Today's destination = NAUVOO. A mere distance of about 70 miles.
? How long will it take us ?
So, why did we stay in Ottumwa you might be asking. Because it's on the way to Nauvoo, or is it out of the way? Luckily it's mostly on the way and if there are any M*A*S*H-aholics out there you'll know the character Radar O'Reilly is from Ottumwa and Christine wanted to see it. Quite simple. What she did learn is there are no signs or billboards or such recognizing the town's most famous fictional citizen and trivia's claim to fame. We did get a bit of a quick tour of Ottumwa (bigger than you may imagine) on our way to our next stop for an item on our "to see" list.
But first a stop for gas was at a station right next to a soybean field. While I fueled up the car Christine satisfied her curiosity about the plant.
The mysterious soybean plant, up close.
A leaf and with developing soybeans.IOWA, Eldon
Does this house look familiar? Should it?
Does this picture help?
Did you notice what's in the background?.
"American Gothic"
The most famous and recognizable painting by Grant Wood.
Trivia: who were his models? his sister and his dentist.
Inside the newly built visitor center were displays about the history of the painter and the painting, including many displays of the many ways the famous image has been used and parodied over the years.
These pictures may not be the best, but hopefully you can get an idea of the displays. This is only a very small sample of what was exhibited. (above & below)
At the door to the house from the visitor center were tiles that parodied the painting. Here are a few of my favorites. Yup, that's my foot.
'tis the season
A newly planted perennial garden in front of the visitor center had this cute little wire outline of the American Gothic house. http://www.wapellocounty.org/americangothic/ has more information.
"I was here" vanity pic.
This is the directional sign on the main highway through Eldon. Of course it was meant to let you know the next road to turn on, but I found it kinda funny --- it was directly across the street, and pointed to, this place...
... a really dumpy, battered old house that had the most amazing yard landscaped beautifully with perennials and vegetables. Hopefully the owners will be getting the house improved to match the yard.
The roadside scenery after leaving Eldon. This was some of the tallest corn we saw so near a road. Only later did we realize someone should have been standing next to it to really see if it was "as high as an elephant's eye" (great line in a song from the play Oklahoma).
On our agenda, the next point of interest was Nauvoo. Of course, we had a few highway miles before getting there and after checking the map decided to take the dotted green line on the map = a recommended scenic route.
IOWA, BentonsportAfter traveling a while and in need of a place to eat lunch and take a 'rest' break we decided to see what the next town offered. Welcome to Bentonsport. Just off the side of the road this sign caught our eye.
What had we stumbled upon?
About a 1/4 mile further we found the city park.
The building in the background held a picnic bowery and much needed restrooms.
Here's our standard lunch setup: peanut butter sandwiches, chips, and a drink.
Either we're getting used to the humidity or it was an unusually 'dry' day because I don't recall it being miserably moist, especially with the river so close.
"I was here" vanity pic.
This is the directional sign on the main highway through Eldon. Of course it was meant to let you know the next road to turn on, but I found it kinda funny --- it was directly across the street, and pointed to, this place...
... a really dumpy, battered old house that had the most amazing yard landscaped beautifully with perennials and vegetables. Hopefully the owners will be getting the house improved to match the yard.
The roadside scenery after leaving Eldon. This was some of the tallest corn we saw so near a road. Only later did we realize someone should have been standing next to it to really see if it was "as high as an elephant's eye" (great line in a song from the play Oklahoma).On our agenda, the next point of interest was Nauvoo. Of course, we had a few highway miles before getting there and after checking the map decided to take the dotted green line on the map = a recommended scenic route.
IOWA, Bentonsport
About a 1/4 mile further we found the city park.
The building in the background held a picnic bowery and much needed restrooms.
Here's our standard lunch setup: peanut butter sandwiches, chips, and a drink.Just behind the bowery was the Des Moines River and the Bentonsport Bridge. The bridge was closed in 1985 to vehicles but is open to foot traffic.
Either we're getting used to the humidity or it was an unusually 'dry' day because I don't recall it being miserably moist, especially with the river so close.After lunch we decided we needed to stretch our legs and walked to the small (very small!) business district a few blocks directly down the street. On the way we passed this building, just a block down and across the street from the park, quite impressive for its size in such a small town.
The sign in front (below) sparked our attention again.
What had we stumbled upon?
All we were looking for was a place to eat lunch.
