WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21
After I
completed and posted my fourth blog last Monday (19th), I
rested. I took a walk to the lake that’s
on the grounds of the KOA I was staying at [in Waterloo, IA] and then sat
outside to read my second book of the trip - Steve & Me, written by Terri Irwin, the wife/widow of
“Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin. While
sitting there reading about Steve Irwin and his love and advocacy for all
wildlife, I spotted and observed some wildlife of my own – a couple of small
mammals chasing each other. When they
stopped and stood on their hind legs I thought they looked exactly like mini prairie
dogs. A Google search and review of
photographs, especially of their backside, revealed that they are a species
called the thirteen-lined ground squirrel, “…also known as the striped gopher, leopard ground squirrel, squinney…is a ground squirrel that
is widely distributed over grasslands and prairies of North America.” Cute little things!
Around
4:00 a.m. Tuesday (20th) I woke up to flashes in the sky. Unable to go back to sleep I watched, through
my windows, the lightning slowly approach and stop, it seemed like, directly
above my camper. It was pouring rain,
too. The storm moved on, the flashes
ceased, I dozed off and soon woke up again to a wet ground and a gloomy
sure-looks-like-it-will-rain-again sky.
The online weather reports I checked seemed to predict as much. A decision was made – stay at the KOA another
day and use the time to review my spread of “Iowa” trip materials and make
advance decisions for the remaining two weeks of this month. Come September I’ll be making the rounds in
Kansas. As it turned out, the sky soon morphed
from dull grey to a gorgeous blue – oh, Iowa, aren’t you fickle! – but I got a
lot of research done and some preliminary decisions made.
This morning was a repeat of yesterday morning – a gloomy,
cloudy grey sky. Well, since truck
camper travel like this requires acceptance of the elements (except snow!), I
got going and left Waterloo, taking Rts. 20W, 63S, and 30W to a road marked CR
T47 (near Marshalltown, IA). Thus began
my journey southeast on the 77-mile Iowa Valley Scenic Byway, described as
taking “…you through rural agricultural
land, Iowa River wetlands, and a rich cultural patchwork.” The gloomy sky,
and the raindrops that eventually fell, really didn’t do justice to what I can
imagine is a beautiful area.
The Colonies of Amana – seven
villages in all - is at the eastern end of this byway. The Colonies were “…settled in 1855 by Germans fleeing religious persecution…” and the
Amana Guide Map is chock full of area attractions such as arts & handmade
goods, antiques, breweries & wineries, restaurants, heritage sites &
museums, accommodations, and shopping. It was noon when I pulled up to the office at
the huge, and I mean huge, Amana RV
Park & Event Center and asked about a site for tonight. They have something like 450 RV spaces here
and they certainly did have one spot for me and my truck camper!
Before I left the office with my “site escort” the
lady who registered me pointed out to me that the red dots on the Amana guide map
were the restaurants. Yeah, okay,
thanks, I said. After the 70-something fellow,
sporting a full beard and wearing suspenders, led me to my site he asked me if
I was going to go to town now for something to eat. I said no but will plan on that
tomorrow. He smiled, nodded his head,
and patted his enormous, and I mean enormous,
belly! We both laughed at that gesture!
THURSDAY,
AUGUST 22
A perfect
dawn…the sun rose to a clear day! How
does that song go - “…the rain is gone…”? That was all I needed to admonish myself for griping
yesterday about the gloomy weather. Rain
of course is good…it’s water, the substance essential to all life…the crops
need the rain!
So this morning, since I’d already
reserved, a couple of days ago, a site for tonight at a state park, I had
plenty of time to visit Amana, just a few minutes down the road from the RV
Park. I found a place to park, walked
around, took pictures, and stopped at the Ronneburg Restaurant for
breakfast. It was exactly 10:30 a.m.
when the hostess greeted me and…yes, oh dear, they stop serving breakfast at
10:30 a.m. and switch over to the lunch menu.
But, as this tall, blonde, blue-eyed lady led me to my table she turned to
me and said she’ll ask the chef… and I got breakfast after all! Nothing fancy, just your everyday bacon and
eggs and potatoes and toast. There was,
however, nothing ordinary about this dish – the way it was prepared was exceptional! I immediately thought of the fellow yesterday
who smiled, patted his belly, and shared a laugh with me!
