Ames to Amana

Tuesday, 8/31
Thunder, lightning, heavy rain and wind awoke us.  So un-California, but then, we're in Iowa.  Great city, Ames.  And Midwestern people continue to make us transients so welcome. 

Eastbound on US 30 entering the Big Rain

Eastbound from Ames on the original US 30, AKA the Lincoln Highway, we're enveloped in our first serious rain, but it's welcome.  The coach is being heavenly washed.  Dirt disappears.  Windshield obliterating bugs are cleaned for their sanitized entry to bug heaven without my earthly scrubbing.  How much better can it get for us road warriors who have major world- viewing windows?

Grain hauling big rigs flew by, route numbers changed with every curve, but we remained on the original US 30 until finally connecting with the present 4-lane version, exiting to the Cedar Rapids Airport where Doris acquired our Avis Ford Focus, a favorite rental.  It actually had automatic door locks & windows ... with a free day thrown in because I once was an important, Preferred Avis Client.  Through some blinding rain, we finally found The Amanas, several towns that also have a flat, meadow-like RV park. Giving us the best site (they said), they also gave me the opportunity to get drenched while connecting to water, sewer and electricity.  Whoopee!  At least, I didn't experience a Ben Franklin kite-flying experience.

Changing from soggy to dry clothes, I then drove my favorite wife to a most tasty lunch in one of the many Amanas.   Amana, West Amana, HIgh Amana, Middle Amana, East Amana, South Amana ... even Amana itself, constitute the Amana Colonies of Iowa.  Apparently, the persecuted the Community of True Inspiration, along with the Old Order of Amish, were too busy living in ultimately unacceptable communal living conditions while eluding their persecutors to think of more novel village names like Keokuk, Crazy Woman, or East Los Angeles, etc.   Hurray for them.  I don't particularly care for those, especially after wandering (lost?) among the Amanas.  Unlike Pennsylvania's more touristy Penn Dutch country that preceded some of the original Amana inhabitants, these towns host shops that are unpopulated and somewhat untouristy.  Out of respect, or succumbing to the local charm, I think we bought something of quality in every shop that we stumbled into. 

Especially the restaurant.  Ummhmmmummhum!  Great German-inspired food (the Amish and Community of True Inspiration had their roots in Germany) kept us from spinning into the stratosphere as cyclonic storms continued to do our laundry while still wearing our clothes.  Our spirits are yet to be dampened in mid-America.  .

Tomorrow?  Further exploration into the Amanas.  Perhaps we'll find the elusive non-Amana brand air conditioner or refrigerator, a real challenge in this part of the world because these items are actually produced.  I'll take a picture for you if we find a traitor.  Meantime, tonight, we slumber to the sound of pounding rain, cooled in this.warm, humid climate by our beloved air conditioners.

Novelty, Belts, and Corn

Monday, 8/30

By 8 a.m. we've crossed the Missouri River from South Sioux City, NE to Sioux City, IA.  With Sheila, our GPS, we made the trip to the generator mechanic in less than six minutes.  However, we did have some suspicions about his qualifications.  Company name:  Novelty Machine & Supply Company.  "Uh, are you SURE you can fix this problem?"  With temps and humidity rising outside (and inside) the coach, we were told that John, was the best in the state and we'd be happy with the results.

We are.  Way in the back of the gen is a fan belt.  Rather than a 3/4" width, ours had been reduced to a thread.  No wonder the gen overheated after 4 minutes, nothing was moving the fan blades.  Unfortunately, Novelty had belts that fit every machine in the world ...  but not ours.  A six hour wait while one was trucked from Omaha got too warm for me in the coach without air conditioning.  Doris suffered less than I (she loves heat), so I spent time outside while John changed all the filters and oil, and, with my help, blew out all the accumulated dust and assorted critters from the engine compartment and battery box.  With constant, swirling Iowa wind, John absolutely could not avoid being in the center of the blowing dust.  And did we ever have dust!  Seven years of it from nearly every state.  Poor guy.  (Not so poor now as we gave him a handful of dust free cash for going above and beyond the call of duty.)

Two notes:
1)  The six hour wait is nothing when compared to our friends Bill & Nikki, and Guinness (their black lab) who are traveling from Florida to Vermont where we hope to connect.  16 hours over two days were spent in their air conditioned car while waiting for their coach to be fixed soon after they left their Florida home.  Close quarters while experiencing a frustrating repair service, a true relationship test.

2)  So why the company name "Novelty Machine & Supply Company"?  Seems the continuously family owned company began in 1876, manufacturing novelty items, e.g., artistically designed wrought iron fences, for wealthy Iowans.  One thing led to another and now the company provides specially designed agricultural and commercially used equipment, repairs the same, plus represents dozens of manufacturers for the Midwest, everything from ball bearings to pumps, pipes, etc., etc.  One speciality is Onan, the maker of our generator.  Parts and service, and one of the best Onan mechanics.  We are so fortunate to have them next door.  They solved our problem with renowned Midwest attitude of service with grace and warmth.  Too bad that Bill & Nikki had to fight to receive the same.

OK, now we're on the road again, taking state and narrow county roads through the Iowa countryside to connect with  2-lane US 30 at Denison.  US 30 looks the same as it did in the 60's when I hitch hiked it.  Rolling hills, small towns with populations less than 2,000, each with several grain elevators,  the highway is bordered with thousands of acres of corn readying for harvest.  The road is mostly smooth, the traffic minimal, all much more enjoyable than the interstate to the south.

6 PM finds us in Ames, home of Iowa State University.  Enough travel (and waiting to travel) for one day, we now reside at the Walmart Super Center, parked waaaaay in the back next to the ever present cornfield.  Free overnight parking meant paying Walmart for groceries, or, as I've decided, we get free groceries and pay dearly for the parking. 

Dinner was a Doris creation:  Homemade tacos.  I'm not much for Mexican food, but these were outstanding.  Enough so that they subtracted 5 pounds from the refrigerator and moved them to the driver's seat.  I'm NEVER going to lose weight as long as Doris puts food in my trough.