Sunday 5 September: Driving to Albert Lea KOA

This was the first morning since when I arrived in Nevada, that I did not wake up with a headache. Either the elevation has changed or I've adapted. Wheeeee!!!

Broke camp early in the morning and drove off through the pretty farmland of Ohio and Minnesota to the KOA camping at Albert Lea. Jkay was on my mind all the time, driving through this part of the world. Big blue skies, wide fields alternating with rolling green hills and everywhere, pretty vista's of wholesome countryside. For all this beauty, it was a melancholy drive.

Many butterflies

It looked very bucolic and prosperous but whenever I took a detour off the highway and past the inevitable Food Chain/Gas stations and drove onwards to the small towns just a few miles down the road, all I came across were closed off buildings, and very little or no local businesses. I found it rather disturbing, the disconnect between the noisy bright gleaming plastic right there on the exit ramps of the highways, and the rather bleak looking world further on. I hope this is not an accurate picture of these local communities, that I just happened on the exceptions, not the rule.

Today I experienced the first (heavy) rain of my stay -with some thunder- so I pulled off the road at a rest stop and waited it out. By the time I reached the campground, it had cleared up again.

Once set up at the campground of Albert Lea, I went off to explore the town of Albert Lea - I had all the time in the world today. See, I had at first thought to drive straight through to Brenda's from Des Moines and spend the night there, so we could spend the entire Labor day together in her home community. But because of the sale of her house she was rather overwhelmed, so this was not a good idea. I really wanted to meet up with Brenda and the kids, so I decided on a slow route instead: I'll be arriving on Labor day in the afternoon, spending the night and leaving early next morning for Chicago. Lightning visit!

As with almost all the places I visited, I found the shopping mall of Albert Lea on the outskirts of the town. Many shops, a lot on sale. I bought several items there and wandered around, taking my time. Not many people were shopping, the place was rather deserted. It was striking to me that almost all of the people I saw there, of all ages, were extremely overweight, I wonder why that is.

Tonight I really needed my DEET, I was being eaten alive by mosquitoes. I first noticed them when I was setting up the tent, but later in the evening I felt as if I was under attack and would be carried off at any moment! I now fully understand why people call the mosquito the state bird of Minnesota.