Travels with Twinkles: Des Moins - Oskloosa - Iowa City

Des Moins - Oskaloosa - Iowa City - Cedar Falls, Iowa

July 30 - I leave Des Moins on Rt 163 into farm country with corn fields as far as you can see making stops in Monroe, Ortly and Pella and my destination in Oskaloosa Iowa.

Pella was the standout gem of the bunch, an absolutely beautiful town. In 1847 800 brave souls from the Netherlands left their homeland in four ships, crossed the ocean and then traveled by train, boats, wagon and horseback to present day Iowa and established the town of Pella. They were obviously people with great courage, drive, determination and ambition who built a city much like the one they had left.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pella,Iowa

They have the huge Vermeer Windmill in the the downtown, it's a great town center piece and an amazing story, one of the tallest windmills in the US, which was disassembled in the Netherlands, shipped to Iowa and then reassembled with a crew of experienced craftsmen from the Netherlands. It is fully functional and they actually mill wheat on it for sale and as an historic demonstration. They have a group of volunteers that operate the mill and conduct the tours. I took the tour which takes you up into the Windmill where the guide explain how it works when the wind is adequate they start the blades rotating which is quite a sight. In the entire city block adjacent to the Windmill is also a museum, practically a complete historic village with exhibits and artifacts on the heritage and history of the town people who founded this town.

Standing on the upper level as the blades rotate is cool

A hand built model of the town

A young lady who is straining on the rope

A millers life was not easy

Samples of the ground wheat

These are powerful images

Todays immigrants leave their homes for the same reasons

Wyatt seemed to be everywhere

Many historic books and records that have been saved

The dignified looking founder of Pella

The downtown area is unique with great unique architecture, excellant dutch bakery’s and meat stores and other interesting shops. They also have a large central square where music concerts and other events are held. I reluctantly leave Pella, I will miss those fabulous bakery’s but it’s time to move on.

How about those bells ?

And the towering Tulip Time structure

Lots of Bakery's here

I then continue to my planned destination of Oskaloosa where I had an excellent Shephard’s Pie at Bridget’s Pour House in the downtown area. This is another very interesting town with lots of history but not as clean and sparkling as Pella. Then on to yet another fine non sparkling Walmart for the night.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oskaloosa,_Iowa

July 31- In the morning, I head back into Oskaloosa, named for Indian Chief Mahaska who is immortalized in a fine statue in the town square. I want to take more photos in the morning light, but it’s not ideal as the sky is so very hazy. It not so bad if I have front lighting, but pretty ugly with backlighting. This haze continues for the whole day in my travels, I'm told it's from the Canadian forest fires.

More great architecture

The Courthouse is huge and moving

A very good shepherds pie

I want to know what is in the Book Vault ?

Chief Mahaska Monument

Old Rock Island train depot, is now a brew pub

I find a colorful alley with lots of town musical history and story murals of interesting town people that I had missed last evening. I also note very nice metal signs on historical buildings. Oskaloosa is actually looking far better in the daylight, I'm now loving this town.

This alley way was really cool !

Another view

One of the paintings in the alley

This mural looked so great under the lights

One of the historic signs on a building

As I study my road map again, there are three different potential routes heading for my next destination of Iowa City. All of them give a caution of “chance of flooding”, which thankfully didn’t materialize although I did see rivers running pretty high.

As I made so many stops enroute to check out various towns, even I started to think; this is excessive, It’s crazy, but I love it ! What will I do with all these photos ? I think I am becoming a photo “horder”. I’ve become the guy in the film classic, “Exit through the gift store”. My stops today were ; New Sharon, Montezuma, Brooklin, Ladora, Big Bank, Marango, Homestead, Oxford and ending in Iowa City. This route was all beautiful rolling hills and fields of corn as depicted in Grant Woods paintings.

