Day 3 - South Bend, IN to Iowa CIty, IA

The Man Who Hated His Job
I needed Kleenex, and I "found" a Meijers store.  It's about the size of five football fields, much like a Super Wal-Mart, only clean.  I decided the take advantage of the restroom facility.  The stall was occupied, so I waited.  And waited.  The man in the stall did not move.  Not a sound. Finally, I asked, "You all right in there?"  No answer. Slight movement.  "You about done," I asked, trying not to be a pest.  Momentarily, ater a total elapsed time of 15 minutes, an employee emerged, and washed his hands.  I once had to recommend firing a guy from a PR firm because he would hide out in the bathroom for an hour at a time.  He didn't get fired for ditching work.  He got fired because he didn't choose a more scenic venue to waste his time.  

Leaving South Bend
I thought about going back to the campus to visit the basilica.  I feared there might be a radio communique: "Campus Security?  It's the guy with the frog again."

Toll Houses
Rt. 80 has tolls in Ohio and Indiana.  On I-90 in Illinois, they threaten to charge you tolls, but there is only one toll booth at the end.  Apparently, they nail you if you are going East, but not West.  None of the tollhouses had any cookies.  I asked.

Uneven Roads
Heading into Chicago, signs proclaim "Uneven Roads."  It's an understatement.  I thought I might bottom out with my heavy load.  My fear of potholes caused me to miss the turnoff for I-80.  Not a big deal, as I got to drive past the Chicago skyline, but I probably did lose about 30 minutes.  No matter.  Any road will do.


Time Zone Change
I picked up an extra hour crossing into Central Time.  Do you think I look younger?

West Illinois was completely flat.  The sun was shining the entire way.  When I got to Iowa City and got out of the car, I was shocked at how cold it still was.  They have a gold-topped building, too.

Downtown Iowa City has some interesting businesses.  Frog Angel and I took a walk to see the sights.

Moonshine?  Shoe Shine?  Drat!  I was wearing the wrong shoes.


Reminded me of the brief tenure of former NY Governor Eliot Spitzer.

Iowa has one book.  They are quite proud of it.
In actuality, in talking with Sandra Navalesi, owner of dulcinea, a women's clothing shop, I learned that the street bordering her shop features a "Literary Walk," with artistic castings of quotes from books by famous authors.  Perhaps one day, they will add one by Kerry Gleason.  Probably not the "Iowa has one book" quote.

In keeping with the Literary Walk theme, dulcinea features this unsigned mural, by Anna (something) who moved to California.  It depicts scenes from about 15 different works of literature.

One of my goals was to get to a little town called Kalona.  It's an Amish enclave.  I think I'm safe using that word because I don't have any Amish friends following me on Twitter or Facebook.  I was on the road that led to Kalona, and saw a sign, "Kalona 17."  I drove further up, maybe five miles or so, and saw a second sign, "Kalona 15."  I drove another five minutes or so, and saw a third sign, "Kalona 15."  I turned around, figuring I might never get there on that road.

When I Googled Kalona, the first entry that showed up was the "Kalona Cheese Shop."  I wanted to visit, thinking "Monty Python Meets the Amish Cheesemakers."  Time did not permit.

I was pleasantly surprised by "The Strip," 2nd Avenue, which is packed with any type of restaurant imaginable, and is jamming with people, even on a snowy December night.  The snow did hit, but only an inch or so.  A friend told me Iowa City was "the San Francisco of the Midwest."  That explains why it was decorated so nicely.

Tomorrow, we'll explore the state emblem for Iowa and other mystical pieces of information.


Frog Angel enjoys HBO on the motel TV.  We watched part of "The Time Machine" and 3 episodes of "True Blood."