Traveling-with-TLC

June 4-6: A quick trip through a pretty state.

The lady who sold us our trailer thinks Iowa is the most beautiful state in the Union. We were skeptical, to say the least. Turns out, Iowa IS quite lovely. In fact, we never saw the flat semi-barren cropland we expected. Our journeys were through rolling hills dotted with farms and lovely river valleys – a bit like Eastern Illinois.

On the way to our first planned destination, we got a little side-tracked in Amarosa. It’s a pretty little town with a very pretty prison. Go figure!

We stopped in the Amana Valley. There are 7 communities which were founded around 1850 by German immigrants who practiced a communal religious life. Everyone worked for the community and ate meals together. The communities voted to give up the communal lifestyle in the 30’s after the flour mill burned down and had no insurance. Amana is home to the appliance company that was founded by the community. The villages are in great condition and the folks who still live there are quite wholesome and friendly. I think they make most of their income from tourists.

We stopped in Des Moines for just a few minutes. The state capital and grounds of Iowa are lovely:

We spent the night in a sweet little RV park near a river in Adel, IA. In recent years, the RV park had become a den of methdome, so the City shut it down. One of the citizens of the town had fond memories of the park as a child. She began visiting City Council meetings imploring the Council to clean up and reopen the RV park. After a few years, the Council finally said okay, we will put it out to bid and see if we get a qualified business to clean it up and run. The lady and her husband put in a bid, won the contract, and now they run this lovely little park that made a very positive impression on at least one traveler. I think Adel is just one of the most charming towns. See, one person can make a difference!!