CONTINUING ON, MAKING A RIGHT TURN

We hung around Omaha for a few days, doing the necessary shopping, washing the truck, laundry and cleaning the RV before continuing on.  While heading across Iowa on the roads less traveled we spied a sign pointing to a Freedom Rock several miles off the main road. We figured we ought to check it out.  In Sac City, a small town with just one stoplight, in the city park, was this large rock painted with scenes honoring our veterans.  Who painted the rock? You ask.  Ray “Bubba” Sorensen, that’s who.  An Iowan native painted the first Freedom Rock near the town of Menlo in the western part of the state in 1999.  After seeing the movie, Saving Private Ryan he wanted to honor veterans and painting became a way for him to do so.  It is his goal to paint a Freedom Rock in each of Iowa’s 99 counties.  He’s up to 76 and counting.

While in town we discovered that Sac City is famous for another reason.  It is home to the world’s largest popcorn ball, a must see on anyone’s itinerary.  I mean we could travel all over and never see anything like this.  Just awesome!

We spent the next couple of nights a another fine county park in Humboldt, Iowa.  Again off the beaten path, just like we like it.  I’ve been asked several times how I find these places.  Well, there are several ways.  I look for places where I can ride my bike, and by that I mean flat places.  I don’t do hills, not well anyway.  I also use an app called Ultimate Campgrounds, which shows all the government owned campgrounds in the U.S.  Down to the small city parks with sometimes as few as 2 RV spaces and usually very inexpensive if not free.  You would be surprised on just how many interesting and beautiful places there are to campout for a night or two.  From national parks to the smallest of towns many of these places are unique and best of all uncrowded.

On our way to our next stop of Cedar Rapids of course stopped in Brandon to see Iowa’s largest frying pan.  Holds 44 dozen eggs, 352 1/2 pound pork chops or 88 pounds of bacon.  I wonder if it helped pop all that popcorn back in Sac City.  Cedar Rapids has another great bike trail that goes for about 67 miles both north and south of the city.  A very nice paved trail on a old rail line.

While in Walmart picking up a few things, we heard over the PA system, “Code Black”. I figured it was the code for a shoplifter as we were in Walmart.  So we continued shopping.  It seemed the aisles were less crowded, which I liked because there were no Walmart shoppers blocking my path.  We soon learned from a helpful employee that “Code Black” was to let us know to head for and take cover in the restrooms as there was a tornado warning.  How were we suppose to know not being from these parts.  I mean, couldn’t they just say, “Hey folks, you should probably head for cover as there is a possible tornado in the area”.  The nice Walmart people did pass out free cookies to keeps us calm.

After our excitement in Cedar Rapids we continued east finally reaching the Mississippi River.  We are now hold up in a nice Army Corp of Engineers campground right on the Illinois side of the river.  it is here where we will make a right turn and head south.  Of course there is a flat bike path here, called the Great River Trial, which follows the Mississippi on the Illinois side of the river.  While out and about the other day we came upon Travis, who at first glance appeared to be talking to the M&M figures in his yard.  We just had to stop and say hello, to Travis that is.  He told us he has been collecting M&M memorabilia for years.  He had a bunch of other stuff in his yard, but it seemed that he had a special attraction the candy guys.

Other than a bunch of mosquito bites that we incurred on a recent hike, we are fine.  Cathie is glad to be heading south as the morning sun will be on me for a while and she can sit in the shade in the passenger seat.