What is the Driftless Area?

Epochs ago, two glaciers were shoulder to shoulder, and couldn't sally forth directly south. An Eddy of sorts was formed, with a friction-ground rivulet trickling from underneath that would later become the Mississippi River.

At the edge of the Rust Belt and the Heartland in the Upper Midwest, the Drift of ice was halted, and hills remain while the surrounds were flattened.

I live there at the edge of the Driftless Area in an ancient asteroid crater (more on that in a future post). Here's a tiny slice of a trip from Decorah, Iowa, to La Crosse, Wisconsin, since my wife and I needed to make the hour and a half trip to the nearest mall. Ready? Here we go:

Iowa

Big sky in the farming highlands, miles of view and cloud underbelly.

Minnesota

Rolling in to Spring Grove, MN.

Definitely a Main Street, USA, kind of feel. They do really nice Christmas lights in the park in the middle of town.

The rolling highlands give way to the first evidence of a hill.

A drop in elevation, heading down into the trees.

Hiawatha Valley, where the Root River runs.

Further on ...

Coming in to Hokah, MN, where the accent is a bit like Fargo. I didn't snap the town because it's very small, and to respect the anonymity of the folks out and about.

Over the hump of Hokah, into the flood plains and branches of Ole Muddy himself, the Mighty Mississipp.

Wisconsin

About to cross over the Mississippi on the blue bridges.

Your sneak peak of the Upper Mississippi River. Keep an eye out for more Driftless Area posts for a better view.

Entering La Crosse, WI.

Downtown La Crosse. Not a big city, smaller than my hometown of Morgantown, West Virginia. But a neat little place and a far cry from the tiny towns where my family moved for work. You'll see more of La Crosse and the small towns later.

Bluffs on the Wisconsin side.

And the weather got better! (Before it briefly dumped rain.)

Thanks for taking a short trip with me!

Vote or don't, follow or don't, resteem or don't. Do what thou wilt.

Check the #driftlessarea tag in the future for more! I'll do these as often as I can. Happy steeming!