35th Wedding Anniversary Road Trip 2014: Monday and Tuesday April 21-22 Seymour, IN to Marshalltown, IA

68256 Overcast but 65* 354 miles and 335 miles 10:00 AM $3.59

68610 Sunshine 8:40 AM

I talked to my "kindergarten to college" friend who lives in Independence, MO. She, too, was traveling so we didn't get to hook up. Our course then changed to visit Antique Archaeology (AKA "The Pickers" in Le Claire, Iowa). We followed US 50 and a few side roads to a historic 3 span covered bridge in Medora. We also learned about the use of round barns instead of the traditional style. Rounds have a greater volume to surface ratio, are cheaper to build and more resilient against the mid west thunder storms. In Bedford, there was a vintage travel trailer park but I wasn't able to get a picture. Farming country during spring planting brings a variety of smells. Passed the towns of Assumption and Loogootee. Our hotel room was in Bloomington, Ill at the Hawthorne Suites. We had to run and jump to get into the high beds!

On Tuesday, we did a little freeway driving to get North. Peoria was settled in 1691 so it's the oldest Illinois settlement. Crossed the Mississippi and into LeClaire under sunny skies. Wild Bill Cody was born in this town which is an antiquer's paradise. We'd still be there if I had stopped to look! In fact, it seemed like the whole mid west had shops in every town. We bought the obligatory t-shirt, took pictures and then tried to find coffee but the waterfront cafe's didn't open till later in the afternoon. McDonalds again. In Clinton, there was a factory with a huge gold dome. We couldn't find a business name but guessed it could be making ethanol given the amount of corn being grown. We followed St Rt 64 along the Mississippi and learned about the Quilt Barns.

Our next stop was in Anamosa, Iowa at the Motorcycle Museum. We had been there before in 2010 but Sonny's t-shirt was worn out so he bought 2 this time. Continued West on 151 to US 30 passing the Amana Communities turn off. Next time, I would like to explore there.

Medora Covered Bridge

The bridge has been remodeled but the original timbers
still span the river

We walked through to the other side

Unusual to see a Post Office with a balcony above. Montgomery, IN

The Red Skelton Memorial Bridge carries U.S. Route 50 over the Wabash River outside of Vincennes, Indiana where Richard "Red" Skelton
was born.

Farmers were using ammonia to fertilize the fields.

Round barns date to the 18th and early 19th century. George Washington designed and built a sixteen-sided threshing barn at his Dogue Run Farm in Fairfax County, Virginia in 1793.^[4] It is considered the first American round barn. Early round barns were particularly associated with the Shaker community, One was constructed in 1826 at the Shaker community in Hancock, Massachusetts.^[1] A few other round barns appeared on the American landscape before the Civil War.^[4]

Sonny is cleaning the windshield so that I get a clear picture!

Farmer spraying the ammonia

We never did get an answer about the ditch buring along the road.
We did is happening in several states.

Another big boy toy field sprayer

The beds that needed a stool to get into!

More Big Boy equipment

Crossing the Mississippi River on I-74.

Le Claire exit for Antique Archaeology

The Picker's Shop. It was a tiny little block on a back street with two buildings.
The blue one was once a gas station. The brick building was recently
added.

Yard art

The Picker,s van. Frank and Mike have been friends for
years. They are not business partners. They each
have their own showroom. Frank's place is further north
on the Mississippi. He is seen once in a while around
Le Claire. Mike lives in Tennessee where he has a second
store.

Many unique motorcycles

1930s car grill

The shop was smaller than I expected. There must be some
other workshop where they keep all that stuff they find.

Whizzer

A loft full of bicycles

Sonny remembered the shows where the clown and the jackets were
picked.

Original building. Things were incredibly expensive.

Mississippi River tour boats

This is the Buffalo Bill Cody Museum in Le Claire

The Mississippi River with the I-74 bridge in the distance.

The Mississippi was running high so the land near the shore was flooded.

Factory with the gold dome. Could be aluminium castings and machining.

Lots and lots of tracktors

A quilt barn. Communities typically identify barns to highlight and then
come together to paint the designs on 8-by-8-foot plywood squares
and mount them on the barns, she explained. The trail is then
publicized to bring in tourists.