The highest peak in Mississippi is about 800 feet. It'll make yer nose bleed!Yep, if ya bear south, southwest from where the 1st pic is taken, ya go all the way to "The Heart of Dixie": AL & east MS
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The American Heartland....a love story (LOL)
- Thread starter jpdevol
- Start date
Hey JP, I work for Steel Dynamics. You sure the plant was in IL? Not familiar with one there, but we have a few here in northern IN.
I might have been across the line in WI - it's north of Rockford, IL........huge building, bearing SDI logo, off the west side of I-90 with several big scrap piles out back
Addendum 1.0 - Rivers: So I passed through a very unique point in middle America enroute to the Ozarks (a little shortcut of mine off the beaten path) and, on the return had to shoot a couple of pics (from the cockpit) to share:
Here tis: old US Route60 across the confluence of the Upper Mississippi and Ohio Rivers
First, we exit I-57 and continue through the last of the flatland of far eastern Missouri and enter a very ricketty (really ricketty; GPS shows it closed)
After which we cross the cargo laden mouth of the Upper Mississipi and briefly cross the southern tip of Illinios (maybe a minute).
Then we hang a right and cross another rickety bridge across the much larger Ohio River and into Kentucky.
At this point, the Ohio provides 2/3rd's the flow to the mighty Lower Mississippi as it travels toward the Gulf of Mexico
Awesome: I love this country!
Here tis: old US Route60 across the confluence of the Upper Mississippi and Ohio Rivers
First, we exit I-57 and continue through the last of the flatland of far eastern Missouri and enter a very ricketty (really ricketty; GPS shows it closed)
After which we cross the cargo laden mouth of the Upper Mississipi and briefly cross the southern tip of Illinios (maybe a minute).
At this point, the Ohio provides 2/3rd's the flow to the mighty Lower Mississippi as it travels toward the Gulf of Mexico
Awesome: I love this country!
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La Belle Rivière.
I couldn't agree more. Glad you enjoyed yourself. Nothing like a road trip through the heartland to cure what ails ya'.I've spent a wonderful couple days driving through the US "Heartland" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heartland_(United_States) while chasing a particularly handsome vintage motorcycle. I just love this part of the country; the people are real, the lifestyle is real. Folks even drive more politely here - no road rage - you pass in the "passing lane" and you use your signal and return to the right lane. No riding along in the left oblivious to traffic behind you and folks move over to let oncoming traffic merge - that sorta thing - they pay attention.
This is the part of the country that makes things. One of the things made here is your food: fertile fields ready for crops as far as the eye can see - for hundreds, nay, thousands of miles. Just look at the hue of that soil:
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They produce things here. Your steel comes from here (historically Pittsburgh PA) and I passed a big Steel Dynamics plant today in northern IL. Your oil comes from here: Texas, famously, but oil was first discovered in PA and WV (debate) and Rockefeller and Standard Oil was in Cleveland OH. The coal that powers your lights comes from here: southern IL has one of the most abundant coalfields, mostly once owned by a proud Mountaineer, Chris Cline (RIP). Taint as good as low sulphur WV coal but..... I also passed hundreds and hundreds of Wind Power turbines this trip, so the Heartland is producing that too:
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So, I love it here. Them coastal elites can kiss my ass because this is where folks actually produce shit, not just manipulate some angle on the fringes. You can actually ride a motorcycle here because the traffic is not a total mess, drivers pay attention and they're relatively courteous. The real part of this country is in the middle. The stuff on the coast....it's popular (crowded rat race). Take Palm Beach County, for example, produces nothing,as far as I know, except willfully ignorant, narcissistic assholes (not the former Pres. LOL).
Oh yeah, I'm at the hotel for the night and I'm only taking-up 5 spaces
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Even though Illinois is a pretty state, I don't go there due to the fact I'm always armed and I won't risk it as they do not honor any other states CWP.
Addendum 1.2 - Nuther shortcut and more river: After crossing Eastern KY on I-64, we exit after crossing into WV at Huntington (cuz the traffic & pavement between there and Charleston suck) and take WV 2 and OH 7 north, following the Ohio River.
At Gallipolis, OH there's a big marine installation - including drydock - to service all your barge and towboat needs
We cross the Ohio there and it's a little muddy today; musta been a good bit of rain upriver. The Ohio is usually very clear. The word "Ohio" comes from native Iroquois language and means "beautiful river". We'll cross it once more, at Parkersburg, enroute home.
At Gallipolis, OH there's a big marine installation - including drydock - to service all your barge and towboat needs
We cross the Ohio there and it's a little muddy today; musta been a good bit of rain upriver. The Ohio is usually very clear. The word "Ohio" comes from native Iroquois language and means "beautiful river". We'll cross it once more, at Parkersburg, enroute home.
Love it.
We're just a little east of Carrollton, Kentucky where the Kentucky River dumps into the Ohio....Hoosier side.
These are the original interstates, these waterways. Yeah, springtime and fields freshly plowed in the Kentucky interior show up as chocolate milk entering the Ohio at Carrollton after a good rainfall. The original Michigan Road that goes overland north to Michigan began at Lamb, Indiana, directly across from where the Kentucky dumps into the Ohio. Michigan copper found in Tennessee, mound builder artifacts.
Big Bone Lick in Kentucky where Mary Draper Ingles escaped from Shawnee captivity to work her way back to West Virginia by following the river.....there's a story. That's across the river from our county. She couldn't swim so she would follow th Ohio until she hit a creek and then follow the creek in to where she could wade across and then follow it back to the Ohio , continue on to the next creek and do it again. "Follow the River".
That's enough.
Beautiful country, beautiful river.
We're just a little east of Carrollton, Kentucky where the Kentucky River dumps into the Ohio....Hoosier side.
These are the original interstates, these waterways. Yeah, springtime and fields freshly plowed in the Kentucky interior show up as chocolate milk entering the Ohio at Carrollton after a good rainfall. The original Michigan Road that goes overland north to Michigan began at Lamb, Indiana, directly across from where the Kentucky dumps into the Ohio. Michigan copper found in Tennessee, mound builder artifacts.
Big Bone Lick in Kentucky where Mary Draper Ingles escaped from Shawnee captivity to work her way back to West Virginia by following the river.....there's a story. That's across the river from our county. She couldn't swim so she would follow th Ohio until she hit a creek and then follow the creek in to where she could wade across and then follow it back to the Ohio , continue on to the next creek and do it again. "Follow the River".
That's enough.
Beautiful country, beautiful river.
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HEY you think we'll let you get by without telling us more about the van? HAH!From sea to shining sea...
Bought a conversion van this winter. Sue retires this coming winter. Gives me about 6-8mo to get it ready. Our first trip will be from Chicago to LA.... Route 66... straight through the heartland.
The missus and I once took a vacation in Kentucky where we attempted to retrace the footsteps of Daniel Boone. The fort at Boonesboro (recreated) is a worthwhile trip, IMHO.
Yeah, did a little reenactment there some years ago (25?), played a Red Devil trying to get some scalps....fun time.
'05 E-250. 5.4L, 120k on the clock. Purrs like a kitten. Currently the brake pedal is just a suggestion lever.
