Windmills of My Mind

The Pondit drove 630 miles today: Completely across Nebraska and a little Wyoming and Iowa thrown in as extra miles. I passed three state capitols today: Wyoming, Nebraska and Iowa. Without looking anything up on Google, please add comments to what the three capitols were. I am happy to report that from what I have seen of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa, the US of A will not experience a corn shortage this year.

Besides farming and ranching, energy development was very evident in each of the states I drove through. Wyoming has gas and oil wells on many ranches. They also have large oil refineries. Western Nebraska had gas wells and both Nebraska and Iowa had numerous wind turbines that I could see along I-80. In fact Iowa with only three million people produces the third largest amount of solar wind energy of any state in the country.

As I passed through Walnut, Iowa I thought of Don Quixote by Cervantes:

"They immediately come upon thirty to forty windmills that appear as giants to Don Quijote. He tells Sancho that he is going to kill them all; keeping their treasures for themselves and doing God a favor by removing their evil from the earth. Sancho tries to convince his master that these are windmills, but to no avail as Don Quijote charges at them amidst Sancho's screaming."

Well the windmills in Walnut number about 100 and they are a treasure to the local farmers. Check this link: http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/47235227.html. I actually passed some flat bed trucks hauling windmill blades in Nebraska and I have included some photos I took from my car passing them at 83 MPH.

I also passed the birthplace of John Wayne in De Soto, Iowa although I did not get off the interstate to pay my respects. I saw both parts of raising beef for McDonalds et al. I saw mothers and their calves happily grazing on vast stretches of grasslands. I also passed several feed lots where steer after steer are in 200x200 feet mud/manure corrals all crowded at one end to get to their corn, water and antibiotics. I saw no shortage of grasslands in North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and Nebraska to support a vibrant industry of grass feed free range beef. All we need is consumer pressure for this product.

The Pondit needs to find a place to each dinner. Maybe I should have chicken.

Here are all of today's pictures:

I am catching up to one of the trucks transporting the windmill blades through Nebraska. This truck is nearly one hundred feet long.

I am parallel to the rear of the truck. The height of the blades on the truck is about twenty feet.

Notice the size of the blades compared to the large truck tires.

This is a Nebraskan ATV (all terrain vehicle). You can see the kids riding through mud flats on these vehicles. Just kidding. This looks like it is some sort of poison spreaded.

A picture of one of those state Capitols.