Driving to La Crosse

The rolling hills of Iowa

We left Mason City and joined Highway18 at Rudd.  As we drove through the little towns, we kept remarking how pristine and well kept these towns were.  Even the trailer home parks were kept incredibly neat!

 No furniture on the front porches like in some of the states we have driven through.  No garbage or appliances on the front lawns.   Beautiful farms and lush crops.

 

 "Palm" trees in Iowa?? 

 
Any idea what this is??  This was close to New Hampton, where we picked up highway 24 and headed to Decorah.

 

Not a good picture, but gives you an idea that we were driving along some kind of ridge overlooking the valley.  You could see for a long way! 

 Driving into Lansing, Iowa on the Mississippi river.

 We got out to stretch for a little.

At Lansing, Al crossed the bridge. 

We decided we wanted to go north on the Iowa side this time, so we crossed over the bridge again and went north on 26.  We stopped at a lookout.

 We walked across the railroad tracks that follow between the river and the road.

Wisconsin is on the other side.  A cormorant in the river. 

 I captured some kind of ladder backed woodpecker in the photo.

 

 Little river boat houses.  I suppose fishermen live here over the weekends or for vacation?  Or perhaps full-time. 

 Crossing the Mississippi into La Crosse.

We checked into our hotel and freshened up for a river boat cruise!