American Adventure 4 - Children of the (Iowa) Corn!

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Day 10

We woke up fairly early after our late night in time to meet up with Kelly, Robbie & the boys for breakfast, at a place called the Village Inn just a minute down the road (not unlike Denny’s as a vague similarity). There were so many nice dishes to choose from, & Vaughan had particular trouble deciding on his order. After messing around there for a while & drinking loads of coffee, we headed for the Mall, which was also near where we were staying. It was a fairly big mall (the size of some of our bigger ones), with many stores I had forgotten about since I was last in the USA. I ended up trailing behind everyone else in Sears & then didn’t know where the others had gone - I walked up & down all the stores in the mall looking for them, only to eventually find out that they had spent most of the time either looking for me, or looking at refrigerators in the whiteware department, still back in Sears. Of course I should have known that refrigerators were a high priority, but in the meantime I had managed to buy myself 2 pairs of shoes (nice)! We wandered past most of the stores, stopping in at one that sold western hats, boots & belt buckles so Vaughan could look enviously at everything. A trip to the mall with the boys wouldn’t be complete without stopping off at the Disney Store, so we wandered around looking at all the Captain Jack stuff (from Pirates of the Caribbean) that I knew Sara (back in London) would love.

It was actually starting to get quite late in the day by the time we finished procrastinating around there, so we headed off back to Josh & Angie’s again, where everyone started loading up on stuff for the BBQ. It had just been a flying suggestion but Vaughan & I thought it was a great idea, & it was obvious that this mission had been undertaken dozens of times before - it didn’t take long before everything we needed was packed in the back of the truck & we were off. I think there was 12 of us in all, in 3 vehicles - we stopped at the supermarket on the way to pick up even more stuff, & then it was off again to Scott County Park. It was really beautiful, more like a large recreation ground than anything (like a nicer, larger version of the Groynes, in Christchurch - for anyone who knows), & because it was out in the countryside it really was quite peaceful & well maintained. There was even a swimming pool, which the older boys & Courtney raced off to, while Dustin & Bradlee headed for the playground. Josh, Robbie & Vaughan took over a nearby ‘horseshoe’ pit for a game - Vaughan had to learn how to play first but I don’t think he did too badly. You basically have to throw the horseshoes & try & get it around (or as close as you can to) a peg at the other end. Josh is apparently the champion, but Vaughan really seemed to enjoy himself, & it was nice to do some local kind of stuff since we don’t play horseshoes in NZ. Robbie ended up in charge of the BBQ, which was one of many provided by the park (like some recreation areas in NZ). Later on he dished up cheesy sausages for hotdogs, & meat patties for hamburgers, which we ate with cheese & chips….mmmm - nice! It was great for me as well, just to be chilling out on the BBQ tables under the trees, listening to the horseshoes clink, & talking to the girls (Angie & Kelly).

After collecting all the kids & leaving the park, we stopped off at the supermarket again to buy some alcohol, where I got some wine coolers & a drink called Hot Damn, which tasted like fiery cinnamon - really nice. We took everything back to Josh & Angie’s where we had a few drinks & the kids showed off their bikes & stunt skills in the street, & insisted on posing for a million photos, & then taking some of their own, as well as some of Nicky's fish. Afterwards Kelly, Josh, Robbie, Vaughan & I went down to the pond, which was only a couple of minutes walk away. We were crashing around in the dark but managed to keep to the (vague) path with Robbie's (or someone's) incredibly high-powered spotlight. Josh took his fishing rod out there for a quick try, so we ventured up & down in the long grass as he stopped at different spots, talking & watching the lightning bugs which were everywhere - you could see the stars quite well too, & it was fun for Vaughan & I to see the bugs flying around, as if the stars were even on the ground & in the trees as well. Josh managed to catch a small fish on his last try & we eventually headed back inside, before heading back to the motor inn for the night, where Kelly, Robbie & the boys also joined us in a room of their own downstairs. Bet you guys enjoyed the nice showers there! Great day guys - thanks heaps (especially for the games of horseshoes - Vaughan still talks about it now)!

