Day 32 - June 10

Back on the road again. This morning we bid farewell to our family and headed out on the road again. We drove from Illinois into Iowa. The further we got into Iowa the more we became aware of the terrible flooding they have had. We took a somewhat ill fated trip through Cedar Rapids, and whilst trying to second guess our GPS, we discovered that Mildred (Donna says that stands for miles of dread) is much smarter than we are...what a shock! Sometimes however, you have to make your own decisions such as when the road is closed due to flooding and Mildred keeps politely telling you to make a legal U-turn or turn at the next corner. Mildred has a very controlled temper and is obviously a refined and polite lady of good up bringing. She never lets her temper show as we continue to ignore or abort her suggestions. She merely says "Recalculating" and comes up with the next suggestion.

All kidding aside, as we traveled through Iowa, every river was running over its banks and in 'Cedar Rapids, MANY of the streets were closed due to flooding. At one point we crossed over a bridge and looked down to see a house semi submerged and a mobile home mostly under water because of the flooding. So many of the fields were under water and we wondered how much damage the farmers are sustaining. When we arrived at our camping stop for the night, the camp host told us that their average rainfall for June was 1.3 inches and so far this month they have had over 8 inches.

Tomorrow is a kickback day and we plan to try and take in the "Bridges of Madison County"