By mid morning we entered the great state of Corn, er, Iowa (state motto: "We're easy to spell). We crossed the wide Mississippi River near Davenport, Iowa. ( Tell me, how can you not love a city named after a comfortable sofa??) From here, we trekked westward amidst the biggest surprise on our trip so far...to wit: Iowa is breathtaking in its beauty!! Yes, it appears to be totally covered in cornstalks, but the rolling landscape is magnificent.
While you may think, as we did, that the number one cash crop here is corn. Actually we discovered that there are more of these than corn stalks:
...also, apparently outnumbering the number of cornstalks are these strange plants:
...Factoid: these windmills are over 300 feet tall, with blades as long as 100 feet. Iowa has jillions of these...
...typical view on I 80 in Iowa...
Factoid: the Commodorable has a BA degree in French.
...knowing the Commodorable's mastery of the French language, your curious Captain inquired as to the meaning of DES MOINES. It seems like French doesn't it?? Unable to translate for me, she turned to that all knowing font of wisdom, the Internet and learned that Des Moines is derived from what appears to be a very old joke...
Linguistic research has shed new light on the meaning of 'Des Moines.' Turns out it might derive from a 330-year-old practical joke. In 1673 Father Jacques Marquette met some representatives of the Peoria indian tribe near the mouth of the modern-day Des Moines River. He asked them the name of the rival tribe that lived further along the banks of the river. The Peoria told him that tribe was called the Moingoana, which became the root for the word 'Moines'. But researcher Michael McCafferty of Indiana University, while studying the now extinct Miami-Illinois language, discovered that Moingoana, translated literally, meant 'shit faces.' Evidently the Peoria were having a little fun at their rival's expense. The city of Des Moines has not yet acknowledged the true meaning of its name.
...we researched (via the Internet) our way across the state, looking up the Amana Colonies, Lewis and Clark, covered wagons, etc. until the miles melted away and we arrived around 4 PM at the Duke's birthplace where he lived until he was three years old. We toured his old home and the newly opened John Wayne Museum.
...that's John Wayne boulevard behind Leslie...
...the Duke and the Captain...
...he was exactly my size...6'4"...
...the old home place...
...this van (not part of the museum) is owned by a real fan...
...the Duke's 1975 Pontiac Safari station wagon. His personal car and believed to be the last car he drove prior to his death in 1979. Notice the raised roof to accommodate his lanky frame...
It was a long day, and we decided to head back north to Des Moines (or Shit Face, if you prefer) to stay for the evening. While setting up in a Cracker Barrel parking lot, we decided to contact our only Iowa based friends from Naples, Nancy and Charley. We agreed to meet the following afternoon at Charley's race car shop in Milford, Iowa.
Early the next morning, we traveled to Milford after passing through Omaha, Nebraska...(state motto: Bring something to do.)
...we looked, but did not see Warren Buffet while we were there... He was probably inside counting his money, or something...
By 4 PM we arrived at Charley's shop where he hooked us up to good electric service and showed us his garage...
...Charley's RV Resort...
...my dream house...
...this "Camaro" is not for daily grocery shopping...
Later, we were taken to their lake home on Lake Okoboji...
Leslie and Nancy...
...the Captain and Nancy...
...Nancy and Charley took us for an evening boat ride to the Arnold Amusement Park where Charley, the new CEO there showed us around...
...Nancy and Charley...
...Nancy demonstrating how to walk...
...later we had a spectacular dinner there at the park...
...we really enjoyed this visit and look forward to meeting back in Naples...
The following morning, we took Charley's suggestion and spent some time at the Okoboji Classic Car Museum. We didn't take pictures inside the museum, but words are inadequate to describe this car collection and the incredible displays there. There is even a drive in movie with 50's era cars complete with necking mannequins inside...and yes, there is an actual movie being shown...
Bottom line, the next time you are in the Lake Okoboji area you MUST stop in...
So far, here is our trail...
...this is about 4,400 miles so far...
Tune in later for our trip to Minnesota...
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