Saturday 4-15 Pikes Peak State Park

 

Relaxing with a book

The weather reports had indicated we were going to have rain for the next two evenings so we decided to find a state park where we could plug in and have electricity. We found the beautiful Pikes Peak State Park in Iowa. It is in a forest of trees has and over 12 miles of hiking trails. There is an observation point where you can see the  Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers converge.

 

Visiting Pikes Peak State Park

 

The first night we got 1.5 inches of rain. We couldn’t take Flo for her last walk until the rain slowed down which was close to 11:00 pm. Larry had to join us so he could hold the umbrella. Before the rain came we walked around the campground and checked out the observation point. Larry was able to barbeque hamburgers for lunch. We were also lucky in that the park had just turned the water on for the season so we were able to take showers. Flo had a chance to lay outside and enjoy the campsite.

 

Camping at Pikes Peak State Park                                        View from the observation point

 

Today Larry and I only hiked about a mile, we were worried about how muddy the trails were going to be and were surprised to find a wooden walkway going to Bridal Veil Falls. The falls were small but a gentleman who showed up said they are normally only a trickle, he was surprised to see so much water flowing. I guess the 1.5 inches of rain helped. We had a very nice hike. When we got back we read until it was time for lunch. Larry barbecued hamburgers.

 

Bridal Veil Falls                                                                                    Wooden walkway we hiked on

 

The rain gauge measuring 1.5 inches of ran

 

In the afternoon I took Flo for a walk and she met our neighbors dog. After saying hi we went back to our site and relaxed. Flo and I spent over an hour outside. I read while she watched people and their dogs playing. When we went inside I finished reading a book. Larry started another book today and finished it. I walked six laps around the campground to get some of my steps in.

After dinner I walked two more laps around the campground to finish up my steps. Today I did over 12,000 steps. While I was walking around a lady asked me if I was getting my steps in I told her I sure was. When I was finishing up the last lap I saw her walking with a gentleman. I teased her about picking up a companion. The rain came back around 8:00 pm. Tonight it didn’t rain as hard. We had two wonderful nights at Pikes Peak State Park.       

Friday 4-14 Exploring Dubuque Iowa

 

Having fun

 

Before leaving Dubuque we decided to do a little site seeing in downtown. Last night Larry and I walked around the river area so this morning we walked around the downtown. There were maps throughout the downtown area and on the riverwalk that shows different points of interest for tourists. Well, Larry decided on four of them. I was game. The first site we visited was St. Luke’s Methodist Church, it is known for their Tiffany windows. We went to the office of the church to see if we could visit their church. The lady said we were welcome and if we wanted we could also come back for Good Friday services at 12:00. We had finished walking through the church and were ready to leave when a gentleman met us. He gave us a quick tour of the church. He talked about the history of the church. He explained that all the windows but one were Tiffany windows. In 1896 when the church was being built the church members saw the Tiffany windows and decided they wanted to put them in their church. They also have a gorgeous organ with 2,200 pipes which they restored in 1992. The ceiling was made with beautiful wood planks. St. Luke’s Methodist Church was magnificent.

 

St. Luke’s Methodist Church

 

Tiffany windows

 

The second site we stopped at was the Carnegie-Stout Library. Across the street from the library we saw this huge old red brick home, it took up about half a city block. When we walked in the library the librarian greeted us. She told us we could take the elevator to the third floor to get a nice view of the library. We walked around the library and admired how big it was. On the way out we stopped at the desk and Larry asked the librarian about the library. The section that is being used as the library was the original Carnegie Library, they have done some restoration work over the years but have kept it as original as possible.  She also explained that the huge house across the street had been built by the Stout family who had also donated to the construction of the the library, they were wealthy owners of a lumber construction business. Each room in the house had a lot of wood and the new owner is resorting the house. The librarian was very helpful.

 

Carnegie-Stout Library

 

The old home being restored

As we continued our site seeing Larry told me if I wanted to get a good view of Dubuque I could climb this really steep staircase. I didn’t show much interest in climbing the stairs so we continued down the street. Our third site was Fenelon Place Elevator Co. which was a elevator car that took us up the same steep hill as the steps. Years ago this elevator was built by a banker as his private elevator, today it is a tourist attraction that is used to move people up and down the hill. It wasn’t like a normal elevator, you sat on a step in a car and it runs on a cable that a gentleman operates from the top of the hill. It cost $3.00 roundtrip for an adult. It was well worth it consider it was fun to ride.