Wow. The Des Moines River was less than a 100 yards away from here and while it does have a history of serious flooding; it's the 1851 boat strike that makes one ponder.
Here's the General Store we visited. Chairs on the porch were occupied by locals and tourists just passing time and enjoying the view. Inside was a combination antique store and... I'm not sure what else to call it. Very interesting. There were several newspaper articles tacked up about some of the local artists and curiosities.
This was a very old town and rightly proud of its history. Several buildings had signs in front of them with brief histories.
What had we stumbled upon?
The sign in front (below) sparked our attention again. What had we stumbled upon?All we were looking for was a place to eat lunch.
Wow. The Des Moines River was less than a 100 yards away from here and while it does have a history of serious flooding; it's the 1851 boat strike that makes one ponder.
Here's the General Store we visited. Chairs on the porch were occupied by locals and tourists just passing time and enjoying the view. Inside was a combination antique store and... I'm not sure what else to call it. Very interesting. There were several newspaper articles tacked up about some of the local artists and curiosities.
This was a very old town and rightly proud of its history. Several buildings had signs in front of them with brief histories.
What had we stumbled upon? Any of you ever hear about Bentonsport in Mormon history.
We were all impressed by the care and craftmanship of the many old homes, most of them well over 100 years old.
Some were even for sale. Quaint town, quaint homes.
In passing through Bonaparte we got behind this rig. Janice got a kick out the scene and the bib overalls.
We were all impressed by the care and craftmanship of the many old homes, most of them well over 100 years old.
Some were even for sale. Quaint town, quaint homes.SERENDIPITY: the effect by which one accidentally stumbles upon something fortunate, especially while looking for something entirely unrelated.
All we were looking for was a picnic table and restroom. Instead we found previously unknown (at least to us) and delightful pieces of Mormon history in a town called Bentonsport.
IOWA, Bonaparte
Between Bentonsport and the next town, Bonaparte, we crossed the Des Moines River again and found another piece of history.IOWA, Bonaparte
In passing through Bonaparte we got behind this rig. Janice got a kick out the scene and the bib overalls.Between Eldon and Bonaparte we saw several of these signs.
But only one buggy.
The daylilies, which were growing wild along most of the roadsides, were also a favorite of Janice's.
Once in Nauvoo we went to the LDS Visitor Center and Christine ran in to make reservations for the pagaent and pick up any tickets we needed. She was gone quite a while but it turned out to be time well spent. The person helping her recommended a different itinerary of shows than we'd planned, but then again... they know best! So, instead of going to the Pageant tonight we'll be seeing two show's: "Sunset on the Mississippi" and "Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo" with the final night of Pageant on tomorrow's agenda. With tickets in hand and reservations secured we headed back out of town to check into our home for a few days.
Nauvoo Villas
But only one buggy. 
The daylilies, which were growing wild along most of the roadsides, were also a favorite of Janice's. .
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ILLINOIS, Nauvoo
The Big Viking in front of Nauvoo High School. (okay, he's one of the attractions suggested by "Roadside America" so we had to check it out.)
The Big Viking in front of Nauvoo High School. (okay, he's one of the attractions suggested by "Roadside America" so we had to check it out.)Once in Nauvoo we went to the LDS Visitor Center and Christine ran in to make reservations for the pagaent and pick up any tickets we needed. She was gone quite a while but it turned out to be time well spent. The person helping her recommended a different itinerary of shows than we'd planned, but then again... they know best! So, instead of going to the Pageant tonight we'll be seeing two show's: "Sunset on the Mississippi" and "Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo" with the final night of Pageant on tomorrow's agenda. With tickets in hand and reservations secured we headed back out of town to check into our home for a few days.
Nauvoo Villas
okay, I just have to show you where we stayed.
This is the front of the condo's and we stayed on this level a few doors to the left of the offices (picket fence). These are actually on the second floor as they sit on the edge of a hill at the rear of these units; the first floor ones are accessed down a driveway to the other side.
Dining and Living Room area.
Kitchen. Pretty nice, huh? Bring your own food, but everything else was provided.
For the curious, this is the floor plan of the 2-bedroom unit we had.
Each day here ($159) cost considerably less than the usual 2 rooms (only way to get 2 bathrooms for 4 women!) we normally reserve at hotels. Bonus is -- kitchen, dishwasher, microwave, full-size fridge, and stack washer/dryer are included in addition to the 2 bathrooms. It really is a nifty arrangement.
