Deflection

For this evening, I watched the evening coming in high on the south bluff of the Wisconsin River, with the city of Prairie du Chien just off the left and the Mississippi River on my left. If you have not guessed where I am at, you guessed it: I am in the Wyalusing State Park. The sun went under the clouds early, but just before night, I took a photo of the railroad bridge that travels along the east side of the Mississippi River. I find it interesting, for all the years that I was in Iowa, I often went to Pikes Pike State Park in Iowa, and I often took a photo of the railroad bridges. Now I have photos taken on both sides of the bridge.

On Tuesday, I picked up my RV trailer in Urban, Iowa, and then I drove to Ames for the evening, since I had to go to the bank on Wednesday morning. It is interesting that I opened a checking account there in 1985. Although I worked in Cedar Rapids since 1999, there was alway a hope that I would get back to Ames. And, it is tough for my to visit Ames, since I really enjoyed living in that city. Although the reasons are hard to describe, but I felt like I was part of the university and, with the transient people there, it seemed like it was so easy to make friends. For example, I was with close friends for Ames, Jim Grove and his family. When I was getting behind packing my stuff from the house that I was moving out of last month, they came over for a day and help me pack. It was hard leaving Ames yesterday, since Ames has always felt like home.

The day that I closed on my house it was raining. So the items that I was going to put in the back of my truck, I put in the trailer, so I have a lot of extra stuff in my trailer and there is stuff that I am going to needed for the next two weeks. It will be good to get it back home and unloaded.

On my way back from Ames, I stopped at the Dyersville Office to visit the staff, especially Marion. Over the past years, we have developed a good friendship. But, before I got there, Art Gourley and family got there ahead of me. They wanted to look at my trailer, incase that they want to buy one in the future. Over the years, Art and I worked on so many bridge and highway project that we developed a great friendship. We visited until 9:00 last evening. These are other reasons that make it so hard to leave Iowa. I do not know if our younger generation would agree to this or not, but life is about the great friendships that you make.

I was going to travel along the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers and review the roadside geology, but I have found my self to be tired, so I am just going to take US 18 back to Dodgeville tomorrow.

Roger