Day Five: Across Iowa

I am slowly moving along, slower than anticipated. I gave myself five days at a leisurely pace, stopping at historical and scenic sites. The Lincoln Highway around Fremont, NE was detoured and that caused me the illusion of driving in circles. I eventually found the Missouri River and crossed into Iowa, but unbeknown to me that also meant a decrease in the speed limit, from 65 to 55. The cop wasn't very sympathetic.  I merged right into the local traffic with Iowans speeding by at 65mph.

I was eager to pull over for a morning hike once I got away from the Missouri river and found a shaded county Park outside Woodbine, the Shaben  county Park;  forested acreage nestled in rolling farmland.   We followed a 10' mowed trail through tall grass and thick undergrowth for a two-mile loop. It was a "smart trail" that we simply scanned the code into our smart phone for trail information. Oh, the glories of hiking with technology.  I don't have a scanner app on my smartphone!

The sultry heat of the day quickly became noticeable.  For the first time on this road trip I felt stifling humidity.  It quickly shot up to 83F by 9am.

Choosing the Lincoln Highway (US Hwy 30) was also not my best decision as it was congested with truck traffic and not really very scenic.  The 55mph was too slow for this area!  I should have stayed on I-80 and skipped over most of Iowa.  That doesn't mean Iowa isn't worth exploring.  It's simply because by now I've gotten road weary and just want to get to my destination.

I did stop in Boone, hometown of Mamie Doud Eisenhower.  Her childhood home is well-preserved in the historic part of town, shaded by mature elm trees.  Her small house isn't much bigger than a two-car garage!   I didn't go inside and I didn't stay long, as I wanted to get as far east as possible.  My one other stop was for a Dreamsicle ice cream cone at Dairy Queen. 

One nice surprise was the Herbert Hoover childhood home in West Branch, Iowa.  Hoover lived in town until his 11th year.  His dad died of a heart attack when he was six years old.  His mom died of pneumonia when he was nine years old.  He lived with an uncle for a few years, but then was sent to Oregon and then never returned to West Branch.

I walked the historic section while Zeke rested in deep shade in the car.  The complex buildings were all closed by the time I got into town, but the grounds were open and I took advantage of the paths and 1.5-mile prairie view trail. I was the only person out.  A few park employees were closing the buildings and cleaning up, but I had the area to myself.  This complex is more than just the boyhood home of President Hoover.  It's also a representation of 1880s Quaker life, surrounded by mature trees native to the area.  Stopping in to see this historic village is worthwhile.  Dogs are even allowed on the grounds.  It's close to I-80 and a nice diversion from the monotonous interstate.  

My last stop in Iowa was trying a brewpub in Davenport on the Mississippi River.  The Front Street Brewpub was closed due to flooding (and it looks like the building suffered massive water damage, being on the riverwalk).  Pumps were still moving water back into the river, but the entire riverwalk and a parallel street US61 and 67 were under water.  The flood didn't stop a nearby blues fest from playing.  I ended up stopping with Zeke at an outdoor patio for two local craftbeers at Sippi's.  One was a Cherry Blonde served with a maraschino cherry brewed by Front Street Brewery; the second beer was a Big Grove Polecat Porter brewed in Iowa City. 

I would have enjoyed walking the city more, but since the riverwalk was under water, I opted to cross into Illinois and sleep there for the night. Chicago now would be 220 miles away.