 

Elevator car                                                                                                     Ticket booth

 

 

The two cars passing each other on the rail      

 

The last site we saw was Saint Raphael Cathedral. We have been to other cathedrals but this was the first one we have been to that was locked. It did have a great sculpture in the garden, the sculpture had a priest with a miner on one side, a river captain on another side and a farmer and his wife on the last side.

Saint Raphael Cathedral

The sculpture in the garden

 

We walked around downtown Dubuque for almost two hours. We had a great time seeing the sites and looking at the downtown. When we got back to the Minnie we got ready to move on to our next adventure, which was Pikes Peak State Park.

Thursday 4-13 Spectacular Day

 

What a spectacular day!!!!!

It rained through the night but by the time we woke up the rain was gone. I didn’t feel like getting out of bed so I stayed in bed until 8:00. It not have gotten as cold since I didn’t need to turn on the heater.

After having breakfast we headed down the road 20 miles to the Iowa 80 Truck Museum. The admission was free but the appreciate donations. It was in a big building and had a lot of old trucks, took us about 45 minutes to walk through it. We saw a lot of beautifully restored trucks. It was very clean and the employees worked hard keeping things clean by dusting off the trucks. We had a great experience.

 

Iowa 80 Truck Museum

                 An old Coca Cola Truck                                                          1946 White WA22       

An old pickup camper

The next place we stopped at was The National Motorcycle Museum in Amarosa, which was 45 miles away. It took us a couple of hours to walk through the museum considering it had over 600 motorcycles and hundreds of motorcycle related items to look at. Larry saw some bikes he use to own. There was a lot of displays so we walked slow so we wouldn’t miss anything. They had a display on the bikes Evel Knevel used to do his jumps. There was a big display on racing bikes. There were lots  of Harley Davidsons. We saw some old bicycles and motorized bicycles. The museum was outstanding and we would highly recommend it.

 

Larry and me at The National Motorcycle Museum

One of the bikes that Evel Knevel used                                           Easy Rider Replica

After touring the National Motorcycle Museum we went next door and had lunch at Subway. The next stop was Dubuque, Iowa. As we were driving around Dubuque we saw a sign that said that said Lock and Dam #11 on the Mississippi River so we went to check it out. We got there right in time to see a tugboat and nine barges go through the lock. It was a small lock so they had to split the barges into two sections. The first section was nine barges and the second was six. We watched it for an hour. Once the first section was in the lock they had to raise the water level five feet so it was the same level as the upstream river. I’m always impressed no matter how many time I see boats going in and out of a lock.

 

Lock and Dam No. 11      

         The lock gates opening up                    The barges being push in the lock

 

The final stop was in a parking lot right across the street from Diamond Jo Casino in Dubuque. By the time we setup the Minnie it was time for dinner. I heated up the leftover chicken from yesterday and we had sandwiches. After dinner Larry and I walked around to check out the beautiful riverwalk. We picked up a brochure that talked about the sculptures along the riverwalk. There were 10 of them listed and we were able to find nine. It was a very nice walk and a lot of people use it. Afterwards we went over to the casino and checked it out. Larry went back to Flo and I stayed for a couple of hours and played. Then I went back to Larry and Flo. I was not with them long before going back for another couple of hours. I had a great time.

We had a spectacular day.

Wednesday 4-12 John Deere Tour and Putman Museum

 

What a super day!!!!!

 

We had a super day.

We started the day out touring the John Deere Harvester Manufacturing site in East Moline, Illinois. Larry had read that you could tour the facility but then he read that you had to register 48 hours in advance and since we were not going to be in the area that long he was afraid we would miss out. Larry tried to call early in the morning but the line kept ringing busy so he went online and requested a tour today at 12:30 (they had three different times 8:00 am, 10:00 am and 12:30 pm). A few minutes later Linda from John Deere called and asked if we could come for the 10:00 tour considering the 12:30 tour was booked up. Larry told her we would be delighted. We were excited that we were able to do a tour. The tour was an hour and a half long. You couldn’t take any pictures during the tour but you can take photos of the exhibits in the visitor center. It was a great tour and Skeet did a super job of explaining the process of building a combine. They don’t build any combines in advance, they wait until a farmer orders one. The process takes 10 days. We rode in a cart that was pulled by a small John Deere tractor. The employees were very friendly, they waved as we rode by. It was very interesting.

 

 

John Deere Harvester Works Center 

Look how big the combine is!!!                   I’m playing in the combine cab.