While I parked the car (no handicapped available this time) the others went in to secure us some seats. Yup, we're late, but lucky to get the seats we did in the back-left corner of the building. This show is made up mostly of senior missionaries and just a few (2 or 3?) young performers. It has some really catchy tunes and words. It tells the story of many Saints near the time of the exodus from Nauvoo.
I was amazed the videos turned out as well as they did, especially coming from my lil'ole camera, but this first clip gives you an idea of those tunes I mentioned.
Each day here ($159) cost considerably less than the usual 2 rooms (only way to get 2 bathrooms for 4 women!) we normally reserve at hotels. Bonus is -- kitchen, dishwasher, microwave, full-size fridge, and stack washer/dryer are included in addition to the 2 bathrooms. It really is a nifty arrangement.After unloading the car and getting kinda settled we headed back to historic Nauvoo to check out parking and the location of "Sunset", the first show we'd see, and the logistics of where the second show and parking was. Because the show times overlapped slightly we were told to leave "Sunset" after a certain musical number because it was a not-to-be-missed fun one (it was) in order to arrive only a tad late for "Rendezvous." With the locales more familiar we headed back to Nauvoo to grab something for dinner at a small deli we'd seen that advertised sandwiches. They were made to order (Mom passed on more standard fare and got a tuna-salad sandwich...that had pickle relish in it, even though she doesn't like pickles) but we weren't the only ones there so the wait was longer than expected. We had them made 'to-go' and headed back to find some seats at the "Sunset" show.
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"Sunset on the Mississippi"
A couple from our ward were serving as missionaries and tonight they were scheduled to perform in 'Sunset' but we weren't sure if we'd see them. Thanks to zoom lenses on camera's LuciBeth and DeWayne Paulsen were found and Chris was able to snag LuciBeth who visited briefly with us. They're on stage at the very left in this picture.
A couple from our ward were serving as missionaries and tonight they were scheduled to perform in 'Sunset' but we weren't sure if we'd see them. Thanks to zoom lenses on camera's LuciBeth and DeWayne Paulsen were found and Chris was able to snag LuciBeth who visited briefly with us. They're on stage at the very left in this picture.
One of the famous lines by Nauvoo senior missionaries has suddenly escaped me at the moment, but when I remember or find out, I'll post it here. (sorry for the lapse, but it's something about being worked to death.) As LuciBeth recounted her activities for the day I was feeling her exhaustion.
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This show included both senior missionaries and single, young, and extrememly talented, performers who must audition (singers, dancers, musicians) and then only the best are called as 'young performing missionaries' for 3 or 4 months to serve here. Believe me, there was no shortage of talent among these young people.
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Young performing missionaries and senior missionaries join together to present “Sunset by the Mississippi .” In this outdoor evening variety show, young performing missionaries share their singing and dancing talents. During “Sunset,” senior missionaries play spoons, penny whistles, “gut buckets,” harmonicas, jug and bottles while others play guitars, banjos, and tambourines. Still others clap and sing.
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click on the short video below for part of a violin piece and view of crowd.
As directed, we left just after a musical number by several men called "The Audition"and headed to the car (fortunately nearby in the handicapped parking area) and drove to the other side of historic Nauvoo for the next show at the Cultural Hall.
"Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo"While I parked the car (no handicapped available this time) the others went in to secure us some seats. Yup, we're late, but lucky to get the seats we did in the back-left corner of the building. This show is made up mostly of senior missionaries and just a few (2 or 3?) young performers. It has some really catchy tunes and words. It tells the story of many Saints near the time of the exodus from Nauvoo.
I was amazed the videos turned out as well as they did, especially coming from my lil'ole camera, but this first clip gives you an idea of those tunes I mentioned.
This second video is a bit longer, its message more somber, but the tune still caught my attention.
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from the Historic Nauvoo website here's some of the questions about this show they ask to pique your curiosity:
Will George find the peace and quiet he needs? [George is a hen-pecked husband]
Will Jed learn to say "heck"? [Jed is a non-member neighbor]
Will Abigail ever get a pickle barrel?
Will horses with wings ever leave Nauvoo?
After the show was over we headed back for a good night's rest.
Tomorrow's schedule includes Carthage Jail, Nauvoo Visitor Center, "High Hopes and Riverboats" and final night of Pagaent.
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