Following photos are from Brooklyn

Wyatt Earp again in Broooklyn

This photo from Maranga

As I arrive in Iowa City, I park for a while then drive towards downtown finding a botanical garden and home along the Iowa River that once belonged to a rather famous bridge engineer.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa_City,_Iowa

I end up on Market street where I have dinner at the Blue Bird Diner where I had perhaps the worst meal of this trip, so far. I then went a couple of blocks away to Iowa and Washington streets where I find many great looking restaurants, shops, bars, dispensaries and murals I walked around for an hour or so then headed to the next Walmart for the night. Got to get away from these Walmarts !

Bluebird mural

Beautiful looking theater

August 1 - I return to downtown Iowa City to explore more in the better morning light, this is a beautiful area. The University of Iowa, home to the oldest and largest University in the state, founded in 1847 which now has 33,000 students. The Main building at the end of Iowa street looks like a state capital, and I latter found that it was. This is a hard core college city, the streets are clean, very few homeless types, everyone is dressed per the current fashion of the day and they love their Hawkeyes.

Sidewalk art

There was a homeless campsite right there

Old train station on a still active line

At noon, I leave Iowa City and drive 25 miles to Cedar Falls, Iowa, then across town to the town of Marion which is a suburb of Cedar Falls. I am impressed by the Marion Main street area, very nice, but first I have to find the postoffice where Sue has sent me my new debit card, the existing card is cracked. I then return to Marion to explore for a while, it’s really nice town.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedar_Falls,_Iowa

Marion is the new hot spot

I then go to downtown Cedar Falls where I park and wander around seeing many great buildings but also many that are kind of grundy looking and rough, not so impressed.

Museum of art

I then take drive a short distance away to the New Bohemia / Czech Village section of the city. There is a food co-op where a live music session in a park area has just ended, I missed it, but there are many nice restaurants here and they are packed with customers. I then just happen upon the “Kickstand” with live music playing outside to a crowd, I stop and listen to the musician for a while, one of the few who were, then find a nearby street parking spot for the night.

The river is very high

Veteran's Memorial Building on an island in the river

The other side has City Hall

August 2 - I explore the Czech & Slovak area in the early morning. It has a beautiful entry arch on the river bridge and a beautiful park area and mural. There is also a towering clock tower and the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library. The tower houses the Orloj Astronomical Clock, the only one in North America. An amazing number of europeans came here to escape persecution in their home land. They have built this beautiful small village to reflect that heritage.

https://www.iowapbs.org/iowapathways/mypath/2627/czech-and-slovak-community

The entry garden and mural to the Czeck Village

A nearby bar

They used the sidewalks to advertise their stores

The Famous Orloj Astronomical Clocktower

The entrance gate and river gate to keep flood water out

The Orloj Astronomical Clock

I had seen a sign for the Saturday Farmers Market in downtown Cedar Rapids, but didn’t expect much. So, I didn’t rush to get there, that was dumb as several blocks of the downtown streets were closed and filled with vendors at 10 AM. It was as if everyone in the city attends this market which goes till 2 PM. I wandered for an hour or two, it was fun people watching event, I then went to the Cedar Rapids Art Museum which was bordering the market, I had previously planned to go there as they have a major exhibit on Grant Woods who was resident of Cedar Rapids.

The downtown streets were filled

As I was walking on a downtown street, I see a poster for a the Linn County Blues Society concert that night. I checked it on line to find that it is being held in town on the grounds of a very famous Brucemore Mansion. It’s another rush to an event, parking thee was somewhat of a problem, as the only parking was on local residential streets, then a walk to the grounds of the Mansion.

Once there, they allowed you free entry into the Mansion, pretty nice as you usually pay for a guided tour. Then outside to the concert, lots of food and drink vendors and a sizable crowd. The first band, the Avery Grquw Band (not sure about that spelling) have a great vocalist, but a little too southern jive talking for me, but they are a top rated band on the blues circuit. The second band, the Buckmiller Schwager Band, who I don’t know at all has a dynamite good front man who could talk some trash and play to match, a more hard core blues much more to my liking. I then had to find my way back to the van in the dark, hoping it would still be there, sure glad I have this “find my” app on my phone or I may be still looking for it.

I then drive back to the area where I spent last night. Wow, what a crazy day, I’m exhausted !