Visiting with Friends

Just a hop, skip and jump away from Solon, Iowa, was Prairie Flower COE Campground near Ankeny, Iowa. Were were scheduled to spend five nights at this campground on Saylorville Lake. Our friends we met in Maine in 1976 live nearby in Norwalk and they were meeting us to spend some time at the lake. Bob and I arrived first, but our site wasn't ready so we took Ed and Doreen's until they arrived.  Needless to say, the people on our site waited until the last minute to pack up and leave, so Bob and I pulled into another site to wait. Finally, we were able to get into our site and get ready for five days of fun.

 Our first night we had a beautiful sunset.

 We spent the next day exploring Ankeny and Johnston. We ate lunch at a Mexican restaurant, then did a little shopping in Sam's. Back at the campground, it was time for happy hour, then a campfire.

The following day, Ed and Doreen had appointments to keep so Bob and I took off geocaching our way to Boone, Iowa. Once there, we visited Mamie Eisenhower's birthplace.  Visiting the house was like taking a step back in time. Everything was specific to the time Mamie was born. She only lived in the house until she was nine months old. The dress in this room was worn by Mamie to an event at the White House when she was First Lady. Pink was Mamie's favorite color.

 Behind the house, in the garage, was Mamie's Plymouth Valiant---pink, of course!

 Also located in the town of Boone was James H. Andrew Railroad Museum and Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad. The museum was filled with memorabilia from the World Wars. For lunch we stopped at The Whistle Stop Cafe.

 One of our last days at Prairie Flower, we made a trip into Des Moines to eat at Hessen Haus....a German restaurant. The food was delicious and the company was great!


 Another evening, Ed and Doreen's son Dan brought his family to enjoy an evening by the campfire (they actually came several nights, but we only got pics the last night). We all had a great time and the kids enjoyed s'mores.

One of the reasons we will return to the area are the great bicycle trails. Bob and I rode around the campground and down to the next one. We also found trails during our geocaching adventures.

   All too soon, it was time to move on... we hope to see Ed and Doreen down the road. We always enjoy our time together.

Bob and I had one more stop before it was time for our appointment at Winnebago Industries in Forest City, Iowa.

Solon, Iowa and Other Interesting Stops

From Springfield, we moved into Iowa. Our first stop was Solon, Iowa, at Sugar Bottom Corps of Engineer Campground. The campground was huge compared to most COE campgrounds we have visited. This one had over 300 sites! The campground is located on Coralville Lake.  Since we arrived late in the afternoon, we didn't go sightseeing after we got settled. We chose to walk around the campground and see what it had to offer.

The next day, we geocached our way to Amana Colonies. We had heard that is was an interesting place to visit, and it was. Outside of one of the wineries, there were grapes growing on the side of a house. It turns out that the winery doesn't grow its own grapes or the fruits used to flavor the wines. Frozen fruit is flown in from Oregon and I'm not sure where the vintner gets the grapes.

 Bob and I walked along the village streets and went to the Heritage Museum which gave the story of the colonies. The colonies survived until people caught on to the fact that they could skip work and still reap the benefits of living in the colonies. This, of course, didn't happen until the colonies population reached over one thousand.

 The houses and shops lined the quaint street. When the colonies were in full operation, the houses did not have doors facing the street as sheep and cattle were herded through town every morning and evening. Having side doors allowed the occupants to avoid some of the dust and smells created by the herds.

 On our return to Sugar Bottom, we planned our adventures for the following day. It seemed fitting that since we had visited Abraham Lincoln's Library and Museum that we should also visit Herbert Hoover's Library and Museum since it was near our campground.

 This is the house where Herbert Hoover was born and lived for the first few years of his life. If it looks small, it is! The house has two rooms with a kitchen out back. Bert lived here with his parents and his two siblings. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Herbert Hoover's Library. Bob and I both learned more about Herbert Hoover and his accomplishments. We both remembered him as being president when the Great Depression hit in 1928. Neither of us knew of the humanitarian aid he provided for children of war or that he was a member of Stanford University's first graduating class---he graduated with a degree in geology!

 The next day dawned cloudy and rainy so we declared it a laundry day! Later in the afternoon when the clouds went away, we drove to Coralville Dam at the southern end of the lake.  There we found Devonian Fossil Gorge. The gorge was exposed in 1993 after a big flood. The flood water was diverted through the spillway, but the spillway couldn't handle the force of the excess water. The road, a campground, and 17 feet of soil and rock washed away, exposing the fossil bed.  Another flood in 2008 widened the gorge quite a bit. Today, the fossils are labeled so you can identify them using a brochure provided at the entrance to the gorge.

 Our last full day at Sugar Bottom we took advantage of the trail system in the park. Bob and I hiked Cedar Valley Nature Trail. The trail was steep in places and the ground was slippery because of rain the previous day.

 We found the cave where native Americans lived over 10,000 years ago. The entrance was blocked because Iowa University students are conducting an archaeological dig.

 It was nice to get out and hike the trail. We saw a few other hikers, but we pretty much had the trail to ourselves.

