Rain, Trains, and Hills

So, we're just about done with Iowa.  Hard to believe.  As we look at a map, the distance starts to overwhelm.  And the distance ahead is less than the distance behind.
What will we remember about Iowa?
Rain, for one.  We've had several days of morning or afternoon or evening rain.  We're beginning to think God is bringing the rain with us.  My tent is finally dried out.
Trains is another thing we'll remember.  It seems like we've been camped by tracks once too often.  Did you know that trains blow two long whistles, one short, and one more long at every intersection?
Last night's trains were empty coal cars going west and full ones coming east.
Finally hills.
The south of Iowa feels as though the land was 50 miles too wide, so it was squished to fit, making wrinkles of hills.  I would have never thought that we'd climb many ten percent, nine percent, and countless eight percent climbs in Iowa.  Three of our top five climbing days have been in Iowa.  And the frequency and steepness make them more fatiguing than the mountains.

Actually, there's one other thing.  We haven't seen a large amount of people, going through numerous small towns.  But almost every square foot of arable land is covered with mature corn (or soybeans).  It's amazing to see that much land used for growing.  God has made an incredible world that can produce as many crops as we've seen.  We see His hand everywhere.