After the tour we had lunch in the parking lot and then we drove back to the other side of the Mississippi River to Davenport, Iowa to visit the Fejervary Park Putman Museum. It was a children museum where you can have a hands on experience with different science stuff. We walked around the museum for about an hour and a half. We played with some of the exhibits. We walked through exhibits of wildlife, engineering, big cats and an Egyptian area, where they had a couple of mummies. We had fun playing in the museum.

 

Entrance sign to Fejervary Park Putman Museum   

Pulling myself off the floor by pulling on a rope        Larry playing with one of the exhibits

The mummies exhibit

After visiting the Putman Museum we decided to go to a casino in Walcott, Iowa, it’s close to where our next adventure is. After parking the Minnie I turned on the generator to heat up some chicken for our dinner. When we finished eating I took Flo for a walk and then Larry and I went over to the casino so I could give them some money. We walked around the casino to check it out. I found the area I wanted to play in so Larry said good-bye. He went back to Flo and to plan what we were going to do tomorrow. I gambled for a couple of hours and then I went back to the Minnie. After a bit I decided to go back to the casino and gamble another two hours. I had a great time. LIFE IS GOOD!!! 

Tuesday 4-11 Locks & Dam on Rock Island

 

Visiting Iowa

We started the day out by doing laundry in Nauvoo, when we finished we went across the street to The Apron Café to have breakfast. When you enter the cafe you walk to the front counter to place your order, there were a few breakfast items in a case and no menus. The owner simply asked if you wanted a breakfast sandwich or something from the case. Larry and I both had the breakfast sandwich, it came with two eggs, four strips of bacon and a slice of cheese on two pieces of white bread. Larry didn’t have the eggs but was charged the same. We weren’t sure how much the meal was going to cost considering there were no menus or prices on the wall. We also asked for water, they did not have water by the glass you had to buy bottled water. We were very disappointed with the sandwich, it was cold and it cost $17 for two sandwiches and one bottle of water.

After being robed at the cafe we headed across the Mississippi River to Fort Madison, Iowa. As we were driving through we saw the fort from the Minnie. We stopped in Burlington, Iowa to stretch our legs. The last two weeks we have been following the Great River Road and the Great River Road signs have been green but Iowa’s have a black background they stand out and look very nice. 

 

The Great River Road sign in Iowa

We had to cross back over the Mississippi River to get to Rock Island considered it is in Illinois and we were in Iowa. There are only two ways onto Rock Island, you either enter from the south or the north and since it is an island you must take a bridge. The south entrances was the closest so that is where we headed, unfortunately as we were getting to the bridge there was a sign saying you couldn’t be over 11’ tall and Larry was pretty sure we wouldn’t make it so we had to drive around to the north side of the island. When we got on Rock Island we didn’t realize it was an army base. We stopped at the gate and the gentleman told us we needed a pass, he also told us if we hurry we could get the pass at the visitor center. We got to the visitor center just as they were closing and the gentleman refused to process the pass so we went back to the gate and the gentleman told us it may take twenty minutes to get the pass. He had to issue the pass in between letting other people on base. We had to fill out two forms and give them our driver’s licenses. Well, I forgot mine at home and we only had my passport. Larry gave our passports to the gentleman but he also had to give him his driver’s license. They ran the information through the FBI background check process and then issued us a five day pass even though we were only going to be on the island for about an hour. After getting the pass we went to the Mississippi River Locks & Dam Visitor Center. We got there at the perfect time, they were in the process of letting a barge through the lock. This lock was half the size of the one we saw the other day so they had to split the load in half. We had gotten there right when the first half was going through the lock. Once it got through they had to close the gate and lower the water again. There is a traffic bridge from Illinois to Iowa that goes directly over the lock and there is not enough room between the bridge and the water to allow the barges to pass so whenever a barge goes through the lock they have to swing the bridge so the barge and tugboat can clear it. This was cool to watch. Once the bridge was swung open the tugboat and the rest of the barges entered the locks. When the tugboat was waiting for the water to fill the locks, the captain came out to say hi to us. At this lock they had to put a lot more water into it. This was a great thing to watch. The gentlemen inside the visitor center were very nice and answered the questions we asked them.

