WE LOVE AMERICA - ILLINOIS

On another beautiful morning, we left St.Louis, and drove across the Mississippi River, barely catching a glimpse of the huge Gateway Arch between buildings and freeway supports and the wide brown waterway that plays such a role in the country's history. We traveled across the southern part of the state, still mostly flat, rich farmland. We again left the freeway and noted a field that was being harvested and we decided to take a closer look and learn more about the process. They were harvesting soybeans which were completely dry, and the beans yellow and rock hard. The harvester cut off the plants close to the ground, leaving the field looking like it had been given a close crew cut. The combine separated out the yellow beans and when the hopper was full they were unloaded into waiting trucks to be taken to a nearby storage granary. The process raised huge clouds of dust, often obscuring the combine and the field. We are convinced the farmers are happy and relieved to have enclosed cabs on their tractors. Back on the road, we found ourselves behind one of the trucks and until we were able to pass, we were pelted with small, hard, yellow soybeans bouncing out of the load like agricultural BB's. By the way, before the beans become dry, yellow and hard, they are a glistening green, in a fuzzy pod and have a faint oily taste when eaten, as determined by personal experience at field side. We only transited a short portion of the lower tip of the state and fields, soybeans and corn sums up our experience. Nevertheless, it is a great and lovely state.