Sunday, May 1, 2022

Temperature 59 Degrees, Overcast, Windy

Wine, Beer and Chocolate Walk

Crazy, that’s what it is. The weather I mean. I don’t believe it is ever going to warm up. I don’t mind 60’s during the day and 40’s at night. But when it doesn’t even get out of the 50’s during the day it is down right cold.

So what does one do when it is so miserable and ugly outside? Why, you go for a Wine, Beer and Chocolate Walk at Amana!

Here is how it works. You pick up your card at the Visitor’s Center and then walk to the six shops on the card. At each shop you do some taste testing and have your card signed. After you have all six signatures you return to the visitor center for . . . more on that later.

So, come along and walk with us.

This was our first stop.

They brew a number of varieties of craft beers as well as root beer and cream soda. After sampling several of what they had on tap

I came home with this, a light larger that has a really nice taste. Funny, after leaving the brewing company it somehow didn’t seem so cold out anymore!

Moving along, although this was not part of the walking tour you know we just had to stop in for a new T-shirt for you know who.

They have T-shirts and sweat shirts of all kinds and sizes.

But just in case you can’t find something you like on the shelf, they’ll make just the shirt you’re looking for.

I now have another new T-shirt made especially for me!

Time to get back on track.

Some fun stuff on display that I know one person in particular will get a chuckle out of.

Here is what we were really here for, some taste testing. They had a really delicious Apple Wine but in the end

Ms. Barbara decided on a nice red wine that she really enjoyed.

Nothing appealed to either of us here so it was time to move along.

Once again we didn’t find anything that we really liked but at least we crossed another shop off our card.

I know someone who will give a hearty second to this!

They had several unique and very tasty wines but again nothing that we just had to have.

Oh the goodies in here that were just begging to be bought. In the end we came away with chocolate covered pretzels and chocolate covered strawberries.

OK, our cards were signed now back to the Visitor Center for our prizes.

Two beautiful glasses to help us remember our time in Amana for Maifest.

The walking tour was over but we weren’t done yet.

We both knew that no visit to Amana would be complete without a good old-fashioned German meal.

One of several dining halls.

Ms. Barbara enjoying the authentic sauerbraten meal she had for so long been craving.

There you go. We turned a lemon weather outlook into a wonderful lemonade day. We had a blast from start to finish made all the better by the fact that we did it together, hand in hand along the streets of Amana.

Thanks again for spending the day with us.  It’s always great to be able to share our story with family and friends. Comments? Feel free to share them with me. And always remember, cherish every moment of every day that God gives you and live those moments to the fullest.

Our continuing mission remains the same: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

Saturday, April 30, 2022

Temperature 65 Degrees, Complete Cloud Cover, Winds 25/30 mph with gusts of 40 mph

Amana Colonies Maifest

Oh what joy we felt when we arose and saw the sun for the first time in days. But not for long. By the time we were in the car to go sightseeing the rain had begun again. Be that as it may neither rain nor wind was going to keep us from going sightseeing today.

So off we went to Amanda, one of six villages that make up the Amanda Colonies. Some quick facts about the Amanda Colonies from their own literature:

the colonies had their beginning in Germany

in 1842 the group moved to America and subsequently moved in 1855 to Iowa

by 1880 Amana was the largest communal society in America

farming was the principal means of support, but to meet the needs of its members and to produce goods to sell to outside markets, a calico works, two woolen mills, craft shops, flour mills, lumber ,and brick mills were established

all meals were prepared at some 50 neighborhood kitchen houses staffed by women

the community had doctors, dentists, and pharmacists to provide care to residents. Indeed, everything from soap to stove wood was provided by the community

day to day life revolved around worship, home, work and school. School was attended six days a week, year-round by the children. Personal spiritual refreshment was considered vital so residents attended worship or prayer services 11 times during the course of the week

in 1932 because of economic pressure and dissatisfaction with the restrictive communal system, after 89 years Amana abandoned the communal way of life. A new profit-sharing joint stock corporation, the Amana Society, was formed to share assets

the 1932 transformation known as the Great Change opened doors of opportunity for Amana’s residents. Many new businesses were established including Amana Appliances

I encourage you to Google Amana Colonies for a more complete history of this vibrant community that is still alive and well in Iowa.

OK. Today we went to Amana to celebrate spring with them. Come, the brochure said, and celebrate spring and warmer weather with us. The only problem being that the weather still hasn’t gotten the word that spring has sprung in this part of the world. Right now I’m even wondering if it will ever come.

The festivities began at 10 am with a parade with floats and those on the floats throwing handfuls of candy to those who lined the road. Take a look.

Now remember it is 10 am in the morning and I can tell you that these ladies had no idea how cold it was, nor how windy. I don’t believe they even knew what day it was! They were definitely full of the spirit!

Parade finished it was now time for a performance by the Amana Maypole Dancers.

The dancers were awesome! Unfortunately, I can not embed the videos that I took of them in the blog. If I could I’m sure you would be as impressed with their performance as we were.

We were going to stay longer in Amana but unfortunately we had business to take care of. Like, when it started to rain this morning I turned the windshield wipers on and there went the drivers side wiper blade! Time for a new blade. I also needed to purchase some 18 gauge electrical wire to repair the electrical cord between the rig and the car. So off we went to Cedar Rapids.

So, weather be what it will we had a great time this morning. And trust me we are going back to Amana. As for Spring, I really don’t know where it is but I hope sooner of later we do find it.

Thanks again for taking the time to share our adventures with us.  It’s always great to be able to share our story with others. Comments? Feel free to share them with me. And always remember, cherish every moment of every day that God gives you and live those moments to the fullest.