 

Mississippi River Locks & Dam Visitor Center on Rock Island Arsenal

                 The lock gates opening                      The traffic bridge swinging open

Both section of barges in the lock                The tugboat pushing the load

After watching how the lock worked we went back over the Mississippi River to Davenport,  Iowa. We decided that we would spend the night in the parking lot at the Isle Casino and Hotel. The parking lot is huge with a dike that has a bicycle trail on it. When you walk on the dike you get a great view of the Mississippi River and a marina. Before I went over to the casino I made red beans and rice with sausage in it for dinner. While Larry took Flo for a walk I baked oatmeal raisin cookies for dessert. After the cookies finished Larry and I went over to the casino. It was a nice casino except smoking was allowed, I guess I got spoiled by the non-smoking casinos. I spent an hour and a half in the casino and left $5.00 dollars richer. We had a great day. 

    

A view of the Mississippi River               The Isle Casino and Hotel entrance

Monday 4-10 Visiting Nauvoo Illinois

We spent two nights at Nauvoo State Park. It’s a beautiful park located in Nauvoo, Illinois. It has tall pine trees, a small lake, vineyard, visitor center, day area with a playground and grills and there’s a camping area with power and non power sites. We had the park all to ourselves.

Nauvoo State Park

During our stay we visited the City of Nauvoo.

Joseph Smith founded the Mormon church in New York, he and his followers were forced to leave and they found their way to Ohio where once again they were forced to leave and this time they fled to Missouri. Missouri also forced them out and he ended up starting the town of Nauvoo in Illinois. They lived and prospered there from 1839 until 1846. He lived in Nauvoo until he and his brother were both killed while being held in jail. Soon after the Mormon’s were once again forced to move and Brigham Young led them to Utah.

On the first night Larry and I walked around Nauvoo to get familiar with it. We walked for almost two hours. We walked by some of the historic buildings that told the history of Nauvoo. We walked to the visitor center to check on the hours. As we were walking back to the park we walked around the downtown. Nothing was open but it was a very nice. We walked by a few churches and I took pictures of St. Peter and St. Paul Catholic Church and the Mormon Temple. Both churches were right next story to each other. We decided we would return in the morning. We had a great walk. By the time we got back we were exhausted.

                        

       St. Peter and St. Paul Catholic Church                          The Mormon Temple                         

This morning we woke up and took a shower. It was one of the best public showers we have used. To begin with the bathroom was heated, the shower head sprayed excellent, the water temperature was perfect and the bathrooms were clean. After taking a shower I made pancakes for breakfast. The visitor center didn’t open until 10 so we hung out with Flo until it was time to go.
It was about a mile to get there. As we were walking we passed by a wagon being pulled by two Draft Horses. The three men in the wagon waved at us. When we got to the visitor center it had just opened. We talked to a lady working there about what we can do in Nauvoo. She told us we could go for a ride in the wagon drawn by horses, a carriage pulled by oxen, watch a show in the evening and tour the town. Everything is free. Everyone who worked in Nauvoo were Mormon Missionaries who were assigned to Nauvoo for 18 months. We decided to start with the wagon ride. The ride was at 10:30 and you had to be there at 10:20. It was about a half mile away so we had to walk fast to get there. When we got there they were just about ready to leave but they let us come on board. It was a twenty 20 minute tour that took you through Nauvoo and telling the history of the town and the buildings. After our tour we walked around town.  The next stop was the Family Living Center where they talked about how the Saints lived in Nauvoo before they were forced out. There was bread making, rug weaving, candle making, rope making and pot making. We watched each section. It was interesting to learn that the men during that era did the weaving. When they baked bread they used the ashes from the fire to bake it. The rope making area was the most fun to watch because they had the audience make the rope. At the end of the demonstration each family got a piece of rope. Before leaving the living center one of the Elders that we had talked with after the wagon ride came and found us, he gave me a copy of The Book Of Mormon along with his name and phone number, very nice of him. We stopped at the Printing Office, where two newspapers had been published to let people know about what’s going on in town and the church. We stopped at the bakery where we had a ginger molasses cookie. We stopped at The Blacksmith and received a prairie diamond ring and learned the story on how it got its name. We toured Brigham Young’s Home and the Browning Home and Gunsmith Shop. We visited The Tinsmith and the Post Office  We walked around town for a few hours and had a great time learning the history of the town.

Elder Dee Stoker the gentleman that gave me The Book of Mormon

The Family Living Center

Brigham Young Home                                   Printing Office           

The Post Office                                                          The Tinsmith

A Prairie Ring                                               A Handmade Rope  

We got back to Flo about 3:00 and she was one happy dog. In the evening we walked back to town to see a hour long skit about Nauvoo. It was a full house and the missionaries did a great job of explaining the history of Nauvoo. We had a super day in Nauvoo. 

The skit that we saw about Nauvoo