iowa. Joel, a college buddy, has told me about the wooden boats on spirit lake. I decide to drive north rather than west.
After 1 1/2 hours of driving around Lake Okaboji and Spirit Lake, I have seen no wooden boats. This place makes me yearn for mom's place in Minnesota. I'll be there Saturday.
It has now clouded over and the sun is hidden in the clouds ahead are sure getting dark. The emergency broadcast comes on, severe thunderstorms and hail up to 3/4" has been reported in Northwestern Iowa. Guess where I am? (Uh-huh!)
I keep driving, thinking that I can pull into one of the several tree-lined farm yards for cover if needed. There are large bolts of lighting, close to the ground, ahead, several minutes later, there is an ambulance behind me and I wonder.....
Luckily, the storm moves south of the highway, not before I get some heavy rain. I knew I shouldn't have washed the car!
Heading west on the interstate from Sioux Falls, I still have not decided how to get to Pierre, the capitol. Highway 50 north of Chamberlain will bring me along the Missouri River and through the Crow-Sioux Indian reservation.
There is no traffic and the view of the river in the late afternoon sun is spectacular. I am taking my time enjoying the scenery, thinking how thankful, lucky and fortunate I am.
When they talk about the WIDE Missouri, they weren't kidding. I'm guessing its 600 +/- yards across. I pull down a river access road. There are two fisherman fishing from the shore, The water is like a sheet of glass and they have the whole river to themselves. They are fishing for walleye and not having very good luck. A carp swims next to the shore, leaving a wake behind.
All the other fisherman and boats have gone in. The one gentleman, about my age, has me look towards the western horizon. You can barely see the water tower. That's Pierre, about 14 miles STRAIGHT down the river. STRAIGHT down the river.
The older gentleman is from Kentucky and this man from Indiana. I ask I can take their picture and present the card. He asks if I had ever heard of the sticker car. No, I had not, he explains that he meet the guy several years ago and that the sticker car was driven all over the US collecting stickers wherever he went.
Thanking them for the information and letting me share in their serenity, I move on towards Pierre in the setting sun. Beautiful.
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