Mississippi Road Trip Day 6: Prairie Du Chien to Dubuque

The Rundown

Low point of the day: Lost in Wisconsin! We end up 40 miles off track, which is particularly frustrating when you're on a budget of $150 a day (every little bit counts). Luckily, the scenery is gorgeous. We drive through lush green corn fields under a deep purple sky, and there are cows everywhere.

Quote of the day: "Mommy, I just saw a cow wearing earrings," says my 4-year-old son, who spots a milk cow with tags in his ears grazing in a pasture.


Sound bite of the day: We hop on the Cassville Car Ferry (pictured above), which has been transporting cars and people across the Mississippi from Cassville, Wisc., to Turkey River Landing in Iowa, since 1833. We chat with the pilot, Steve Vogt, who pointed out two bald eagles perched high in a tree when we were crossing the river.

The Rundown Low point of the day: Lost in Wisconsin! We end up 40 miles off track, which is particularly frustrating when you're on a budget of $150 a day (every little bit counts). Luckily, the scenery...

Day 6: Prairie Du Chien to Dubuque

High point of the day: Driving through Iowa farm country, my son spots a row of sparkling green and yellow John Deeres lining the side of the road. Some of the tractors are as tall as one-story homes. To my little boy, they look like gigantic toys, and when we stop at the tractor lot he has a ball climbing atop them and sitting in the driver's seats. How much do you think a full-size tractor costs? My daughter sat in one that goes for $87,000--luckily she didn't break it.

Most interesting person encountered: My son announces that he has to go to potty now at the tractor lot! I tell the kids to hop into the car so we can find a gas station but they ask if we can use the bathroom in the tractor store. As a city girl, I'm a little uneasy in farm country and worry about how the salespeople in the shop might react to us. But my kids persuade me to step inside and we surreptitiously slide behind two farmers and sneak into a bathroom. But when we're coming out, Darlene Schmitt catches us--and good thing she did because she tells us all about farm life and treats us to glasses of cold water and a heavy dose of Iowan hospitality. She and her husband have owned Schmitt Implement for 40 years. They also lived in San Francisco for six months while her husband was stationed in Fort Winfield Scott (now a part of the Presidio). "Sometimes I wonder what my life would have been like if we stayed in San Francisco because we did think about staying," Schmitt says. "But I'm glad we came back to Iowa. We have family here. We're real happy here. It's a friendly place." And I couldn't agree with her more.

Photo of the day: Playing farmer at Schmitt Implement tractor store in Tipton, Iowa.

Weather: Sunny then rainy then sunny then rainy...

Miles: 140

Total miles: 969

Hours in car: 3

Total hours in car: 20 hours, 30 minutes

Expenses

• Hotel: $79.92(Best Western Bluffview Inn & Suites/swimming pool and whirlpool suites)
  
• Breakfast: free at hotel
• Cassville Ferry: $13
• Lunch: $13 (River View Cafe in Guttenberg, Iowa)
• Dinner: $34.35 (180 Main in downtown Dubuque; we split pizza and Caesar salad at this hip spot.)

Total for the day: $139.44

Total for the trip: $815.12