Wednesday, October 27, 2010

To Des Moines, Iowa

Time to leave Elkhart, the RV capitol of the world and continue our journey of exploration and adventure. Not every campground is situated in pristine wilderness as you can see here in Colona, IL. The works yard next door started their day with a siren at 7AM and filled the silence with loudspeaker announcements on a frequent basis. Got us up and going early.
It was a nice campground to walk around although it was covered with Canada geese and their fertilizer.
Colona is right on the Illinois and Iowa border so we went for a drive to see the area. This is the welcome centre with a view of the Mississippi river behind me. Buffalo Bill Cody and Wyatt Earp were born just down the street from here. Every place has a story.
Our next stop is in Des Moines, Iowa. This campground is much prettier without the morning wakeup call. I just spent the day driving through the worst winds and that evening drink was more medicinal than social.
A day off to relax seems in order so off we go to see downtown Des Moines. Quite by accident we came upon this little park alongside the river. A chinese pagoda with a symbolic rock garden was a real treasure to find.
Behind the pagoda, stretching across the Des Moines river is a artsy pedestrian bridge. Its so windy again today that we're glad for the security railings.
In the distance is the capitol building of the state of Iowa. It looks very impressive. Lets go have a look.
Looking up the front steps gives a great view of the building. Grammies leaning against the wind, otherwise she might end up in the fountain.
This is the inside of the main dome of the building. Its beautifully gilded with life size statues around the perimeter. We walked around for an hour and then had a cheap lunch in their cafe. Very impressive place.
 Original art like this showing the advancement of the pioneers adorn many walls and marble stairs make this a beautiful building. We do love to look at old buildings, especially when they are this nice.
Bach outside I found something solid to hold onto so the wind wouldn't blow me away. This area is famous for its "pumpkin cannons", I wonder if this is one?

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