This area of the Colonies of Amana is
fascinating. I would have missed this
unique cluster of villages if I didn’t drive on the Iowa Valley Scenic Byway. “The
history of the Amana Colonies, a National Historic Landmark and one of
America’s longest-lived communal societies, begins in 1714 in the villages of
Germany and continues today in Eastern Iowa.” These seven villages of the
Amana Colonies “…represent an American
Dream come true; a thriving community founded by religious faith and community
spirit.” The people of these
Colonies have preserved and restored many of the homes, barns, and other artifacts
that speak to the way of life of their ancestors. These historic structures, many of which are
still residential homes, are now shops, restaurants, inns, and museums. The Ronneburg Restaurant, where I had my
breakfast, is described as “…located in
an original historical communal kitchen house.” Worth a visit, these colonies are – no fast
food or novelty stores here!
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| The main street of Amana, the largest of the
Colonies. |
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| One of the eateries along
the street. |
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| Barns, a pump, and an immaculate green field. |
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| A barn converted to a Quilting and Needlework
shop. |
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| Flowers along the walkway. |
On my way by
noon, I took Rts. 6W and 63S to the Lake Wapello State Park, near Drakesville,
IA. This is my first Iowa state park of
this trip and an excellent find. It’s
very close to the Historic Hills Scenic Byway, which I’ll be driving on
tomorrow. The site that I selected
online - taking a wild guess, really – is just steps from the edge of the
lake. There’s a lot of lily pads - the
largest I’ve ever seen – practically under my nose and some of them are adorned
with large pale yellow flowers.
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| Lake Wapello. |
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| Lily pads…and a flower. |
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| My camp site. |
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| My view as I work on
my blog. |
FRIDAY, AUGUST 23
Before
leaving the Lake Wapello State Park this morning, not long after sunrise, I
pulled into the park’s dump station and dumped my tanks. Thirty minutes later I was on the “Historic
Hills Scenic Byway” and, checking the sky, anticipating another lovely day for
this drive. To quote, “Don’t be surprised to find yourself sharing
the road with horses and buggies on the Historic Hills Scenic Byway. It’s just one way of feeling you’ve stepped
back in time on this 105-mile route winding through rolling hills, extensive
forests and 20 towns with no fast food restaurants to be found. Historic Hills is home to communities of both
Mennonites and Old Order Amish…”
Signs posted
along the byway – with the horse and buggy symbol – advised drivers to be
alert, go slow, and share the road. Not
only did I encounter a few buggies but I also passed Amish homes, easily
discerned by the clothes hanging out to dry.
One young fellow waved as his horse trotted by on the lane to my left
and when I looked back from my driver side mirror I had to smile when I saw that
he also turned to look back at my camper.
Tis universal, the curiosity of us humans!
At the
town of Bonaparte I noticed old brick buildings along both sides of this one
block of street. I decided to park and
walk around -- so very glad I did! The
Des Moines River is right there and a sign at the bridge informed that Brigham Young
and his group of Mormons, on their trek to Utah, crossed this river at this
spot on March 5, 1846. I also noticed
that the buildings that I was looking at – some still in a dilapidated
condition – all had plaques designating them as historic. One was a gas station and as I approached I
was greeted by three large, beautiful, and friendly dogs -- German
Shepherds! The owner, a very nice lady,
was in the tiny office and she was very happy to answer my questions about the
gas station. She said that the station
used to have two pumps and a pit in the garage where the mechanics of that day
would stand to work on the undersides of vehicles. They don’t provide fuel anymore but they
still do mechanical work…the modern way now.
Walking
on further up the street, I met another lady who told me more about the
town. She pointed over there and said “…that’s my house…it’s 130 years old…and that
man there cutting the grass is my husband…and that right there is my store…” She led me to the rear of her “Antiques and
Junk” store, which was practically next door to her house, pointed to some
swing benches in her backyard, right in front of the Des Moines River, and told
me that she and her husband sit there all the time, evenings mostly, and enjoy
the ambiance of the river. Come fall,
before it gets cold here, they head down to their other home in Arkansas. I learned from her that what I’m seeing along
this block is the Bonaparte Historic District.
