What a day, what a day....I thought I had out-waited or out-witted the rain...but NO, it started not long after I was on the road. Not a big problem since I was not in a hurry and had no clear destination.
I took advantage of the continental breakfast this morning and met the nicest family. There were two little boys named Jayden and Joey, parents named James and Juanita that were Navy folks traveling from Miami to the state of Washington. At first the older one (2 years) kept calling me neanie and I thought he was telling me I looked like a "meanie". I thought that maybe since my hair was sticking up straight and I was in jeans and a t-shirt that I looked scary. His mom said that I must remind him of her mother, his grandmother. Believe me, I wondered what kind of grandma she must be that he would only think of her as mean....and then the dad explained that he called his grandmother NeNe. We had a good laugh about it when I told them what I thought he meant.
I drove through lots of small Iowa towns that were surrounded by lots of large farms that had plowed fields, multiple barns and silos and I kind of felt like i was driving through parts of Michigan or Indiana. There was a really interesting area that had lots of those windmills for alternative energy. For me, it was a great sight - but I wonder how people in the community feel about them and who makes the decision on where they are installed. Is it a community decision or a state decision? I put the windows down trying to hear if there was any noise that came from the fans, but I think the wind from the rain and the wetness coming in did not give me a true picture of what it is really like to have them in your yard and on your land.
Another town that I drove through was called "Correctionville". I just had to go through just to see what it looked like. I was hoping I would find a state institution there, or a bunch of churches - but it was really just a small town with a main street and a few business.
I did see the Barn Quilt city, which it took me a few minutes to connect. It was the 'quilt squares' on the barns that gave the town it's name. Once I figured it out, I couldn't pass a farm without checking to see if there was a 'square' on the barn.
I was planning on taking Iowa 20 to Iowa Falls since I have found most of the towns that have 'falls' in them to be places that have either a park and/or a nice walkway. The challenge became that the further east I drove I started getting sleet, then sleet on the road and driving rain that was making it hard to see. Once I got to interstate 35, I decided to jump on that road since there was more traffic and while the rain was still pouring down, I did not think the roads would be that bad.
I did take a few minutes to make some phone calls that I have been putting off. I called my former boss Karen and colleague Teri to tell them that I am ready to get together and do the formal good bye and good luck thing. I think I have avoided calling them because I felt badly I just had to take off and not do a more formal end, and at the same time I was not wanting to end it officially. I think these past couple of weeks have shown me that there is a life after the job and I am capable of embracing it.
After phone calls and dealing with the rain, getting on I-35 took me right into Des Moines, which was not on my list of cities that I had to visit, but turned out to be a good change. Since it was not a good day for taking a walk outside and I have been focusing on not going to malls, I decided to go to the Des Moines Art Center. What a nice surprise.
I wasn't sure what I would find there, but they had an exhibit by Danny Lyons called "Bikeriders" and it was black and white photos of bike (motorcycle) riders from 1965-1967. It was fantastic and the photos captured the times. I was really enthralled with it. What a pleasant surprise and wonderful way to spend the afternoon. I didn't have lots of time to see everything else at the Art Center, it was one of those "had I known" kind of thoughts. But I appreciated the short amount of time I was able to spend.
I should have programmed the Garmin, or called ahead, but I got lost for about an hour in Des Moines. I thought I was going in the right direction, but was actually going in the opposite and ended up driving in circles until I finally called the motel and was given better guidance. The good news was that I was able to see different parts of the city, including downtown, several neighborhoods, the skyline and the golden domes of the St. John's Basilica.
By the time I got to the hotel, I was ready for a swim, dinner and a couple of beers. And it pretty much happened in that order. I am still not ready to 'call it over' so I am taking this last few miles in baby stops. (I meant to type steps, but maybe baby stops is the Freudian term).
I am inclined to keep heading for a few more days and see what other great people I can meet and where the winds blow me. At the outset, I have tickets to the Chicago Symphony for May 23rd which are in my wallet - so I can't even give them to anyone. But that gives me at least another week to finish getting "restored".
Of course, there are always miracles, so I could find myself refreshed and rejuvenated by tomorrow. Unlikely, but you never know.....stay tuned.
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