Sunday, September 20, 2009

Midwest drudgery

Driving across Ohio, Indiana,Illinois, Iowa and Eastern South Dakota is simply put, dull. In order to stay entertained we resorted to rest stop photography. A few interesting sights were to be had, most of the via photoshop.

Additionally, I have learned that the acronym I.o.w.a. "Idiots Out Wandering Around" has a well founded basis beyond the normal stereotypes uppity northeasterners who have never left the tri-state area automatically bestow on any area not accessible by a Metro North train...

No, Iowa is just that. Many times between rest stops and gas stations we would just look at the random people wandering aimlessly around. Based on the fact that they happen to frequent rest stops and gas stations as part of daily entertainment, the collective declaration of idiocy quickly followed.

At one rest stop, I was horrified to head a group of what sounded like teenagers com barging in and engage in some of the most debasing primate rituals, the least of which included what can only be described as projectile defecation, all the while hooting and congratulating each other on each respective bodily emanation. I was a bit more horrified when I tore out of the stall I was occupying to find not a group of teens filled with the corn squeezin's from gran-pappy's still, but rather a group of men, old enough to be my father. Like ghost riders in the sky they swirled out of the rest area, piled onto a school bus...and were gone, like so many farts in a gale of wind.

Cpt Silverhawk gesturing toward a field of soy, somewhere in Indiana


Another rest stop gem, this is Stef reading to pass the time



Looking across the soy field was some sorghum and this old house which could not escape the telephoto lens... (thanks Manny(s?) I am pretty sure Stef ripped it off from one you...



More soy.



These next two are the result of me playing around with shutter speeds at a rest area in Illinois.




This is from a rest area in Iowa, the same fateful location where the idiots roamed free; my plan was to get all the bugs and moths swarming to the light. As you can see, that did not happen, but the grass looked nice and green, so we went with it.


Trucks passing in the night, cellular towers in the distance.




This little guy, some variety of ground squirrel was very friendly. We fed him some sun chips and he really enjoyed them...



so much so that he was licking his fingers for a good minute after he finished it...


Finally in South Dakota! This is a little gas station in Jefferson.


At the South Dakota rest areas they have these teepee like structures- I suppose they are meant to be interpretive of Native American culture. Anyhow it turns out that if you go in the middle of one of them and look up you can get some interesting shots of the sky and the ensuing geometric shapes.



You all remember the corn palace!


And now so does Captain Silverhawk...


Lastly a bridge over the Missouri River. People were getting off buses to take pictures of this. Yes, it really is that boring...but much better sights are yet to come!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Ok so been looking through the pictures and couldn't help wondering what some of them were suppose to be since unlike before you would add a tag line to all the pictures. I must sat that part of the country definitely is not as picturesque as your last trip so far. Also I kind of liked your original blog page you used in your other trip, why the change ? Any its good that at least i can track you guys as you make your travels.. God Speed and be safe.. Love Pa