Family Visit

The haze was still there when I got up this morning so the sunrise was rather muted.  So it wasn’t exactly a bright day at first but got brighter as the sun rose higher.  I launched the drone to get a view from above and took a few pictures.

It’s a beautiful area in a very flat sort of way and the Hennepin Canal cuts a very straight swath through this flatness.  The bike trail follows one side of the canal along the old tow path, and we took a walk for a mile or two along this path before getting on the road again.

The railroad can be seen right next to where we were parked and two trains came by during the night.  One came by just as we were going to bed and the rumble and the whistle were deafening.  The other came by in the wee hours of the morning.  Other than that, it was a very quiet night.

We tolerated I-80 for an hour or so until Iowa City, when we branched north and took US-20 across most of Iowa.  Still a divided highway, sort of like an Interstate-lite, but a lot better than I-80. The scenery is identical between the two roads: corn and soybeans for as far as the eye can see.  And wind farms.

US-20 gave us the opportunity to add to our World’s Largest collection.  Sac City boasts the word’s largest popcorn ball.  It’s a big deal here, a source of pride for the community.  It has its own building right on Main Street.

This popcorn ball weighs in at 9,370 pounds and is over 12 feet in diameter.

Apparently Sac City claimed the title of world’s largest popcorn ball four times.  Other popcorn factories in Wisconsin and Illinois created larger ones and Sac City had to reclaim the title each time.  The last challenge to the record was a 6,510 pound ball made at the Indiana State Fair in 2013.  Although the ball was immediately destroyed after the fair ended, Sac City came together to beat this record once again in 2016.

I didn’t know there was such fierce competition for popcorn balls.

We texted Terry and Jill last-minute and asked if we could drop by later today.  Ever the gracious hosts, they made a wonderful dinner for us and we spent the evening catching up.  We also moochdocked in their driveway overnight.

415 miles traveled today.  Rather a lot, given our usual mode of travel, but we will start slowing down after crossing Nebraska.