I checked out the still operating grocery store and had a nice chat with
a third lady who was sitting outside her store.
I must have been in that area for a good two hours…just walking around
and bumping into these lovely ladies!
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| Meek’s Grist Mill (1878); Des Moines River in
background. |
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| The Des Moines River. |
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Meek Pants Factory (1892).
|
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That lady’s 130-year old restored and renovated house.
|
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Hanback Pottery Works (1866).
|
Moving
on I took the bridge across the Des Moines River and continued my drive on the
byway, which ended at Donnellson. I made
my way, on Rt. 2E, to a gravel country road to the Wilson Lake Park, in
Donnellson. Today is Friday but I
arrived at Wilson Lake early enough to find several pick-your-own-self-pay sites,
with electricity, to choose from. I
filled out the registration form and inserted cash payment in the envelope for
two nights here. None of the sites at
this campground have a view of Wilson Lake so, wanting to get off my bum and
take a walk, I got on the gravel road and proceeded to walk around the entire
lake. Along the way I exchanged a few words
with a lady who was fishing – “not
catching anything” she said – and another lady who was painting a serene scene
of a fallen log in the water. I also
encountered a mother walking with her two children, one of whom was carrying
her pet chicken. The things you see, and
the people you meet, on a trip like this!
SATURDAY, AUGUST 24
Since I’m
leaving my site for the day and coming back later, I again placed my collapsible
orange cone in the middle of my site.
It’s Saturday and who knows if there will be more people coming and looking
for sites here.
The plan for today is to visit
Fort Madison, the hometown of my friend Penny Atlee. She was born here, grew up, went to school,
and got married here. Her two sons,
Kurtis and Tony, and her father, who was killed on D-Day, were all born in the
same hospital in Fort Madison.
My first stop was
the museum, located on the shores of the Mississippi River, the train station,
and near the restored Fort Madison, “…the first U.S. military fort in the
upper Mississippi region.” When
I opened the door and entered the museum this gorgeous dog with soft brown eyes
approached me. I stared at it for a
second or two and then exclaimed, to nobody in particular, “That looks like a Wheaten.” The dog’s owner, surprised either by my
proclamation or my spot-on observation, said that, yes, it is indeed a
Wheaten! I got all excited because
Jesse, the dog my brother Bill owns with Todd, is a Wheaten Terrier and this is
a breed that’s not commonly seen by many people. I asked the lady who owned “Rose” if she
would be willing to take my iPhone and take a picture of me and Rose. She took three!
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| Rose, six-year old Wheaten Terrier. |
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| We like each other! |
While I was in the museum I discovered, much to my surprise and
amazement, that one of the older guys working there actually knows Penny. They went to the same high school – he was a freshman
and Penny was a senior. He pulled out from
a shelf Penny’s Senior Class yearbook and showed me her picture. I was like, wow, to actually meet somebody
that day and that minute, who has lived in Fort Madison all his life, and he
knows and remembers Penny! He was
difficult to lipread but, when he looked at me at one point, I understood him
clearly when he said, “Her name is
Penelope, right?”
What an incredible start to
my day! From the museum I drove around
this historic town and soon came upon a “boat ramp” parking area where I parked
and walked right up to the lapping waves of the Mississippi River. From that spot I had a great view of the Fort
Madison Toll Bridge, which was completed in 1927. To quote from Wikipedia - “The Fort Madison Toll Bridge (also
known as the Santa Fe Swing Span
Bridge for the old Santa Fe rail
line) is a tolled, swinging truss bridge over the Mississippi River that connects Fort Madison, Iowa, and unincorporated Niota, Illinois. Rail traffic occupies the
lower deck of the bridge, while two lanes of road traffic occupy the upper
deck. The double-decker bridge, which is about a mile long with a swing span of
525 feet (160 m), was the longest and largest double-deck swing-span
bridge in the world at the time it was built.”
I
thought it would be cool to drive on the bridge, step foot in Illinois for a
few minutes, and drive back to Fort Madison.
