Captain Kirk, Swedesburg, Navoo

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Slept without the rainflap.  Jack saw a UFO and Jodi saw a shooting star. Inside of tent and sleeping bag wet in the morning from the fog that rolled in overnight. It looked really cool on the Lake.  Took another shower (4 in 4 days!) and broke camp and hit the road again.  Headed for Kalona which has many Amish around the area.  We were able to see a few in town, all men.  The ones who are married all wear beards but no mustaches.  They don’t want to be photographed (I did not know this earlier).  Jodi still wants to see their communities but not happening today.  Bought some produce at farmer’s market.  Passed up incredible goodies at the bakery.  Sigh.  On to Riverside where they have a gravestone that says Future Birthplace of Captain James Kirk of the USS Enterprise March 28, 2228!  Apparently they have all sorts of Trekkies who come to town and an annual gathering.  How funny. 

We visited Swedesburg, Iowa where many Swedish immigrants settled.  They have a free very interesting Swedish Museum of the immigrants.  A lady took us through there explaining all the things, like the cooling basket for people who died, waiting for a coffin, the cobblers bench, the hustler’s wagon (a wagon that went into the farmland bringing wares and bringing back eggs and farm products to sell in town, traditional clothing, a crazy quilt.  We learned that the red color (like our cabin) is a traditional color of buildings in Sweden.  They had brought back powdered paint to paint one of their cottages.  It looked a lot like how Grandma Blanche painted the cabin.  Interesting to see all this as I am reading the Emmigrants by Vilhelm Moberg, about the people who left Sweden for America in the 1800’s  This town always does a May pole for Midsummer and a Lucia ceremony.  They try to get people from Sweden to come for traditional dancing and music.

Just like the cabin in Hackensack!

On to Illinois and Navoo, where Joseph Smith and Brigham Young originally settled with the Mormon’s and then left for Utah.  A huge beautiful Mormon temple is there and some historical places.  Drove on to Hannibal, Missouri and got our second motel of the trip!  We were both exhausted and could not find camping and besides, TV, a bed and not setting up our bed sounded wonderful.