Today I drove 186 miles traveling from East Moline, Illinois to West Des Moines, Iowa.
In the 18 minute video I visit President Hoover's birthplace cottage and grave. (Click  to watch my complete Iowa video.) |
I visit the grounds of the State Capitol, The Iowa Women of Achievement Bridge and more. (Click to watch my complete Iowa video.) |
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Hello People, Got up at shortly before 6:00 this morning. I always get up that early, or earlier. I used to get up at 4:00am everyday when I was working. Even though it's been almost three years since I retired, I still can't shake the habit. It rained and stormed overnight and was still raining this morning. I checked the hourly weather predictions for today and they said it would start to clear around 10:00. So I had a leisurely breakfast at the hotel and worked on the computer a bit before finally heading out at 9:30. It was still raining when I left but that stopped almost immediately and it became a beautiful day. My first stop of the day was about fifty miles west of the Quad Cities in West Branch, Iowa. I spent a couple hours here visiting the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site. The picture below is the house in which President Hoover was born. A very small two room house plus the kitchen which could only be accessed from the back porch.  I was able to walk through the small home. The small space and few material possessions reflect an ethic of thrift. The cottage was a typical starter home for a young late 19th century family. Antique furnishings represent common household items of a simply furnished two room rural home.  Below you can see the Hoover's outhouse in their back yard with the blacksmith shop across the street. Jesse Hoover, Herbert's father, owned and operated a blacksmith shop from 1871 to 1878. Although there were other smithies in town, Jesse earned a reputation as a good-natured, fair, and industrious businessman. Skilled and ambitious, he advertised to farmers, "Horse shoeing and plow work a specialty. Also dealer in all kinds of pumps. Prices to suit the times."  I made my way across the beautiful grounds to the graves of the 31st president and his wife. The graves sit high on a bluff overlooking the grounds of the site.  Also on the grounds are his Presidential Library and Museum. The Library-Museum was officially dedicated and opened to the public on August 10, 1962, Hoover's 88th birthday. The original building has been expanded several times.  I also took a look at the historic town of West Branch. Herbert Hoover was the only American president born in Iowa.  After I was finished it was only a ten mile drive to Iowa City where I visited the Old State Capitol. It was once the main government building for the state of Iowa, and it now stands as the most prominent landmark at the center of the University of Iowa's campus. Iowa City served as the third and last territorial capital of Iowa until December 28, 1846, when Iowa was admitted into the United States as the 29th state of the union. Iowa City was declared the state capital of Iowa, and the government convened in the Old Capitol Building. The state government was moved to Des Moines in 1857.  I was going to cruise around the University of Iowa campus and visit Kinnick Stadium. But I was two hours behind schedule since I left the hotel two hours late, so I skipped that. Instead I found the Indianapolis 500 on SiriusXM and listened to the greatest spectacle in racing during my 113 mile drive to Des Moines. I got to the State Capitol Building a few minutes before the race ended. So I sat in my car and listened to Simon Pagenaud cross the finish line before getting out of the car to explore Des Moines. Below is the State Capitol Building.  Below is one of my favorite pictures of the Iowa Capitol. I took many.  From the steps leading up to the capitol you get a nice view of the Des Moines skyline.  On the south side of the capitol grounds are many war memorials and monuments. I spent some time visiting all of those. In the picture below is the Soldiers and Sailors Monument.  That is the Allison Monument on the left and the Iowa Supreme Court on the right in the picture below. It's getting late so I won't show you the other dozen or so monuments.  Next I made my way over to the Des Moines River and "walked" across the Iowa Women of Achievement Bridge. That's the Robert D. Ray Asian Gardens in the foreground.  Below is the other side of the bridge looking back toward the capitol in the east.  My final picture of the day is also from downtown Des Moines at the Papa John's Sculpture Park.  It was a really good day. Weather was much better than predicted or expected. It was now almost 6:00 and my old body had had enough. So I headed to my hotel in West Des Moines. I'm staying at another Hyatt Place. My room is almost identical to last night's Hyatt. After getting settled in I went to dinner across the street at Firebirds Wood Fired Grill. They were really busy. Food was good. That's enough for now. I'll write more tomorrow. Tim |
Most of the original audio track is in tact, but occassionally copyrighted music playing on the radio is removed. Listen to the Indianapolis 500 as I drive between Iowa City and Des Moines. |
Click on the arrow above for tomorrow's adventures.
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