On the first of June I left home, alone on my way to Naperville Illinois, returning on June 5. Leaving again on June 9 again with Joan to a wedding in Little Rock Arkansas, returning home on June fourteen. Follows is a chronological observation and commentary as seen from the window of a Prius, at convention, a few bars with menus, a church and a family gathering.
June 1: Headed for Maquoketa Iowa to visit a former college classmate. I will compare this to a identical trip taken two years ago using the backhoe indices, acres planted, corn height, gasoline price, bitching levels and GPS improvements.
In the year 2009 the recession was at its lowest level. On the way to Maquoketa backhoes were visible sitting in lots of dealers and construction companies. This year all were out working. The ones I saw were in motion with a full scope of dirt or on a transport moving to a new site.
Acres planted leaving Minnesota was fifty percent or less to one hundred percent at Maquoketa Iowa. Corn height, emerging in Minnesota to four inches at Maquoketa Iowa. This compares to four inches in Minnesota and over a foot in Iowa in 2009. The gasoline price was $3.34 per gallon.
My evening with friends is always a most enjoyable event. We discussed Obama vs. W's socialistic tendencies. The conversation stalemated at a comparison of the stimulus vs. the free Medicare drug benefit. Seems like this was the same discussion we had some forty-five years ago at 202 Showerman (my dorm room), except we switched party alliances.
June 2: Programed my GPS to my next destination to Naperville and it gave me an option of three routs. I selected the shortest that was cross-country with an amble view of Iowa and Illinois farm land. I stopped for breakfast at a restaurant on an island on the Mississippi. From there it was Illinois farming monoculture. Every tilled field was planted to corn. The only grasslands were waterways. The once farm feedlots were all empty. Corn height, about 4 inches. In 2009 a few miles south, corn was at least a foot. When I crossed I39 I saw my first soybean field.
Due to over 50 mpg I put in 9.7 gallons at Naperville. Cost per gallon $4.49. If the car had gotten poorer mileage I would have saved money filling it up at Maquoketa.
June 2,3 &4: The purpose of my trip was to attend the Illinois Convention of Home Educators. It was held at a Mega church with such facilities as a Starbuck coffee shop and a huge convention area. I had a first time assistant from the area that uses RightStart Math to home school her two children. She grew up in the south side of Chicago, educated in England where she meet her husband. She has a bachelors degree in English Lit and a Masters in Marketing. I enjoyed listening to her talk about her son in an honors math program after having a foundation in RightStart math.
The attendance was low for the show with high unemployment in the area. From many people we heard “I am going to buy, but I have to wait” How much the employment picture and price of gasoline was affecting buying decisions is hard to determine, but if one owned a minivan that only got 20 mpg, being filled weekly, would be money redistributed to oil companies instead of a sale for RightStart math curriculum.
June 5: My way home was all freeways from Naperville Illinois to the end of 212 freeways in Minnesota. From Naperville to I39 was the most change from two years ago.
In 2009 farmland was being converted to housing, sod farms and nursery stock. The house tracts are still there with no visible activity and the sod and nursery stock land converted to cornfields. Corn height this year, about four inches. In 2009 it was at least eighteen inches high.
Just west of Dekalp was a wind turbine site of 126 wind generators. And they are being sued according to this web site. http://archive.chicagobreakingbusiness.com/2010/06/dekalb-county-wind-farm-lawsuit-moves-forward.html
In Wisconsin on I90 and I94 I saw many untilled acres. It even appeared the cranberry bogs were not all planted. Plan for high priced cranberries this fall!
Trip gasoline mileage was 54.2 MPG on Toyota marketing designed MPG computer. Deduct 6% (according to Al’s five tank calibration) for real mileage of 51 MPG.
June 6, 7 & 8: This period was spent preparing for a trip to Arkansas. The corn is two inches tall with alot of drown out places and soybeans finally got planted in McLeod county.
