CalExpeditions

Tag: Iowa

  • Home Town Boy Does Good

    Home Town Boy Does Good

    Iowa? But what happened to New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois?

    Well, the return trip is a blur, luckily my AI assistant refreshed my memory. After touring the FDR House and Museum, we could only find a crappy RV park for the night. This happens when one refuses to plan ahead. It wasn’t the worst, though. That distinction belongs to NAS Key West, of which I have my own opinions.

    Pennsylvania was wet with a gentle rain falling all day.

    Indiana was a pleasant drive with a pleasant stay at Pokagon State Park (pronounced poh kay gun). Did you know the Indianaians are universally friendly, polite and helpful? They are, from the state park people to Target employees and toll takers…all very gregarious and helpful. Also, did you know Indiana is right close to Chicago? It is! Practically a suburb!

    Also, Indiana initiated a movement to ease the memory burden of school children by simplifying the association of state names and their capitals. In their scheme, one simply affixes “polis” on the end of the state name and voila! there you have the capital’s name! The other states have yet to adopt this approach.

    Got to Iowa and stayed at Kent Park, a delightful county park. I stayed there on the eastbound leg. This time the park was practically empty as it was closing for the season the next day. Whew! Perfect timing.

    En route to Offutt AFB for the night, I followed the sign to Marion Robert “John Wayne” Morrison’s birthplace and museum.

    Home town hero gets a museum!
    What a cute kiddo…with his brother. They were close throughout their lives, with brother (no one knows his name) assisting with Marion’s career.
    Wowzer! Who knew Marion was so handsome when young? Acting takes a toll; it was all downhill for Marion after this photo was taken.
    Little known fact: Marion had coffee mugs made for each of his films. He distributed these to colleagues and the production teams.
    There is a mini theater in the museum. The museum staff are quite proud that the chairs are from an ethnic theater in Los Angeles.
    Near Marion’s birthplace, in Madison County, are covered bridges. This one is the haunted one.
    Xena inspects a rock.
  • Nebraska & Iowa

    Nebraska & Iowa

    Nebraska and Iowa are essentially the same place. It is a mystery why they’re treated separately by many. I’ll lump them together and call them Nebowa.

    The management of agri-business have forgotten to harvest their crops, leaving them to waste away in the fields. This will negatively impact profitability.

    Nebowa is a gray, overcast place with a lot of rain. If you’re planning on visiting (which you aren’t), be sure to pack your rain jacket. Otherwise you’ll have to buy one at the Base Exchange at Offutt AFB.

    Lots of clouds in Nebowa.

    Similarly, be sure to check your wiper blades. If you don’t renew them at home, you’ll have to while on the road.

    Did you know that wiper blades are designed to fail at the exact spot where your eyes look out the windshield? They are.

    Also, did you know that Sprinter vans have special “wet” wiper blades that are only sold at Mercedes dealers? They do.

    You will be in luck, though, because the Omaha Mercedes dealer handles Sprinters (most don’t) and they have wiper blades in stock! They’ll even install them for free! Marvelous!

    The van, aka the Shuttlecraft, stand ready to shield us from the rain.

    Also, be aware that Nebowa is quite windy. Crosswinds, in fact. Do not be startled when your vehicle’s anti-crosswind feature activates with a terrible noise and vibration. This is considered normal.

    The eastern part of Nebowa is unnecessarily hilly. This negatively impacts the region’s agricultural productivity. If one were to have a giant rolling pin, applied with sufficient vigor, one could smooth out the hills and increase the proportion of usable land, as was done with Kansas.

    Xena, the Warrior Princess, disapproves of the rain and elects to observe from inside.