THE SMELL OF MONEY ~ Cedar Rapids, IA

We left Sauk Prairie, WI and headed southwest toward Prairie du Chien, WI following the Old River Road along the Wisconsin River. Name origin For Prairie du Chien derives from the French, named after “Dog,” a Sauk Indian chief, referring to the gopher. I knew that little tidbit would trouble you all day without knowing, "the rest of the story."

Crossing the Mississippi River at Prairie du Chien and meandering across the farming country roads to Cedar River, IA., where we saw a lot of grazing Holstein cattle and of gathering of field-dried cornstalks into large round bundles. The once mainly discarded stalks are now harvested for feed and bedding.

When the wind is right, which it usually is, a person needs a strong nose, better yet, nose plugs, to withstand the pungent odors that waft from the industry smokestacks here in Cedar Rapids, IA. 

Upon checking into our room both Jackie and I thought possibly the bathroom gas trap wasn't doing it's job.  I called the reception desk and was told that the locals have a name for the non-aromatic delights, "CEDAR RAPIDS, THE CITY OF FIVE SMELLS"

Quaker Oats~General Mills~Archer Daniels Midland Co.~Cargill corn milling~Weyerhaeuser

And then when I went to Perkins to pick up dinner I talked with the manager about the odoriferous events my nose was detecting and told him about the "five smells," he said, "You can add one more to the list of five, "Municipal Sewer" it often misfires and the odors waft up through the street grates.

Heading up-wind, down south, see you tomorrow.