2005-07-27 La Crosse to Oacoma, South Dakota
08:30 About to leave La Crosse. Very simple directions. Join I-90 going West and keep going for 427 miles.
09:00 On our way. The departure from La Crosse is spectacular, driving slightly above the broad body of water above lock number 7 on the Mississippi.
10:40 Coffee and a fuel stop at a MacDonalds somewhere around Albert Lea, Minnesota.
12:15 Making excellent progress. Now that we are into the Mid West traffic is much lighter and even the road works are not much of a hold up. The speed limits are gradually increasing. 65mph in Wisconsin, up to 70mph in Minnesota. We decide to press on before another stop.
13:07 Just across the state border into South Dakota and the speed limit is up to 75mph, we are stopped at a rest place with information about South Dakota. With less than 150 miles to go, we have time to divert away from the freeway for a while. The local guide recommends that we visit the Falls in Sioux Falls.
13:30 A visit to the Falls Park in Sioux Falls. The falls, barely 100' from top to bottom are the reason that the city exists. In early times it attracted natives. In more recent times, its hydro-electric power plant provided the power for a modern city. The generators have now gone and the falls have been restored to something similar to their original form.
15:25 Back on I-90 heading West. As soon as we reached South Dakota, the hoardings started. There were advertising hoardings almost every 100 yards along the freeway, mostly advertising Wall Drug and Rushmore Caverns. Any impression of the vastness of plains was completely diminished.
17:00 Approaching the Missouri river, the last rest stop is a scenic overview with a great view of the river and the bridges that tamed it.
18:50 After checking in at our hotel, the Holiday Inn Express in Oacoma, we went in search of the Missouri River. The hotel claimed a riverside location; that wasn't quite accurate. So we drove about five blocks and then down a dirt-track to a deserted area of the river bank. At this point, the banks of the Missouri are not developed in any way, so it is probably more or less the same as when Lewis and Clarke first cross the continent. Total distance travelled on day 5: 447 miles.
Read More09:00 On our way. The departure from La Crosse is spectacular, driving slightly above the broad body of water above lock number 7 on the Mississippi.
10:40 Coffee and a fuel stop at a MacDonalds somewhere around Albert Lea, Minnesota.
12:15 Making excellent progress. Now that we are into the Mid West traffic is much lighter and even the road works are not much of a hold up. The speed limits are gradually increasing. 65mph in Wisconsin, up to 70mph in Minnesota. We decide to press on before another stop.
13:07 Just across the state border into South Dakota and the speed limit is up to 75mph, we are stopped at a rest place with information about South Dakota. With less than 150 miles to go, we have time to divert away from the freeway for a while. The local guide recommends that we visit the Falls in Sioux Falls.
13:30 A visit to the Falls Park in Sioux Falls. The falls, barely 100' from top to bottom are the reason that the city exists. In early times it attracted natives. In more recent times, its hydro-electric power plant provided the power for a modern city. The generators have now gone and the falls have been restored to something similar to their original form.
15:25 Back on I-90 heading West. As soon as we reached South Dakota, the hoardings started. There were advertising hoardings almost every 100 yards along the freeway, mostly advertising Wall Drug and Rushmore Caverns. Any impression of the vastness of plains was completely diminished.
17:00 Approaching the Missouri river, the last rest stop is a scenic overview with a great view of the river and the bridges that tamed it.
18:50 After checking in at our hotel, the Holiday Inn Express in Oacoma, we went in search of the Missouri River. The hotel claimed a riverside location; that wasn't quite accurate. So we drove about five blocks and then down a dirt-track to a deserted area of the river bank. At this point, the banks of the Missouri are not developed in any way, so it is probably more or less the same as when Lewis and Clarke first cross the continent. Total distance travelled on day 5: 447 miles.
