The ride was long, there was a headwind, and it was too cool for my taste, but I had a great day!
I didn't get as early a start as I had originally planned, but that turned out to be a good thing. Leaving later meant that by the time I reached Plum Coulee, their museum would be open.
The day started out on flat, but busy, roads. Thankfully, the roads had good shoulders, because over half the vehicles this morning were semis, and the vast majority of the semis were "B-Train" grain haulers. Even with a good shoulder to ride on, the windblast from the trucks was very noticeable.
My first stop of the day was in Plum Coulee. (Plum Coulee got its name from the plum thickets that lined the banks of the creek that runs thru the town. However, I was told that only one plum tree remains.)
After taking a break at the local C-Store, I noticed that it was after 10AM and that the Plum Coulee District Museum would be open. The museum is located in a grain elevator and, for me, that was the main attraction. It had all the usual displays of a small-town museum, but I did not pay much attention to them, as I was more interested in the structure itself. To convert the elevator to a museum, they cut doorways into the grain bins, turning each bin into a small room.
The Plum Coulee District Museum is housed in this grain elevator.
A sampling of all the grains and beans that were stored. Notice the walls. The bins were constructed by laying up 2x6's and nailing them together. It took an immense amount of lumber.