Since it was Saturday, we decided to drive into Solon to visit Big Grove Brewery. It was a nice place with lots of Iowa Hawkeye fans. Bob and I each ordered something for an early dinner as we watched the football games in the bar.

We enjoyed our stay at Sugar Bottom. Our only regret was the rain that was wreaking havoc in Cedar Rapids not far north of us. They were expecting flooding so Bob and I didn't get to explore Cedar Rapids. I guess we will have to make another trip to the area. Sunday was check out day and time for us to move to Ankeny,  Iowa....a little bit closer to Forest City and our scheduled repair date.

Historic Route 66--Springfield to Bloomington, Illinois

The forecast was for light rain most of the day. Instead of going to Lincoln's New Salem we took a nostalgic drive on Route 66. We caught the historic route in Springfield and headed north to Williamsville, then to Elkhart where we found a geocache in the local veterans' memorial. The red truck in the background was running with no one in it the whole time we were searching for the cache.

From Elkhart, it was a short drive to Broadwell where you see the sign for Pig Hip. The restaurant is no longer around, but the sign is in good repair.

Lincoln was our next stop. The Mill used to be painted blue and featured Dutch food as well as grilled cheese sandwiches and fried schnitzel. Now, it is being refurbished by its new owners. Opening date is unknown.

Also in Lincoln is Abe in the world's largest covered wagon--recognized as such by Guinness World book of Records. This is a recent addition to Route 66 as it was finished after 2000.

The next town on our route was Atlanta. We made a stop at J. H. Hawes Grain Elevator and Museum. We were looking for a geocache when a man drove up and offered to open the museum for us. He was the official tour guide and didn't usually open the museum on off days. He was knowledgeable about the mill and everything in since he had worked in it when he was a young man. The brick building houses the engine to run the machinery in the mill. They were never located in the same building due to the flammability of grain dust. The rail car is situated to show how it would have been loaded. If you look closely you can see the chute that would have delivered the grain to the car.

This wagon is in the unloading position inside the grain elevator. There was a 'see-saw' in the floor to lower the back wheels after the wagon back of the wagon was removed. Once the wagon was tipped, the grain would flow into the elevator.

From Atlanta we drove to Bloomington/Normal. Normal is the town where the original Steak 'n' Shake was opened. Now that building is a pizza place. In Bloomington, we made a stop at the Beer Nuts Factory and Company Store. In the store there was an island where you could sample all the products they make. I really liked the pecans. Bob like the hot bar mix.

 We purchased a few items and then returned to Atlanta. Bob and I wanted to eat in Palms Grill Cafe. In its heyday, it was also the Greyhound Bus Station. If you wanted the bus to stop, you flipped a switch in the restaurant to light the bus sign below the cafe sign.

The diner has been restored to its 1934 appearance. Bob ordered fish and chips while I got the big fish sandwich. There was more food than we should have eaten. Bob's even came with fried pickles.

Across the street from Palms Grill Cafe was the Bunyon statue. This used to stand in front of Bunyon's Restaurant in Cicero, but was moved to Atlanta. We had our picture taken by one of two German travelers living their dream--riding BMW touring bikes on Route 66 from Chicago to L. A.

We returned to Springfield and caught the pink elephant with martini and Cozy Dog Drive-In.

 Cozy Dog is the place where hot dogs on a stick (aka corn dogs) were invented during World War II.

Saturday was forecast to be a sunny, warm day so we took a trip to Lincoln's New Salem. This a village recreated to show where Lincoln lived as a young man. He lived in New Salem for about 6 years. The village only survived for about 12 years. We looked through the museum an then walked around the old village. There were several volunteers working as living historians. The cooper's shop is the only original building in the village. The others were recreated using artifacts from archaeological digs and papers surviving from the era.

 The sleeping quarters were crowded, depending on how many children a family had. I especially enjoyed the church/schoolhouse which had children's toys from that time period displayed.  The stores sold brandy, rum and whiskey even though most people followed the temperance movement.

 We enjoyed our visit to Lincoln's New Salem.

 As we were leaving, Bob spotted a flyer for Fall Festival in the town of Petersburg. We decided to stop in and see what it was all about. It was a typical fall festival with street vendors, crafts, pumpkins, gourds, and food trucks. There was a microbrewery, Hand of Fate, in the town so we went in to sample their wares. The brewmaster recommended a pizza place in a neighboring town as being a good place to eat.  So we set off for Athens (pronounced with a long A) to get pizza before heading back to Sol. The brewmaster was correct, the Boar's Nest had excellent pizza. They also sold 'shoes' in sizes from pony to Clydesdale!

Sunday we spent the day shopping and doing things in Sol. We took our afternoon walk through Lincoln Park and around the fairgrounds.

Monday we rode our bikes on Lost Bridge Trail between Springfield and Rochester. It was a great trail and we even found a couple of geocaches.

 In Rochester we happened on the Stevens house which Abe Lincoln had a hand in helping the widow with financial papers when he was a circuit riding lawyer.

We enjoyed our stay in Springfield, but it was time to move on to Iowa. Sol's date with the factory is nearing and we have friends to visit before Sol gets fixed. Tuesday we will move to Coralville, Iowa and a Corps of Engineer Campground.

