Septenber 26 - October 1, 2017:
I have had a nasty cold going on a week now, feel like crap, it is rainy, cool, damp and cloudy and I feel like crawling back under a warm blanket, but the show must go on. We get on the road at about 9:30 taking routes 16 and 52 into Iowa through miles and miles of corn fields and then routes 150 and 380 to the Morgan Creek County Campground in Palo, Iowa. The campground is a nice one with electric and water hookups and we slip into a nice end campsite. It should be a good place to relax and mend for a few days.
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Much of the drive was like this
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Haven't passed an Amish buggy on a highway in a while
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The odd but great thing about this campground is that it
has a tree arboretum with 250 tree varieties
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Sadly this old school building is being neglected and
the bell tower is about to collapse |
The campground is about 5 miles from downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa which is the second largest city in Iowa with a nice downtown area and several attractions. My first stop however is the Walgreens Pharmacy for more cold remedies. My next stop is the Cedar Rapids Public Library which is a modern, massive “state of the art” Library. Cities all over the country seem to be building these great libraries, libraries are once again becoming the place to go.
Cedar Rapids is on the Cedar River and was heavily damaged due to severe flooding in 2008 and again in 2016, but they’ve done a remarkable job of recovery and rebuilding. In fact many blocks of the downtown appear to have been totally rebuilt. The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art is not to be missed featuring the art of Grant Wood. There are two other museums that you wouldn’t expect here, the National Czech and Slovak Museum and the African American Museum of Iowa. There is also the Veterans Memorial Building which is an incredible structure.
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A take off on a classic Grant Wood painting
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Another interesting mural in downtown
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Theater Cedar Rapids is a beauty
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| Another Grant Wood inspired mural in downtown |
Feeling quite improved, I go to the Museum of Art which features several painting of Grant Woods, a favorite of mine, who was a Cedar Rapids resident. There was a another featured artist, Marvin Cone, a friend of Grants who was also very impressive. Another great exhibit was the prints by Maurico Lasansky who came from Buenos Aires and taught at the Universally of Iowa for many years.
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Museum of Art entrance
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Print by Maurico Lasansky
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How the following sculpture came to be
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Sculpture by Malvina Hoffman
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Marvin Cone painting very similar to Grant Wood
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Classic Grant Wood painting
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| Another one with incredible detail |
We made a quick stop at the Veterans Memorial Building to check out the massive 16 foot tall stained glass window done by Grant Woods in 1928. There was also a Vietnam war exhibit, a Spanish American War exhibit and a exhibit on the building itself.
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| Impressive Veterans Memorial building |
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| Grant Wood stained glass |
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| Vietnam exhibit |
Another unique area of Cedar Rapids is the “NewBo”, short for the New Bohemia section of town. It was a predominantly Czeck and Slovak section that is undergoing a renaissance with much building and restoration centered around the National Czech and Slovak museum. There is a large market building, many restaurants, cafes, brew pubs, a real Czeck bakery and several antique shops. This is the new happening area in Cedar Rapids for certain.
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New Bohemia poster
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Sidewalk advertising was prevalent in this area
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Old Skelly gas station
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One of several buildings being rehabilitated
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A Lions view of the river
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Mural on building in NewBo
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| Advertising poster in bakery |
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The Aces & Eights Saloon
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| Impressive tower in front of the National Czeck and Slovak Museum |
We ate lunch at the Parlor City Pub which has several of the old sidewalks on display which had tiles inbeded into them to advertise local businesses. It is a very attractive old building with an impressive bar with 56 draft beers on tap. I am finding that these mega tap brew pubs tend to remind me of TV stations, as in I’ve got 99 stations but nothing on I want to watch. We drank much “Grain Belt” beer in Lanesboro and I’d honestly just as soon drink it.
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Sidewalk advertising signs taken at night
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| Parlor City Pub & Eatery |
I return later in the evening to checkout a nearby bar in NewBo that is having several bands outside in adjacent open lot. An obviously local solo musician was playing, (much local sports team banter), and a very eclectic mix of songs (good) including one I haven’t heard in a long time, “Last Kiss”. He actually had the crowd singing along as if they knew it, Of course they probably know it from the new version recently done by Pearl Jam. I left when he was done and the next band was setting up and made my exit to the Iowa Brewing Company. They had a band playing outside who were really fun playing old rock & roll like Buddy Holly, the Beatles, Chuck Berry and others. Iowa Brewing has a nice spacious brew pub and some of most creative beer names, the name is a major enticement for me.
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| The brews at Iowa Brewing Company |
Next stop is Des Moines, Iowa,
Twinkles and Slick
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