Just to see what I could see...

Last weekend I decided to explore a new area for me. I'd never been to Muscatine, IA (on the Mississippi River) and I knew they had a farm store there that was having some great sales on clothing. (There's no subsitute for sturdy, warm clothing designed for farmers.) So, I hopped in my trusty chevy and took off for parts unknown. Surprisingly, I discovered it only took me 40 minutes to get there! I had thought it was farther away than that. As I approached the southern edge of this small Iowa city (I'd put it at about 7,000 population if I had to guess), I had the choice to turn and go around town, or to continue straight through the town's business district. I opted to go through town and see what forms the central foundation of this place. The closer I got to the "business district" the more victorian architecture I saw. It was beautiful and sad at the same time. The old business district was on the lowest slant of a large hill. The buildings there looked as if they'd been standing since Iowa had been a territory. Unfortunately they had been abandoned long ago and stood like dowagers presiding over the river front, having long lost their bloom of youth to the passing of time and industrialization. As I turned a corner, the newer, but still victorian, business district appeared. It was then that my breath caught in my throat because I saw the bridge that led to Illinois. In the misty rain that pervaded my day, it had a strong presence. A bridge that size always will. Just for kicks, I crossed to Illinois just to see what was there, and discovered a lot of farmland. LOL There was a sign upon entry that stated something about bootlegging and cigarettes but I missed most of it and when I had turned to go back, I didn't have an opportunity to get a closer look without pissing off the drivers behind me. Eventually I made it to the farm store, purchased a few things, including a portable heater, and stopped by an Italian place for some dinner.

It was an interesting trip. I saw several interesting homes, including a converted barn, and a federal-style victorian (in massive disrepair). It's depressing to see beautiful architecture wasting away in a lot that had been turned into a cow pen. I passed a sign for a town called Fruitland, and accordingly, a lot of signs in that area were in the shape of watermelon slices and various fruit. It had me chuckling. There were also quite a few greenhouses where a person could buy homegrown fruit and vegetables. I'll have to explore that a little more next spring.

I nearly forgot, I had stopped at the Mark Twain Overlook to catch a scenic view of the river, but with the mist, it was pretty fuzzy. I took some picture and will post any that turn out decent. I ended my brief stop there by picking up trash that had been thrown on the ground. Apparently whoever maintains that little park didn't feel it necessary to install a trash can.

On my way back home, I also explored a small town that had some interesting features. I was surprised to see the downtown area completely lit up and in apparent use. So many of the small town downtown areas have been abandoned that I was excited about one actually using their downtwon. So, I took a drive through and had to laugh. Yeah, it was being used, but it was all bars, mexican restuarants, mexican grocery stores and beauty salons. I had forgot that the town was predominantly populated by hispanics. I continued my exploration, enchanted with the gradual climb up a large hill as I drove the twists and turns of the road. You don't see a lot of large hills in Iowa because the land was flattened during the ice age, so this was a treat.

I did eventually make it home six hours after I had left. I enjoyed the day and look forward to going back another time, but in better weather!