We have been "on the road" every night since last sunday, 8 days! All has been an adventure and a learning experience about America. We saw many big industrial warehouses and plants all using the Mississippi River and the Rail road tracks that ply her banks as the roadway to get goods out of middle America and down to New Orleans. In the very old days, farmers used to build barges and float their goods down to New Orleans, sell the barges and goods, and walk back home; hence the Natchez Trace which is the walking path back to Ohio and farther north. Last night we stayed in a lovely town called Quincy. Found the American Legion and met some wonderful people and listened to country tunes and a beautiful rendition of God Bless America when every one took their hats off and covered their hearts. I fully expected this morning to stop half way to LaCrosse, but we just "never felt the vibe." Several towns I had great literature on, we were through, never saw the river, and out the other side…. Many of the towns are falling in population; they have 100 to 400 people… no hotels… so we decided to head for Prairie du Chien that I had some good info on. Went on "the river road" and never saw the river. I think what happens is, the Mississippi meanders for one thing, and she floods and river fronts change… and roads get renumbered!!!… so things in literature, don’t exist any more. We sailed through Prairie du Chien… Then we decided to just come on into La Crosse that has a big river front and parks and a boat ride. But along the way, I yelled, "Stop! we gotta see this!"… It was in a little town called Dickeyville, Wisconsin… The Holy Ghost Garden and Grotto. A giant hand-built grotto with all kinds of statues and tributes to both saints and American heroes including the Patriots who made the nation (Liberty), to Lincoln who brought union… and then… the parish church was open so I thanked God in person, and we went down into the church basement to buy stuff at their yard sale!!!!! Amazing! We now have filled the car. As we drove north I realized the landscape has changed. The flat delta of Mississippi, Arkansas and Missouri has become "bluffs" and "mounds! There are even signs for snow skiing!!!!! River is wide and towns don’t need levis as they have Bluffs. We got to LaCrosse, but again, the river front is mostly warehouses and the trains… and Chuck was about to drive on through and I, consulting my tourist map from which I selected our Anniversary town, I said: "No!" there are hotels coming and indeed, we found an AmericInn (We stayed in one of these a few years ago and I feel vaguely unAmerican as they don’t really spell out America…) anyhow we took this room for 2 nights and it is RIGHT ON the river!!!! Tonight we will go out and sip wine and watch the sunset to the west over the river!!! from our hotel "back yard". It is an old Best Western and we got a great room for $80 a night (AARP discount). So the motto is, never give up. We called Mike Utech, old Navy buddy and we will head for his house outside St Paul Minneapolis, but first we have a few nights here in LaCrosse and crawling up the Great River Road to St Paul. God bless us! God bless America!
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