Day 11

We started off by getting up early, with Vaughan convinced that we had to make the most of the free breakfast before it stopped for the day. I felt absolutely shattered since we had gone to bed fairly late, but at least it gave us some time to sort out some emails & washing afterwards. Kelly & Co went back to Josh & Angie’s to let the dogs out for a run, before returning to the motel to head off with us to the Mississippi River, via downtown Davenport. The buildings there looked a bit tired, but mainly it was because they were all sort of cream coloured, which shows it’s age after a while - after all, the buildings weren’t actually very old. It was a bit hilly down towards the water, but there looked to be a wide range of stores, & the streets were wide & fairly quiet. Down by the water we could see several bridges crossing the Mississippi, including a rail bridge which must spin around to let boats pass. The river was wider in places than I thought it would be, & although it had some rubbish floating in it, it certainly was much nicer than the dirty old Thames! The weather was pretty sunny, hot & muggy as we walked along the waterfront path, near a few people fishing, & a large paddle-steamer that had been turned into a casino. It was a pleasant walk over to the Sky Bridge, a large glass walkway designed to give you (air-conditioned) views over the Mississippi & waterfront park areas. The grass looked so green & there were hardly any people around at all - the waterfront had such a quiet air about it (until we got there of course). After heading back to the vehicles & stopping in at Subway for lunch, we went back to Josh & Angie’s briefly where we said goodbye to everyone there.

From there we headed off to West Lake Park, another beautiful recreation area, with a fake beach & a sculptured lake to mess around on with paddle-boats. The were large carp in the water (which I think you can fish) & a nice area for Frisbee-golf, as well as many other activities. It was a really nice, tidy area - great for families. We were definitely enjoying being outdoors, especially after being in a place like London - Davenport did well to remind us of many things we missed about New Zealand. We all went out on the paddle-boats which was cool. Of course, Bradlee & Dustin enjoyed splashing everyone, which was actually kind of a relief since it was so hot! We had the paddle-boats for about 1 ½ hours so we just kind of messed around.

After finishing up there we went back to the supermarket for some food for dinner, while Vaughan had a snooze in the car as he wasn’t feeling very well for some reason (I don’t think he had ever been anywhere that was humid before, & I don’t think his body knew how to react). We were planning on going to Robbie’s sister Jenny’s house for dinner, & Robbie had been conned into making his famous taco pizzas. We drove out to another trailer park which was in Bettendorf, about a 20 or 30 minute drive away - it was quite nice there, with loads of trees & a bit more outdoor space (I think - I didn’t spend much time looking outside). Inside, Jenny’s place was also a decent size, similar to Angie’s but somehow decorated in a style that reminded me of the way that we decorate our places back in NZ (the same kinds of knick-knacks & pictures on the walls). Jenny’s fiancé (Dave) was pretty quiet at first, but ended up being quite cheeky & amusing after a short time. He also kind of reminded me of several people I know in NZ, so it was also really good to be out at their place, & I certainly had a laugh! Jenny had a daughter Jess, who was pretty quiet but a very nice girl (Jess - if you’re reading this, did you remember any of the things you wanted to ask me about New Zealand?) & also a son Tristan, who was deaf - he mostly stayed outside playing with Bradlee & Dustin, & in fact, we didn’t see much of any of the boys at all. Jenny was fun to talk to as well, & she certainly has a passion for working with children. Robbie's famous taco pizza certainly lived up to its reputation, & Vaughan & I both thought it was fantastic. It wasn’t too long before it was time to head back though - thanks for the great night guys. It was awesome to meet you (& it kinda felt like home in some odd way)! Kelly, Robbie & the boys drove back with us to the motel (in fact, we had to follow them everywhere since we didn’t know where we were going) - we were off across the country on our road trip early the next morning, so it was time for farewells. It wasn’t sad saying goodbye for me, because I already felt as if I would return one day (hopefully in the near future), but it really was just so fantastic to finally meet everyone. It couldn’t have felt more like home if we’d tried! And we’re already thinking about what we can get up to next time! Thanks to all you guys in Iowa for making it what it was - we miss you already xxx

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