Travels in the 2nd half

Once again crossing the Mississippi River On the last leg of my trip from New York City to Minneapolis, I drove through the northeast corner of Iowa, my first trip through the state. In fact, one of the reasons I like taking road trips is that I get to see places that I have never seen before, and visit states that I have visited. By Scan by NYPL [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin My day started in Prairie du Chien. This town, which sits where the Wisconsin River flows into the Mississippi River, was founded as a French trading post in 1685, and is the second oldest city in Wisconsin. It was the site of the westernmost battle of The War of 1812 – the Siege of Prairie du Chien , where the British captured Fort Shelby in 1814 and held it until the end of the war in 1815. I spent about an hour walking around St. Feriole Island Park, which sits on the Mississippi River just next to the downtown area. St. Feriole Island w...

Main Branch of the Joliet Library - Joliet Limestone Driving through the northern stretch of Illinois was an experience of planning and randomness. I planned to visit the Joliet and a small museum in the town of Freeport. In between these stops, I allowed my GPS to plan my route, with its only command being “Avoid Highways” Joliet Illinois Joliet is a city of almost 150,000 people that sits along the Des Plains River. All I knew about it was that there was a state prison there. When I arrived on a Saturday morning, the downtown area was fairly deserted. This gave me a chance to walk around the historic district and take photos without crowds. Apparently I was not the only person looking to take advantage of this fact as there was a photography class or club out taking pictures.  Joliet’s earliest industry was providing limestone to the construction industry in Chicago. Limestone was shipped down the Illinois and Michigan Canal, which ran from...