Touring the East Coast of Iowa

A few days ago I flew to Des Moines, Iowa to meet my friend Lee, who is from Tucson.  We rented a car and began our tour of what she calls "The East Coast of Iowa", a/k/a the
Mississippi River Valley.

Our first order of business was to tour the Covered Bridges of Madison County.
Do you recall the movie with Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood or perhaps you
read the charming little book.  The bridges (six of them) were built between
1870 and 1884.  Several have been moved; all have been restored to a certain
extent.  All were in the beautiful eastern Iowa countryside surrounded by acres of
cornfields, small streams, and well-tended farms with great tall silos.

Imes Bridge 1870

Cedar, 1883

Our next adventure was to travel across the center of the state where our adventures began to Cedar Rapids where we went to see the Brucemoor Mansion and Grounds, a
large country estate from the early 20th Century.  It is on the National
Historic Register so imagine our surprise to find a display of large photographs of other buildings which are on the Register and right there on the top was the Town Hall of Silverton, Colorado!
(Doesn't seem quite right that I should have had to travel all the way to central
Iowa to learn that my own City Hall is included!)

Maple Tree on the Ground

Brucemoor Mansion, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Today we happily got to the river valley.  Even though the Mississppi is very low in water due to the extensive drought of her contributing geographical areas, the first glimpse of the river valley was stunning!

The fall leaves on the trees were also stunning....

...as we drove the Great River Road north to the border of Iowa.  The road wound up and down the bluffs along the river through an area that was spared the great scouring of the Ice Age.  As a result the topography was interesting with lots of hills and valleys.  Every now and then there would be a glimpse of the river and a set of locks, which are numerous.

Lock #15 and Dam

Next destination was the Effigy Mounds National Monument, which contains several hundred founds which date back up to 2500 years ago.  It is believed they were used as burial mounds for early native tribes as well as for ceremonial use.  We enjoyed a two-hour hike up the bluffs and through the forests to see a large bear-shaped mound which was 137 feet by 70 feet.  From the top of the bluffs the river views were marvelous...

Trail Up the Bluff

Lee Enjoying the View Along the Trail

River View from the Bluff

Penny and the Great River

Tonight we are on the Wisconsin side of the river, staying in a lovely country inn.  Tomorrow we plan to seek out several Lands End outlet stores in the area and then we'll return to the river valley and work our way south.  Our ultimate destination is Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, where we
will visit our good friends, Karen and George Chapman, before returning to Silverton and Tucson.

I love the colorful trees with all the reds...

Goodnight!