Exploring All Things Lincoln--Springfield, Illinois

It was a quick trip to Springfield. Our plan was to spend one week at Rural King Campground, Illinois State Fairgrounds. We arrived and found that the office didn't open until 11:30 so we parked in an open space and waited. While we were waiting, we drove around the campground and decided that we wanted to park in the parking lot at the bottom of the hill. The grass sites at the top of the hill looked to be uneven and didn't have sewer connections. The site we finally got was a 50 amp site with water and sewer.

 After we were settled, it was time to head downtown to check out what was available to see in the area. Our first stop was the Springfield Visitor Center, not to be confused with the Lincoln Visitor Center. At the Springfield Visitor Center, we collected brochures on Lincoln sites, Route 66, and a bicycle map of Illinois. I filled out a quick survey--3 questions--and the attendant gave us a parking permit good for 3 days. It came in handy, we only had to look for grey top meters which allowed for 5 hours parking.

From the visitor center we walked around the block to the Abraham Lincoln Museum and Library.

 The museum had a lot of information on Lincoln's life including displays showing the events leading to his Presidency.

From the museum and library we walked to Union Depot to see an exhibit from the movie Lincoln. It was somewhat of a disappointment to me as it was just costumes used in the movie. I'm not sure what I expected, but seeing costumes from a movie I didn't really care for was not something I wanted to see. The depot is the red-roofed building in the background.

After walking around downtown for a while, we went back to Sol to plan our adventure for Wednesday. Since our parking permit was good for three days, we would tour Lincoln's Home National Historic Site(neighborhood).

 The tour of Lincoln's Home is free, but you have to stop in the Visitor Center to get tickets as tours are limited to small groups.

 Our guide said Lincoln had trouble sleeping....could it have something to do with the wallpaper?

 After walking around Lincoln's neighborhood and taking a picture of his house from across the street, we were accosted by a crazy woman.

 Bob and I were strolling along the street when a woman ran out of Anderson House yelling, "I can't believe it!" over and over again. It turned out that it was Bob's sister Paula, from Colorado and not far behind her was his sister Donna, from Florida! After greeting each other, it was decided that we would all eat lunch together after they took the tour of Lincoln's Home.

 We ate lunch at Obed and Isaac's Microbrewery and Eatery. Paula and Donna recommended we get a 'shoe' which is a whole lot of food. Bob and I split a shoe as did Paula and Donna. It was good, but not something I would order again.

Donna and Paula followed us back to Sol so they could see our new rig. After a short visit, we said our good-byes. Paula and Donna were heading to Siloam Springs to surprise Bob's mother for her 86th birthday. Bob and I rested a bit and then went for a walk through the fairgrounds and Lincoln Park. Lincoln Park is not far from the fairgrounds and it became our go-to place for afternoon walks.

 As we walked through the fairgrounds we had to get a picture of the very tall Abraham Lincoln as a railsplitter. Yes, there was a cache located behind Abe.

 Then we continued on to Lincoln Park and found the geocaches placed there.

 From Lincoln Park we continued to Oak Ridge Cemetery where Lincoln's Tomb is located. Bob and I both rubbed Lincoln's nose for good luck.

 We followed a bus tour group through the tomb. Lincoln, Mary, and three of their four sons are buried here. The fourth, Robert is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

 The outside of the tomb is as impressive as the interior.

Bob and I decided that our afternoon walk had taken us farther than we expected and it was time to head back to Sol. Once back at Sol, we found we had walked over four miles! Time to eat dinner and plan one more day in downtown Springfield.

The next day we toured the old capitol building and Frank Lloyd Wright's Dana-Thomas House. We used our parking permit for both venues. The Old State Capitol building is a reconstruction  of the fifth Illinois statehouse that played an important role in Lincoln's political career. It was completely reconstructed in the 1960s. The rooms are set up in 1850's decor.

I was able to hold the gavel in the Illinois Senate's chamber.

 The capitol had a pedestrian zone on the south side.

Along the edge of the pedestrian zone we found a plaque marking the departure site of the Donner Party and at the corner was a Korean War Memorial Museum.

 From the capitol we made our way to the Dana-Thomas house. This is the first Frank Lloyd Wright house we have toured. After seeing this house, I would like to see some of his other work.

 The outside of the house was beautiful. I loved the windows, but was surprised when we entered the house and it wasn't as bright as I expected.  The house was restored to its 1903 beginnings. Pictures were not allowed in the house, so enjoy our photos of the outside!

After our tour we went back to Sol for lunch. After lunch we returned to Oak Ridge Cemetery to find the grave of Accordion Man and to visit the war memorials.

Bob had read the story of Roy Bertelli on Roadside America. Mr. Bertelli purchased the plot and then was told it was sold to him in error. He was willing to return the plot until lawyers got involved. He decided to keep the plot, built a crypt on it and on occasion, sat on it playing the accordion! He paid to have upkeep on the plot in perpetuity. As a final act of defiance, he purchased another plot in a cemetery across town. When Roy died in 2003 at the age of 90 he chose to be buried in the plot across town.

We enjoyed our visits to Springfield. For our next adventure we planned to travel on Historic Route 66 north of Springfield.