But before leaving, they and us went to the Chech Village. They probably did bike things. We drove through downtown. It's small and like so many places we've seen is a bit tired. Worse I swear every street is one way, which is ridiculous for a town this size (IMHO). After quite the adventure we finally found Grant Woods' studio. It is a small brick building off an alley and is rarely open. It's run by the art museum that is also not open much. But it was nice to see and tour the city.
We then parked in Chech Village, where the bikers were going through. It was very festive. But most of them were not actually there for much except riding or drinking, neither things that we were there for, so we didn't get in each other's way too much. We went to the Chech Museum. They are in two locations - one in the neighborhood, tells the story of the Cedar Rapids floods in 2008.
I vaguely remember this as a news story, but it was awesome here. Much of the city was underwater. The museum was completely underwater. Given this, it puts a whole different perspective on the town. Its tiredness no longer seems like it's a sign of downfall, but more like it's just not made it fully upwards yet. There are plans in the works for lots of rebuild, etc. I hope they make it and I think they will.
The museum just opened this July. It's a gorgeous building with great spaces. They had three exhibits up at the moment, all three well done and interesting. The first was textiles that show as much about conversation and disaster recovery as the embroidery and styles. The second was Alphonse Mucha, and his work (Art Nouveau). Not a style I am particularly attracted to, but there is something about seeing them first hand vs reproduction that much of it looks more interesting. But my favorite was the third: international children’s book illustrations. Of course, I can’t tell you artist or title at the moment, but there were things one would recognize (if you travel in these circles.) At any rate, yet again it was another small museum that was worth it.
With this, we traveled East out of town for a ride in the country side. I really like the farm land. I don’t know when I stopped being a cowgirl and became a farmgirl, but perhaps just proof that people do change.
Our destination today was Le Claire, IA and the home or Antique Archeology, perhaps more familiar to those who are not fans as the store for American Pickers (Hist. Channel show.) As a fan, since we were in Iowa with time, I really, really wanted to see where they were from.
The website informed us that they were filming Wed and Thurs of this week so the store would be closed and not open again until 2:00 today (Friday).
With the barest directions we headed to the Mississippi (several miles south of the bikers). We saw the Mississippi (again) very cool to have now seen this same river in so many states. It’s beautiful here and unlike almost every other river we’ve seen not dry.
We headed into Le Claire and sure enough right behind the gas station convenience store as the shop. It had the car out front, it had their van in the yard and it had a line a people about 30 long waiting to get in.
I knew it was not going to be worth it, but I HAD to…
We parked on a side street and first stopped in Danny’s store (if you know the show.) [Sorry girl, if your google feed pops this up as a reference and you follow your press.]
This story was pretty disappointing. There were some t-shirts, photography, jewelry. Some of it nice enough, but just a little bit pricey for what it was. Of course it being crowded didn’t help. The most interesting thing in the store – it’s the first floor of a house – were two pieces a dress and a wall hanging covered with buttons.
From there, we walked half way down the hill to behind the BP to the guy’s store and waited in line to filter through. It is TINY. Teeny tiny. It was cool to see some of the things they’ve picked on TV live and in the store, but as the guys in front of us said: hey, I just watch them buy this last week and I know what they paid for it, I can’t pay their asking price.
I appreciate too that you need to run a business and that means a mark up. And I’ve often wondered watching the show how they can possibly make a living. However, that being said, I was at least hoping the “souvenir” stuff in the place would be accessible.
It wasn’t. There was a tin logo sign – a cool item, that looked like “rusty gold” but it was like 25$ and in a box of easily 200 of them. There was the pickers journal with the logo, which greatly appealed to my writer sensibility … looked like about a 20 page note book, brown cardboard cover stamped with the logo for $12. The window/car decal $5. All of it just that little bit too high for what it was to be comfortable saying, well, I’m at least supporting them.
When we were at the American Gothic house the woman there was commenting that as a paleontologist and museum person there were times the show bothered her because they found things that she didn’t think should be sold. I must admit I too at times have had trouble watching some one sell something to the guys because “they knew it was going to a good home” and I knew it was going to retail.
It’s hard. I like them though and to be fair, one of the reasons I’ve stuck with them is the shows where they’ve bought something, discovered there was a much greater value on it, sold the item for tons more than they paid for it and went back and shared the profit with the original buyer. For that, they still have me.
But my goodness that store is SMALL. And when you see it on tv it looks like its in the middle of nowhere – not in a tiny garage right next to residences and the BP station, looking out onto the Mississippi!
I’m glad I went. And I’m not glad we did not go 2 hours out of our way to see the Field Of Dreams. We are not far from it – at least by this trip’s standards (today we hit 2500 miles) but the extra ride just to see a baseball field in the corn fields, I just couldn’t do.
I suppose this means if you build it, they don’t always come? (All internet sites indicated it was not really worth it – unless you are a true baseball fan… which as all of you know, I am not.
So we left Le Claire and were heading back to Cedar Rapids, when we heard this weird noise in the car. Hmmmm. Weird noises are not good. I was about to get a little nervous when M. announced the problem was the back passenger door had not shut fully.
We pulled over and before I could get the front door open to get out and shut it, M. had reached from the driver’s seat, opened the back passenger door, and slammed it shut.
“How??” I marveled.
He merely shrugged and told me I married a spider monkey.
PS - I forgot to say yesterday we saw the Romney Bus on the highway. It too was driving badly. And the political commercials out here are plentiful and more interesting than things I've seen at home. I am waiting to get back and see if the one's here are there.
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