But when I initially passed the sign at the ramp to the bridge I thought
I saw something about a width restriction of 8 feet. Um, maybe I better not -- my overall truck
camper width is 8 feet and height is just under 12 feet. Checking online later I found this -- “As
of 2018, the upper deck of the Fort Madison Toll Bridge is open to automobile traffic. It is closed to semi-trailer truck traffic. The BNSF, which owns and maintains the bridge has posted the following limits: Gross weight posted as no more than 16,000 Pounds (8 Tons). Width: 8 Ft. Height: 14 Ft. 4 In. Length: 60 Feet."
The Mighty Mississippi. Songs and stories have been written about the
Mississippi River. This river, when I
see it, always conjures up
images of “Mark Twain, Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer, Jim…” I’d sure love to know, however, the stories the river could tell. Not wanting
to ignore the opportunity to do so, I squatted down on my haunches and put my
hand out to touch, for the very first time, this enchanting river.
Moving on I then drove through a lovely neighborhood and
parked on 9th Street, near the intersection with Avenue E. At my right was the park Penny had told me
about and there at the corner was the house where Penny grew up. The house, built in 1888 and “…known around town as ‘The Castle’…” is
truly magnificent. An online search of
Public Records indicates that this 2-story house has 14 rooms, eight of which
are bedrooms, and Penny remembers the house as having five fireplaces and five bathrooms. Penny gave me her blessing to include
pictures of this house on my blog.
As seemed to
be the norm of the young women of her generation, and probably especially in the
rural Midwest, Penny did become a “farmer’s wife” and a cherished member of the
Congdon family. Penny hasn’t lived in
Iowa for many years now but I think, having seen where she grew up, she will
always be an Iowa girl at heart!
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| The Fort Madison Museum, my first stop. |
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| The Fort Madison Toll Bridge… |
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| …a train going through the lower deck. |
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| Penny’s childhood home… |
Taking Tony, Penny’s son, up on his
recommendation, I had a delicious Tenderloin Sandwich lunch at the Buffalo Bar
& Grille, located on the outskirts of town.
Just as I was paying for my meal I had an idea. My camera doesn’t function anymore so I’ve
been taking pictures with my iPhone and transmitting them to my email address
to download on my laptop and sort out for my blogs. The download process is successful when I
have access to the internet. However, I’ve
been without that access for several days now.
If there’s a way to transfer photos directly from iPhone to laptop,
without needing the internet, I have no idea how to do it. So, anyway, I asked my server and she said “Sure, bring in your laptop…,” she set me
up at corner table and gave me the restaurant’s password. The downloading took about an hour (thank you
so much, Debbie!), after which I returned to my site… my orange cone left
untouched!
SUNDAY,
AUGUST 25
By
way of text the other day, Penny introduced me to Bonnie Congdon and Dot
Drummond, who live just a few miles north of Fort Madison. Bonnie is the younger sister of Glenn, the
fellow Penny married years ago. Although
that marriage didn’t last, the entire Congdon family, including Bonnie,
maintained their deep and heartfelt affection for Penny and continued to embrace
and welcome her to family gatherings.
So, through the wonders of texting I accepted Bonnie and Dot’s
invitation to visit them at their home this morning.
I
found their lovely home with no problem, thanks to Dot’s texted directions,
plus my GPS, plus the fact that Dot parked herself in her white minivan on the turn
to their street and waited for me to appear on the horizon (there’s no missing
my camper!). We sat in their sunroom
with our mugs of coffee and the first question Dot asked me was “How do you know Penny?” “Through
Darol,” I replied and from that point on the conversation flowed freely and
we talked for two hours about a wide range of things. Soon, I regretfully had to leave to get to my
next destination, a three-hour drive from their home.
Saying
good-bye to Bonnie I then followed Dot to see the house where Bonnie’s parents
lived with their children. As it is with
the Atlee family, theirs is a story, a history, we can all appreciate. Because,
to some degree, whatever our individual backgrounds, it’s our story, too.
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| Behind me – Dot at the left and Bonnie at the
right. |
Around
3:15 p,m, after driving along on Rts. 61N, 34W, 218N, and I-80W, I arrived at
the KOA in Newton, IA and got a site for tonight. I’m planning to be here tomorrow as well…and
get this Blog #5 posted!
