October 11, 2014. Land of Lincoln

CAMPGROUND:  Best Western Motel!  :-)

LOCATION:  Springfield, IL in central part of state

WEATHER:  Nice, crisp. Highs in 60s

We checked into the motel early, unhooking the car so we could drive around the city.  We went to a downtown pub for lunch.  The waiter mixed up our order, serving us boneless instead of bone-in chicken wings, so he gave us a free order!  

We spent the day touring the many Lincoln sites downtown, including the museum and library.

We were lucky to get on the last tour of the Lincoln home.  It was neat to see where Lincoln had spent his life before being elected. 

It was nice to get cleaned up in a motel.  

For dinner, we walked to a nearby Italian restaurant and bought a pizza to eat in our room.  

October 10, 2014. Western Illinois to Springfield

CAMPGROUND: Singchris State Park. 3 stars out of 5.  Overpriced at $20.  On lake, but not near campground. Pit toilets only. Electricity. Dump station.  New grills. About 15 miles from town.  

LOCATION:  Outside of Springfield, in middle of Illinois

WEATHER:  Some rain. Cooler. Highs in 50s

We drove east from the Mississippi to Springfield, about 170 miles.  We drove by many large cornfields and soybean fields with farmers harvesting their crops with huge equipment.  

We want to spend some time here in Springfield visiting the Lincoln sites.  

We hit town in time for a late lunch. We stopped at a microbrewery called Obed and isaac's.  It is in the historical district, in an old refurbished mansion.  They have 4 of their own IPAs on tap!  I had a black IPA and George had a Session  IPA.  We shared a huge "horseshoe" sandwich, a Springfield tradition.  It is an open-faced sandwich served with your choice of meat (we chose lamb burger), slathered with melted cheese, then sprinkled with French fries.  

It is like a Springfield version of Canadian poutine.  

Then, we drove to the state park campground.  We will stay here tonight only, then go back to Springfield and stay in a motel tomorrow.  

We took a hike on one of the park's trails.   Interesting fungus on a tree.

 It started to drizzle a bit, so we hunkered down inside.  We have some TV connections, so watched cooking shows, then a play on PBS.

DINNER:  Spinach salad and pasta.  For the pasta, I jazzed up canned pasta sauce with sautéed onion, scallions, and sliced jalapeño sausage.  At the end of cooking, I added some spinach leaves, to use them up before they spoil.  Molto bono!

October 9, 2014. Learning about Mormons

CAMPGROUND:  Second night at Nauvoo State Park

LOCATION:  Nauvoo, Illinois, on Mississippi River

WEATHER:  Off-and-on  rain. Highs in 60s

We escaped the rain by watching movies about Nauvoo's Mormon history at the Visitor Center.  Their leader Joseph Smith lived and was murdered here.  Very interesting.

In the afternoon when the weather cleared, we took a walking tour of some of the homes and shops they built, then had to abandon when they were forced to leave.  Each building was hosted by a Mormon Sister dressed in period clothes to explain things.

This one is the post office and general store.  Most of these Mormon hosts live elsewhere and are serving a 2-year "call" here.

Then, we stopped at the bakery and tasted a gingerbread cookie.

Then to the Gunsmith shop of the Browning family fame.

Most of the tourists seem to be Mormon.  There are a lot of cars with Utah licenses.  Our last stop was the tin maker's shop.

After all that history, we visited the town's winery with the oldest vines in Illinois.  Then we went to the town's inn and had a drink in their cozy 1850 pub.

In the evening, we watched a Mormon musical about Nauvoo life in the 1800s.  

DINNER:  Fall meal......leftover pork and sautéed cabbage seasoned with caraway seeds. I made a squash soup with leftover butternut squash, sautéed onions and buttermilk. 

October 8, 2014. Mormons on the Mississippi

CAMPGROUND:  Nauvoo State Park.  Seems almost like a city park as it is near town. Beautiful pine tree canopy with pine needles covering the ground.  Good fire grills. 3 stars out of 5.  Little high at $20.  Clean pit toilet nearby;  new flush toilets and showers fairly far away. 

LOCATION:  Nauvoo, in western Illinois on the Mississippi

WEATHER:  Another beautiful fall day. Highs around 70

We have no set schedule or route.  We are slowly winding our way to North Carolina where we will store our trailer and car in mid-November when we go to India.  Between then and now, we are taking our time heading southeast.

We crossed the Mississippii at Fort Madison, Iowa's first city. This is the old fort.

We stopped at the Lost Duck brewpub for $1.50 beers.  It got its name from the birds who get lost here migrating north and south, as this part of the river flows east and west.

We got stopped on the drawbridge waiting as a big barge went through.  In the background, you can see one of the many mansions that dot the river way. This one was owned by the Schaefer Pen Company family. The pen factory here is no longer in business.

Our "1000 Places...." guidebook  suggested Nauvoo, Illinois. this town.  It is called the Williamsburg of the Midwest.   It was a large Mormon settlement here in the 1800s.  They had planned to stay here, but the locals harassed them and forced them to move west.  When they were here, this town was even bigger than Chicago.  This is their huge Mormon temple.

When they were forced to leave, they had to abandon all their houses and shops.  These old brick buildings have been restored, like Williamsburg.  Tomorrow we plan to take the tour.  Folks are dressed in period clothes and demonstrate their businesses, like a potter, iron smith, baker.  

DINNER:  We had decadently rich hamburgers.  I bought 2 burgers called filet mignon burgers at the meat counter at the grocery.  ($5).  We toasted baguette slices on the grill, then melted a bit of local blue cheese on the burgers.  Out of this world!