Our continuing mission remains the same: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

Friday, April 29, 2022

Temperature 63, Rain, Gusting Winds

Missouri River Basin, Lewis and Clark Center, Nebraska City, NE

Since today seems like it is going to be an inside day due to weather, I’m going to try and get caught up on attractions we visited while in Nebraska City.

This is the Lewis and Clark Visitor Center that is part of The Lewis and Clark Adventure Trail which is a 3,700-mile long historical trail in the United States National Park Service system.

It passes through 11 states and follows the path Meriwether Lewis and William Clark took as they explored the lands acquired through the Louisiana Purchase. As visitor centers/museums go it is rather small but it is absolutely packed with fascinating exhibits and facts. Following is a small part of what was there.

The Lewis and Clark expedition was the first overland expedition across America from the east to the Pacific Ocean and back.

President Thomas Jefferson asked

Captain Meriwether Lewis, Jefferson’s private secretary, to arrange the expedition. Before the expedition Lewis was sent to Philadelphia in order to learn botany, celestial navigation, medicine and zoology.

Regarding what he learned about medicine

While in Philadelphia he also purchased supplies and spent $20 on Newfoundland dog, Seaman.

The second commander in charge of the expedition.

Lewis asked his friend Lieutenant William Clark of the US Army to hire and train men for the expedition while he gathered supplies.

The expedition began on May 14, 1804 and it took over two years to complete. There were several reasons for the expedition: to map a route that would be part of a water route from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans; to determine the boundaries of the territory obtained in the Louisiana Purchase, to make diplomatic contact with Native American Indians, and expand the American fur trade.

The Corps of Discovery (as the expedition company was called) traveled 10 to 20 miles a day.

They polled, pushed, and pulled their keel boat upstream. But the going was not always easy.

They also used many other types of boats.

President Jefferson also instructed Lewis to map the geography of the West.

Lewis and Clark ‘discovered’ animals that they had never heard of including the grizzly bear.

Many plants were ‘discovered’ by Lewis and Clark on the expedition as well.

October 16, 1805 the expedition was finally completed. They had traveled nearly 8,000 miles round trip, survived altercations with Indians, almost starved to death at one point in time, and learned new ways to fish. The expedition contributed significant geographic and scientific knowledge of the West, aided the expansion of the fur trade, and strengthened U.S. claims to the Pacific. Clark’s maps portraying the geography of the West, printed in 1810 and 1814, were the best available until the 1840s.

If you are ever passing through this part of the country do yourself a favor and plan on stopping for a bit to explore the visitor center. You will not regret it.

Thanks again for taking the time to share our adventures with us.  It’s always great to be able to share our story with others. Comments? Feel free to share them with me. And always remember, cherish every moment of every day that God gives you and live those moments to the fullest.

Our continuing mission remains the same: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

Thursday, April 28, 2022

Temperature 61, Overcast, Gusting Winds

Amana RV Park and Event Center

Should we stay? Leave a day early? Maybe a day late? Looking at the weather for Thursday and Friday we made the decision to leave a day early. Hence, today became a travel day rather than a day to catch up on the attractions we visited while in Nebraska City. But trust me they’re coming.

So Wednesday night we began to pack. I wish I could say we’ve got it down to perfection but unfortunately we still don’t. In particular, I’m still making too many stupid mistakes. I’m missing little things, like remembering to turn the propane off, before getting on the road. Until today nothing came back to bite me. But today, well, I forget to tuck the cable between the rig and the car up in it’s support bracket. The result? It dragged and now I have several wires I have to cut and splice. Maybe by the end of our six months I’ll again have it all down pat!

OK. Knowing that today would be another long drive for us we left before 9 am this morning. Our first stop would be in three to four hours for fuel. Traffic was light, there were no construction delays, and the winds at first were light so we made good time. The bad news is that the price of fuel is going back up big time. Up until now we could usually find diesel for under $5 per gallon but that is no more. Oh well, it is what it is.

A full tank of fuel down below we were back on the road. This is when things got interesting due to the wind. Today they were so-so. Two hands on the wheel at all times and I was able to manage the situation fairly well. I can only imagine what it would have been like had we waited until Friday when they are calling for strong, gusting winds throughout the day. And those winds would have been hitting us from the side.

Another two hours and we were there. There being

A short drive from this intersection and we were

at the office registering for our site.

The main road leading into the park. Gee, by the fact that the park is empty, do you think we are here a bit too early in the year? It is the same everywhere we go. Note to self, next time don’t leave until at least the middle of May!

Our new home for the next five days. The site is gravel. It is a sort of pull-through, meaning if there is no one in the site behind you, you can pull through. It is reasonably level but very narrow. Site separation is good. All in all not a bad place to call home for a few days.

We had hoped to do a number of things while we are here. For example, this Saturday is Maifest. There are supposed to be Maipole Dancers, live bands, and wine tasting. However, it looks like the weather is going to be against us. We’ll just have to take it day by day.

So it goes on The Road of Retirement. It is hard to believe but we’ve only been on the road for three weeks. Sometimes, though, it feels like we never stopped full-timing. Our Elvira offers us a comfortable and secure home. We’re so grateful for our home on wheels and the opportunity Elvira offers us to fulfill our dreams.

Thanks again for taking the time to share our adventures with us.  It’s always great to be able to share our story with others. Comments? Feel free to share them with me. And always remember, cherish each day that God gives you and live it to the fullest.

Our continuing mission remains the same: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before