June 9: Early in the morning Joan and I started our trip to Little Rock Arkansas with a planned stopover at Kansas City, Missouri. North of Mankato was less than 50% planted and a few fields untilled. As we traveled south on highway fifteen more was planted with a few field of soybeans up.
As we approached Iowa on I35 a large wind farm, without counting, over a hundred turbines. Passing into Iowa the Minnesota wind farm continued with at least another hundred. Corn was about four inches tall with an occasional field of soybeans emerging.
As we approached Des Moines corn was shorter, more standing water and fields untilled. It is difficult see the countryside because of very heavy rains.
North of Des Moines I thought the Prius was failing me. All of a sudden it slowed down, then speed up. The problem? The idiot driving had speed set at 75, the car was hydroplaning during rain burst, and the computer managed traction control was trying to slow down, in conflict with the speed control trying to maintain set point. When the connection between the seat and steering wheel finally computed and shut speed control off and with reduced speed the leg to Des Moines was concluded by lunch.
It was hard to determine how much rain fell south of Des Moines because the terrain becomes hilly, but waterways were full. As we entered Missouri it seemed dryer with corn about 6 inches tall. The wheat fields were turning and looked beautiful.
June 10: This leg of the trip between Kansas City Missouri and Little Rock Arkansas took us past Joplin Missouri. Tornado damage was very evident from the freeway. (Note: we were not officially on a freeway, but a previously two-lane highway with four new lanes. Work started in 2009 and lanes laid and now overpasses being built.).
The big surprise for Joan and I was when we entered Arkansas. Fifteen years ago when we were in Arkansas we concluded it was like a third world country, run down and underdeveloped. This time Arkansas seemed like a modern, well-maintained World Class area. As we traveled through Bentonville (home of Walmart) I cynically thought that Wal-Mart was responsible for this area and Arkansas will deteriorate as we drove toward Little Rock. It did not!
I now have to introduce a new indices, the Peterbuilt indices. On I40 traveling through Arkansas the truck traffic was heavy. The trucks were from Arkansas and faraway places like Minnesota. All this indicated a vibrant economy. Then I noticed truck makes. I have never saw as many new style aerodynamic Peterbuilt trucks vs. the old style Peterbuilts as seen on I94.
On our arrival to Little Rock was precise guided by the GPS in our 2010 Prius. This compares with the 2004 Prius and a Garmin GPS unit, which is a guide to being lost. My IPhone pinpointed our area and guided us to a Macaroni Grill for a relaxing dinner. Joan and I had no pasta, just a very delightful fishmeal.
June 11: After a tour of downtown Little Rock and the capital, Clinton Library we attended the wedding of Marietta Monday and Joshua Ward. After a beautiful ceremony, a reception was held in the church complex with an open bar. No additional comment need be made.
June 12: We traveled from Little Rock to a town of Subiaco. We attended Mass at Subiaco Academy, a large Catholic boarding and day school for young men in grades 9-12 based on Catholic- Benedictine values. When entering the church, one could easily imagine being in Germany or an Italy cathedral.
Enjoyable afternoon was spent at the home of Rod and Amy Monday and children, Jacob and Breanna. The day was closed at state owned and operated Mount Magazine Lodge with dinner and family. Fifteen years ago this location was grown up in weeds. Mount Magazine lodge is built on the highest point in Arkansas.
June 13 and 14: The trip home was uneventful except for another down pour at Des Moines. Crop conditions were not much improved from June 1. After leaving Missouri, ground was visible between rows. Upon arrival home corn was 6 inches tall with drown out places replanted.
The highest gas prices were in Naperville IL. Highest unemployment was in Naperville IL. Lowest unemployment was in Arkansas. Seemed windshield observation of strip Mall occupancy was suffering all over. Corn is two weeks behind all over. Wheat was being harvested in Arkansas. Best economy was Arkansas.
Did I mention that Southern Arkansas is considered in a drought area and the Arkansas River is in flood stage?