 

October 7, 2014. Following the Mormon Trail

CAMPGROUND:  3rd night Lacey-Kesosagua State Park

LOCATION:  SE corner of Iowa

WEATHER:  Sunny. Warm. Highs around 70

We have enjoyed this campground so much (especially the price) that we decided to stay one more night.  It feels like Camelot here....rains during the night and sunny and mild during the day.

We returned to one of the quaint villages around here, Bonaparte, for lunch. The entire town is on the Historic Register.  The most thriving business is the restaurant, called Bonaparte Retreat.  It is an old grist mill built in 1857.  

It is chock-full of antiques

.....including our 93-year-old waitress.  She was a real character, asking us about our travels.  When George asked if they have dark beer, she said..."I don't know much about booze", and grabbed a young feller waiter to help.  

George had their daily special, baked chicken with a heap of mashed potatoes, corn and homemade bread, all for about $5.  

The prices were really old-fashioned....huge hamburgers for $3.00.  I had a salad with blue cheese.  Our waitress Marie warned me that it would be a "slab" of lettuce.  :-).   It was delicious, with lots of Iowa Maytag blue cheese, also $3.00.

Then, we walked to the cash register to pay.  It is an old National brand, the kind I used when working in my dad's store many years ago.  Marie was there to "grab our money" as she joked.

 We walked along the town's riverfront and peaked into some of the empty buildings, some in stages of restoration.

This town is where Brigham Young led his Mormon followers across the river.  

Back at the campground, we took a hike on one of the park's trails, also one of the Mormon Trails.  

DINNER:  At the Mennonite general store yesterday, we bought a huge bag of banana peppers on close-out for $.69.  George grilled them.  Then I chopped some up, sautéed them with onions and garlic, added cooked rice, cilantro and cumin, then stuffed in the remaining peppers.  Pretty fancy and delicious!

October 6, 2014. Villages of Van Buren County, Iowa

CAMPGROUND:  2nd night at Lacey-Keosagua State Park

LOCATION:  Far SE corner of Iowa

WEATHER:  Beautiful, sunny fall day. Highs in 60s

We took a 3-mile hike around the state park, circling the lake.  Then, we drove into Keosagua for lunch, and to start our tour of the Villages of Van Buren County.  The county is sparsely populated, and the towns are all quite small.  We visited historic Bentonport and Bonaparte along the Des Moines River.  There are lots of antique shops and historic old inns.  There is a Fall Scenic Drive Festival this weekend here, and I'm sure the towns will liven up for that.  We are glad to be here without the crowds.

Then on to Cantrill, where there is a large bulk grocery/ general store run by Mennonites. Their pumpkins, squash,  and mums were beautiful.

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We bought some vegetables and farm-fresh eggs.

 On to Milton, which has a creamery.  We bought some cheddar cheese and some cheese curds, made from milk from nearby Amish farms.

On our way back to the campground, we passed by Amish farms, all so tidy with their buggies parked in their barns.  We passed a teenage boy in his summer buggy (no top).

George made a good campfire.  Previous campers left their wood, so we have plenty to burn.

DINNER:  Home-made pork 'n beans from some dried pintos I had on hand.  Used some of the leftover pork we grilled the other night.  We baked  a butternut squash that we bought today at the Mennonite store.....halved it, took out the seeds, dotted each half with butter, sprinkled on salt and pepper, wrapped the halves in aluminum foil, and cooked on the fire.  Yummy!  Flavors of fall.

October 5, 2014. Southern Iowa

CAMPGROUND:  Lacey-Keosaqua State Park.  Another Iowa State Park gem.  Electricity, water for tank, nice bathrooms, wooded sites.  4 stars out if 5.  $11.  We realized that the prices of the parks state-wide went down after October 1.  What a deal!

LOCATION:  Southeast Iowa, near Keosaqua and Fort Madison. 

WEATHER:  Picture perfect fall day. Sunny. Highs in 60s

We left Lake Ahquabi mid-morning and drove about 150 miles southeast to the far SE corner of the state.  

Again, we referred to our book "10,000 Places To Go Before You Die" for guidance for places to visit in southern Iowa.  It mentioned Fairfield, Iowa to see the Maharishi University.  On the way, we saw a sign advertising American Gothic House, so we decided to swing by to see what it is.  We found that it is the house featured in Grant Wood's painting.  

It is a very nice center. There is a museum showing the history, including all the parodies that have been made over the years.

They encourage visitors to put on the costumes and pose in front of the house with the pitchfork.  We didn't do that, but did get a snap with the cut-outs.

We stopped along the way to phone some folks we missed in Iowa.  Betty Green....if you are reading this, please know we are sorry we missed you.  We stopped by the Truro Library, but later learned you are recovering from surgery.  Take care!  While we were on the phone, we pulled to the side of the road to talk.  A kind couple in a camper with Iowa plates stopped to see if we needed help.  People are so kind everywhere we go. 

Fairfield is a town of about 5,000.  About 40 years ago, its financially struggling small liberal arts college was bought by a famous Indian meditation guru, and Maharishi University was established.  It is a college and also offers short-term seminars for transcendental meditation. There is a village with communal gardens, temples and an observatory.  There is also a famous spa called Raj there where people go for massages, cleansing and healthy eating.  All very interesting in this small Iowa town.

Our guidebook suggested visiting the small towns of Van Buren County. So, we stopped in this campground that we will use as a base as we explore the area over the next few days.

The weather is 100% perfect for camping. We crunched through the fallen leaves and made a roaring fire.

DINNER:  For a break from the Iowa meat we have been eating, I fixed a shrimp dish instead.  It had a Japanese flair with soba noodles. I sautéed shrimp, onions, garlic and leftover zucchini in sesame oil, added some soy sauce, and served over the soba.  Oushikata!