Iowa is a rural, corn-covered state, dotted with red barns
and silos. We stopped at a couple of
rest areas just to stretch our legs and then pressed on. We hoped to make up for the slower days of
exploration and National Parks, but even on this day we had one quirky stop
planned.
Driving
down the interstate we were fascinated by all the modern windmills, sleek with
huge white blades. Sometimes we passed
clusters of windmills; sometimes there were only a few. We stopped for lunch in a tiny town,
surrounded by fields of corn and more windmills. A man and woman at the table beside us discussed
seeds and early ears. The news covered
the farm report and the big news of the day, the early closing of the schools
due to extreme heat. The high was
expected to reach 95 F. As Southerners
we chuckled at that.
Talking to
our waitress we learned the town has over 300 windmills, but the company that
owns them generates electricity for a different county.
We drove
on. The next Iowa rest area was designed
as a tribute to writers and the written word.
Mom and I walked through the inside displays, but what we really liked
were the picnic tables. Each table had a
metal windbreak with author’s quotes cut out of the metal. We had to read every one. I later learned that Iowa is in the process
of updating all their rest areas to reflect the theme of the area or
county. We were close to the University
of Iowa and to the Iowa Writers Workshop.
This rest area made me happy!
We turned
off the highway to search for the tiny town of Riverside Iowa, the future
birthplace of James T Kirk, captain of the Starship Enterprise.
Driving
along country roads we entered the town of Riverside. The road curved, we rounded a corner and
there was the Starship Enterprise in a strip mall parking lot. It was late in the day and everything was
closed, but we snapped a few pictures and continued on. In the downtown area, vacant of cars or people,
we parked and walked by several closed stores.
A sign pointed us to walk down a grassy path between a shop and a hair
salon. We walked back to find a little
garden with a monument to Kirk’s future birthplace. Riverside honors both the future birthplace
and the place of conception, in the local bar.
At least the town has a sense of humor.
We laughed,
took a few pictures and continued on our drive, staying on country back
roads. We passed fields and fields of
corn. Suddenly we turned a corner,
crossed an old metal bridge, and we were on the other side of the Mississippi. We were nearly done with this trip.
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