We are here in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The trip was uneventful for the most part, but the part that was eventful was VERY eventful. South Dakota rivals Wyoming in regards to road destruction, while Minnesota was quite tame. There was one construction zone in Minnesota that made the greatest impact upon the day. In the course of about and hour we saw what may be the best, and the very worst, that this world has to offer.
I'll start with the worst. We were about to the end of a road construction zone of about 15 miles, just west of Albert Lea, Minnesota. Traffic was diverted from our lane over to the other side of the interstate, so it was one lane in each direction. I spotted a sign that said "traffic emergency ahead". I was wondering what that might mean, until the traffic slowed to a crawl and the flashing red and blue lights of emergency vehicles became visible. When we got to the scene there was a big rig that had gone over into the lane of the interstate that was under construction, with the front end very badly damaged. Mud was everywhere! Just beyond that was a car sitting in the median strip, or should I say what little was left of the car. Only about half of it was recognizable as a car, and it was covered with an olive green tarp. From the looks of the vehicle there was no chance that the driver could survive, and very little chance that anyone else could either. I didn't see it, but both Beth and Kay said that they saw a football lying next to the car, which probably meant that a child was involved. Just beyond that car was another one that was badly damaged, and serious injuries, at the least, were very probable with that one too. It had been raining there previous to our arrival, and that might have contributed to the accident. It was also right where an on-ramp merged into the traffic lane which could have been a cause as well. This was one of those events that just makes you feel sick, and it is very hard to figure out just what to pray for at the time!
About an hour later, and after passing through a brief, but very heavy, rain shower we were treated to one of the most spectacular rainbows that I have ever seen. The very heavy rain returned for the last 20 miles of our trip, and traffic slowed to 20 to 30 miles per hour. We did make it though, and the reward was dinner at Schmitty's Bar & Restaurant. One of the establishments that makes Wisconsin the wonderful place that it is. The bar was full, and so was the restaurant. It was made great by spending quality time with my dad and mom. The food can best be described as comfort food, and there is plenty of it. It was a nice end to a day that had some extreme ups and downs.
Talk to you in the morning.
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