After spending seven days and eight nights in Milan, Missouri with our cousin Lanny and his wife Karen, it was time to return to the concrete trail for the final leg of our journey, which would take us home to the Seattle, Washington area at last.
Milan was not only the longest stop on the trip, it was one of the most enjoyable. It was a pleasure to meet long-lost relatives. It began to feel like our home away from home.
As we drove away from Lanny and Karen's house, we drove north along the dirt road that took us past the the small house where my maternal 2nd-great-grandfather Elihu Millikan Crawford M.D. lived his final years before his death in 1924, and then back through the village of Boynton and past the well in the road.
We continued 52 miles (84 km) in a northwesterly direction on Missouri Route 5, U.S. Route 136, and Iowa Highway 2 to Corydon, Iowa.
My great-grandfather Henry Elwood Crawford was born near there in 1866, so I stopped to do some research in the courthouse. My 2nd-great-grandparents Elihu Millikan and Adalade (née Woodruff) Crawford had only lived there for about eight years before moving south to Missouri, so I didn't expect to find any substantial records, which was indeed the case.
Our next destination was 357 miles (575 km) northwest in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, but first we had to trek across Iowa. Outside of its cities, Iowa is flat farmland. Mile after mile of flat farmland tends to blur together into a homogeneous memory.
Our route took us along Iowa Highway 14, U.S. Route 34, Interstate 35, Insterstate 80, Insterstate 680, and Insterstate 29.
Entering Sioux Falls was like visiting a smaller cousin of the Las Vegas Strip. I remember a lot of neon signs advertising local attractions. We arrived at twilight, so the lights stood out in the growing darkness.
Our rooms were reserved at the Select Inn. I believe we ate dinner at a local steakhouse before returning to our rooms for the night.
Total Travel Distance: 410 miles (660 km)
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