I&M Canal

I didn't make it back to Michigan last night as I had hoped.  I ended up staying the night in Rockford, Illinois.  Since I had the whole day today to drive a comparatively short distance, I sought an opportunity to use my bike one last time in an exotic location.  I found good spot in the The Illinois & Michigan Canal trail. 

I parked in the town of Morris and rode about seven miles to the Aux Sable lockhouse and aqueduct.  The original canal ran ninety miles while it was in use.  Today sixty have been restored for recreational use.  A modern shipway replaced the historical canal in the 1930s.

Riding back to the car was a lot easier than riding out, probably a combination of the wind and grade both being easier going west.  I had a couple near scuffles with Canadian Geese guarding there new chicks, but at least my bike worked OK, a notable feat given its been on the back of the car for nearly 2,000 miles.

He built. I came.

The farm used in Field of Dreams, which is just a couple miles east of Dyersville, Iowa, remains largely as it was when they finished filming.   I arrived there right about sunset and the place was pretty deserted. The original owners apparently still live in the farm house, maintain the site, and run a small gift shop (closed by the time I arrived).  Somewhat surprising, they don't charge admission to the 65,000 people who come to see the farmhouse & baseball diamond each year.  Other than lack of corn on the outfield & powerline running over the infield, it looked just like in the movie.  Carved into the bleachers is a heart that says "Ray loves Annie."  I don't remember where/if this featured in the movie.  I'll have to watch it again to refresh my memory.

Quick Stops

While driving today, I made a couple short impromptu stops worth mentioning in brief.  My first stop outside of Mason City was Fort Atkinson, a frontier military post that was garrisoned during 1840s.  A short distance from there, I drove a couple miles off the highway to see St. Anthony's Chapel, billed as the smallest church.    Later in the day, I paralleled the Mississippi River for about a half-hour.  In the town of Guttenberg, I got out of the car a couple times; once at a wonderful park along the lever and then to climb up the observation deck at Lock & Dam No. 10.  While driving through the small town of Dyersville, I came across one of the grandest Basilicas I've ever seen, Saint Xavier.

Effigy Mounds

After nearly three days on the road, I finally made it to the Mississippi; but before crossing it, I had a couple more things to see.  Across the river from Prairie du Chien, I paid a visit to Effigy Mounds National Monument.   After browsing the museum, I hiked a trail the led up a bluff overlooking the river valley.  Along the trail were a number of prehistoric native American mounds of various shapes & sizes (e.g. conical, linear).  The most interesting were a those that looked like bears.  I hiked a little further to see Twin Views Overlook, but found the best vista at Fire Point closer to the trailhead.

Music Man Square

Meredith Wilson, who wrote the Music Man, grew up in Mason City, Iowa.  The fictional town in the musical, River City, is based on his boyhood hometown.  I parked in downtown & discovered the bike rack was a little loose.  Since I had to take the bike off to tighten the rack, I figured I might as well ride around for a while.  I ended up going about five miles in forty-five minutes.   I passed Wilson's childhood home, the library, and a footbridge named after him.  They also have a Frank Lloyd Wright House in town.