Iowa, don't knock it til you've tried it

     Ok, here we go. Time to stop messing around and get on with things. This will probably be my last blog post for a while, as I’m leaving at the crack of dawn tomorrow for my sixth trip to Kenya. Six trips! That is just crazy. I still get excited about it though, and you know what, I get just as excited about a weekend to Iowa. Yes, even Iowa.

 Though we were staying with Hubby’s brother in Bettendorf, we drove to Davenport on that Saturday back in August. 

 We visited a Farmer’s Market first and bought too much stuff, of course. Then drove to the German American Heritage Center and Museum.   

 They had some great displays, and I took actually very few pictures of them. Not sure what was up with that. Instead I took pictures of quotes. I didn’t want to forget them. 

 Especially this one. Though it was written in 1893, it says a lot about our culture today. We are Americans because we were at one time the world’s melting pot; we are the combination of all those who came and settled here from other countries. Shouldn’t we still be all that and more? 

 From there we drove to the River House Bar and Grill in East Moline for lunch.

 And a photo op. 

 Best part next though. Oh, my goodness. 

 Can’t even use my words to describe this place. I just let my inner five-year-old come out. 

 Speaking of five-year-olds, I had to knock a few out of the way to climb up on some of these bad boys. 

 I think it would be easier to fly a plane. 

 Which reminds me . . .

I gotta get on a plane in 24 hours or so, I best get packing.

Another Road Trip, Believe it or not

     My last several blog entries were about my travels to the east-south central part of Wisconsin. Today’s is heading more towards the west-south central area.

 On the weekend of August 16, Hubby and I headed down to his brother’s in Iowa. Of course, I found the most circuitous route there. What can I say? That’s what you get when you jump in a car with me.

 And you know what you get when I spend too much time on Facebook again? A blog post that has been slapped together. Get to the end of it though to find out why that’s okay this time.

Ship Rock, west of Coloma on Hwy 21. 

Castle Rock Lake from Adams County Castle Rock Park 

 Roche-A-Cri State Park 

 Petroglyphs at Roche-A-Cri

 Awww, the happy couple

 Vulture on top of the rock  

 Should they announce that? 

 Wayside outside of Reedsburg. Looks like a painting.  

 Playing with my camera's settings again. 

 We saw a lot more along the way, or at least I took a lot more pictures. Not sure how many would be of interest. But back to the beginning. I leave for my sixth trip to Africa on Monday, so I'm trying to blog about my various journeys from the summer and then start fresh when I get back home the 2nd of October and share that whole journey with you. Sunday I'll let you know what we saw while we were visiting Iowa that weekend in August. Then you'll have to wait for two and a half weeks to hear from me again. 

Finishing out this road trip

     When I saw today’s date, after I had uploaded all the pictures for this post and knew what I was going to write about, I remembered. I don’t think we should ever forget. Of course, if we don’t forget, but we don’t do anything about it, what is the point?

“Sigh” 

 Anyway, onto the pictures. The weekend of August 9, I traveled down to the Green Lake Conference Center for a writers’ reunion. On the way there, as you already know, I ran across multiple covered bridges. 

 I didn’t find any covered bridges at the Conference Center, but a few regular bridges.

 Along with lots of flowers.

 

(Playing with my camera's settings.)

 And a little bit of wildlife.

 I’ve stopped at this cabin before – the oldest buildings on the grounds, dating back to the mid-1800s.

 

 I never have managed to stop here when it is open.

 Finally, to round out my trip, a few more bridges. 

  Imagine that. This should have been called the trip of bridges.  

My Last Covered Bridge

     Just a month ago, on August 9, I was driving to the Green Lake Christian Conference Center for a writers’ reunion. I ran across two covered bridges in Waupaca and was continuing down side roads, angling my way to Green Lake, when I spied another sign for a covered bridge. I couldn’t believe it. 

 Springwater Volunteer Bridge is four miles east of Wild Rose and close to the bump in the road called Saxeville. Crossing the Pine River, the 40-foot long, one-lane bridge is on Covered Bridge Road just off of County Highway A and Portage Road.   

 In 1989, the county condemned the steel and concrete bridge which originally serviced this location. The estimate to replace it came in at $100,000. The town didn’t have close to that kind of money, even with the help of federal funding. 

 One of the board members had been out east and had been smittened by the covered bridges he had seen in Pennsylvania. He came home with the idea to construct one in his township. It took six years of hard work, but the bridge was finally dedicated June 1, 1997. The cost? Just under $50,000. 

 The park adjacent to the bridge couldn’t be more adorable.  

Good job, volunteers of Springwater. 


Now onto my next stop - the Conference Center. I’ll have to tell you about that next time. 

Thankful for Dry Ground

 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,

    for I have put my trust in you.

Show me the way I should go,

    for to you I entrust my life.

 Rescue me from my enemies, Lord,

    for I hide myself in you.

 Teach me to do your will,

    for you are my God;

may your good Spirit

    lead me on level ground.

Psalm 143:8-10 (New International Version)

 I haven’t shared a Sunday inspirational post for almost a month, as I’ve been so busy writing about all the ground I have traveled over this summer. But I woke up this morning and thought, it’s time.

 Looking at this picture, I’m reminded that sometimes when we haven’t been led to level ground, that at least God sends us a dry boardwalk. When I took this picture, I had just slogged through a muddy swamp which hadn’t been blest by a walkway. Or actually, it was because we have been blessed with abundant rain this summer and the people who built that trail hadn’t planned for that much moisture. I was thankful to meet up with the boardwalk again.

Thank You, Lord, for sending us to dry, level ground in our time of need. Amen.