Day 2, Saturday, September 12, 2026 – Chariton to Sparta
Let me start by telling you about my room last night: no bath mat, no drinking glass, no clock, couldn’t get hot water and the bed was far from comfortable. I guess that’s what I get for $60. I ended up leaving by 0530, driving in the dark. Fortunately, the road is pretty much empty of traffic & critters,
Finally, the dawn starts breaking as I cross a long bridge over the Des Moines River; obviously, there’s a dam somewhere downstream. IA-14 takes me through some small towns and a lot of farmland. Monroe has an octogon-shaped house. Lovel features homes built partly of round grain bins. Marshalltown’s claims to fame are big railroad yards and $4.20 gas.
I turn east on IA-96 right into a blindingly bright orange ball, my reward for such an early departure. Gladbrook calls itself the “Heart of Corn Country” and has a festival to prove it. The corn planted here has shorter stalks than we’re used to seeing – different conditions require different varietals. Some soybean crops are ready for harvest!
Traer is home to the Pied Piper Preschool – do I detect a veiled threat to parents who fail to pay? East of town on IA-8 a farmer doubling in folk art has welded old equipment parts into a dinosaur. IA-8 becomes US-218, bringing me to Vinton, “City of Lights.” I cross the Cedar River here; I miss the name of the river at Independence. Independence hosts the Wapsec Valley Creamery (est. 1906) and museum complex centered on an old red brick depot.
I’m now heading north on IA-150 toward Oelwine, hoping to find a cafe for the breakfast I missed. No luck there, or at Strawberry Point. I turn north on IA-13, the Iowa Bluffs Scenic Byway (the terrain is definitely changing). A bit up the road I stop at Clayton County’s Osborne Conservation Center’s Welcome Center. The little park is laid out like a small 19th Century village, complete with tour guide
The main building provides two needs – comfort facilities and directions to Johnson’s Restaurant in Elkader. A 3-egg omelet fills my internal void and none too soon.
I’m now on US-18, crossing Bloody Run Creek to Marquette on the Mississippi River. IA-76 takes me to Effigy Mounds National Monument, a place Sandra & I visited on 1972. I can see some of the bear- shaped mounds by taking this 2 mile trail. The problem is, the mounds (and some river views) are about 500 feet higher than the Visitor Center and the trail is steep, even with switchbacks. Yes, I did it – and survived without requiring outside assistance or EMS. Pictures are proof:
Two hours after staring my little hike, I’m back on the road passing riverside homes and campgrounds at places like Harpers Ferry. The bridge to Wisconsin at Lansing is getting a new deck, but there’s a ferry if one cares to wait. I didn’t. IA-26 becomes MN-26 at New Albin. I pick up I-90 at La Crescent (Apple Capitol of Minnesota – yes, they have a festival), cross the river to La Crosse and on east. I-90 is the Ho-Chunk WW-II Code Talkers Memorial Highway. It brings me to Sparta, arriving at 1545. I’m staying at a Best Western that’s well east of town. The truck stop around the corner includes a Mexican restaurant with copious platefuls of rather tasteless food. Now I’m in my room, one that has all the amenities missed yesterday.
Tomorrow: Ironwood, MI, mostly via WI-27.
For the day: 333.7 miles, for the trip 544.7
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