Off the beaten path....

No truer words describe my day. I made it past the midway point and have about 1,300 miles left to travel before I get to Portland. Today was one of those "Let's see what I bump into" days of driving. I'm staying in Cedar Rapids, Iowa for the night because I get to see the Field of Dreams set in the morning before heading to Illinois. I basically drove east and stopped where the road called me on my way to the SPAM museum in Austin, Minnesota.

As I was driving on I-90 East, I noticed a sign that mentioned a 60 food Jolly Green Giant statue in Blue Earth. Alrighty then! Off we go.



There's a ladder behind the statue where you can climb up between the giant's legs. I'm not making this up. I've always wanted to know what a man wearing a kilt is wearing underneath. Apparently the giant here isn't packing any heat at all. He's more like a Ken doll. 
Drove less than an hour further so I could visit the SPAM Museum. Now, I don't eat the stuff but, come on, wouldn't you want to stop here too? Admit it, you would.

Yup, SPAM musical instruments.

I'm a big girl now... I'm 22 SPAM cans high.

There was a bunch of history of both the product and how it was used during the war and in different countries over the years. There is even a room totally dedicated to different countries and how SPAM is both used and perceived there. It was quite interesting and informative.

Then you can go into the gift shop and buy any of the 13 varieties of SPAM (I had absolutely no idea) and other SPAM paraphernalia including single servings in foil bags. I passed.

Turned south at this point and headed to Iowa. I've never been to Iowa before and it totally is what I imagined....field after field....after field of corn and soybeans. Miles and miles and miles....zzzzzzzzz.

I stopped for a pee break and did a google search. Didn't Buddy Holly's plane crash in this part of Iowa? Why I would even know this is beyond me. Hmmmm.....sure did. Only 20 miles from where I stopped for a break. Got back in my car and drove to this lonely spot in a massive feed corn field in Clear Lake, Iowa. Thank you Waze for getting me here down these dirt farming roads.
This is what you see when you get to the spot down this farming road. Then you walk about 1/3 of a mile to the actual spot where the plan crashed.




It's a bid morbid to think that this is actually the spot where Buddy Holly was found after the crash but it felt good to honor him and the others here for a moment. I was actually surprised that I met up with about 12 other people (young and old) on this short journey. "The Day the Music Died".

Six more nights on the road before I'm home sweet home. My head is full of the sights, places and wonders I've seen, my heart is full of the wonderful people I have conversed with along the way and my soul is replenished and ready to face the real world again. Thank you all so much for joining me on my journey. I am truly honored.

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