Iowa Highway Ends (etc.)

Duluth, Minnesota, July 14 — A year and a half after visiting the south end of I-35 in Laredo, I made it to the other end, clinching its entire mainline length in the United States. I also made it to Lake Superior, my last Great Lake.

Route: US 169, to MN 13, I-35W, I-35E, MN 36, I-35W, I-94 (to x245 and turn around), US 61, MN 36, I-35E, I-35 (with jump-off to MN 70), I-535, US 53, US 2, Hammond Ave, I-535, I-35, MN 61, CSAH 61, MN 61 to CSAH 3 and turn around, MN 61, I-35

The day was mostly overcast, with a couple small showers, the only rain I’d have the whole trip.

I drove up I-35E, but also went over to Minneapolis to see TCF Bank Stadium and drive on the new I-35W bridge.

Carved into TCF Bank Stadium are the names of all Minnesota’s counties. Also around the stadium are large informative markers about various tribes in the state.

Good concrete on I-35E north and then on much of I-35 itself. There was construction going on south of Duluth.

My Minnesota Atlas and Gazetteer showed MN 361 running along old US 61 at Pine City, but Google Street View showed it had been turned over north of MN 70. Since then, though, the entire route has been decommissioned, and the county  put up “Old 61” markers. I went west on MN 70 for two counties just off the interstate.

To be historically accurate, the cutout should say “Minnesota” instead of “Hwy” across the top, and perhaps use blocky numbers. But a big compliment for marking the route.

I-35’s northernmost rest area, in Duluth, is a joint one off the interstate with a scenic view.

WI 35 was closed between US 2 and I-535, thwarting my plans for a full loop in Superior. However, I did get pictures of the route, which was down to one lane across the bridge.

With about 30 seconds of traveling, I clinched Wisconsin’s interstates. The light ahead marks the end of I-535.

Continuing north, I clinched I-35 in Minnesota and unsuffixed I-35 in the entire country, missing only I-35E through Dallas. I kept on going, on MN 61, seeing a lot of vehicles heading south with canoes. I followed the scenic route, likely the oldest 61, northward and followed MN 61 up until CSAH 3 north of Two Harbors. Cook County was just too far away.

It was lighter this time when I got back to Duluth so I took I-535 down again, with a double loop back.

I drove back north to downtown, then on Lake Street into a long spit of land on Minnesota Avenue. Went to very end, down to the beach, and touched the water of Lake Superior.

Neither Two Harbors nor Thunder Bay is used as a control city at the end of I-35, just the “North Shore” of Lake Superior. Beside the van are signs that say “End 35 1/4 mile” and “Signal Ahead 1/4 Mile”.

New counties so far: 21 (4 NE, 2 SD, 8+6 MN, 1 WI)

Chaska, Minnesota, July 13 — Since I was starting the day in Vermillion, I decided that I would forgo anything west. This turned out to be good because US 18 was closed between SD 19 and I-29. Then, when I elected to do I-90 to cross into Minnesota instead of SD 11, I got another break because MN 23 was closed between I-90 and Pipestone.

Route: SD 19, (SD 19A to Centerville), SD 46, I-29, US 18, K12, A18, SD 11, 57th St, Sycamore, SD 42, I-229, I-90, US 75, MN 23, MN 7, MN 22, US 212, MN 41

SD 19A, which runs through Centerville, is one of the few suffixed routes left in South Dakota. The wide shield makes the state outline truer to form.

Aerial photos showed there are two truss bridges across the Big Sioux River, near US 18 and A26. Both were closed, the one near US 18 more recently so.

At Pipestone National Monument I watched the film and walked around the grounds. It was interesting; some dioramas at park HQ looked original to the time it was built (late ’50s/early ’60s) but remained informative.

Pipestone National Monument

MN 23 had “Road Work Next 30 Miles” at the north Pipestone junction. Fortunately it wasn’t that bad, the blacktop-style followed by new, good concrete much later on. It had a couple of random four-lane segments and some one-lane-divided at intersections.

I was making good time, so I headed east on MN 7 to see how close I could get to the Twin Cities. Turns out, the whole way.

New counties so far: 14 (4 NE, 1+1 SD, 8 MN)

Vermillion, South Dakota, July 12 — The first day of my July vacation included visiting my 1300th county — again. First, though, I had some points in western Iowa to visit.

Route: I-80, US 59, F32, M47, F24, IA 37, M16, F32, US 30 with LH loops, NE 91, US 77, US 20, US 81 (with NE 12 to NE 121), SD 50

The beginning of the trip hit some towns in Shelby County I had not been to, and some brats at the Hy-Vee in Harlan. From there, I went west to Woodbine and followed the loops of the Lincoln Highway that I skipped while traveling the main route a few weeks ago. This includes the Harrison County stairsteps. It’s the first time in a long time the Iowa DOT has put signs on a dirt road, in this case the section that runs west of the US 30/IA 44 intersection. The “loop” in Missouri Valley follows US 30 to Blair, and ends at the state line.

From Blair, I drove west to clinch US 275 for the third time, thanks to the Sidney bypass and now the full expressway and interchange at US 77. Then I went north on 77.

The former north end of US 73 has been reconstructed into an infernal roundabout.

Construction in Sioux City causes long backups on the Veterans Memorial Bridge at rush hour. I gave up on construction pictures there and headed west on US 20 instead.

On the east side of Laurel is a monument to the B-17 crash that killed a man from Goldfield. I continued west on US 20 to US 81, extending my traveled span on that route from Iowa.

Wayne County NE, reached via gravel roads, became my new 1300th county after Bedford, Virginia, ceased to be an independent city.

I was going to stop in Yankton for the night, but the city was full up. Instead, I had to go east to Vermillion. This would actually prove to be a good thing.

The former US 81 bridge across the Missouri River has been retained as a pedestrian bridge. A new bridge opened in fall 2008.

New counties so far: 5 (4 NE, 1 SD)