After sweltering in the 90+ degree heat of Kansas City, we left Watkins Mill and headed north in search of cooler days. We landed at Honey Creek State Park on Rathbun Lake in southern Iowa.
The campground was great: clean, open spaces with beautiful views of the lake. The dark night sky was perfect for watching the Perseid meteor shower which happened to be near its peak. One night we sat overlooking the glassy lake as a few wispy clouds flitted across the full moon. The bright moon’s reflection on the water reminded Cy of the Alfred Noyes poem, The Highwayman. Since Bill hadn’t heard the poem, Cy read it to him as we sat overlooking the lake. It begins:
“The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees. The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas. The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor, and the highwayman came riding- riding- riding- The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.”
The tragic poem was perfect for that moonlit night. The entire poem can be found here.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43187/the-highwayman
Rural Iowa held unexpected charms. We discovered the Welcome Home Soldier Monument, the Albia Freedom Rock, the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, the Monroe County Pyramids, and elaborate courthouses in city squares.
The Welcome Home Soldier Monument is located just west of Albia on US-34. The monument honors all United States Veterans. Twenty-one crosses line the walkway leading into the monument, representing a 21 gun salute. Each state’s flag is flown, along with numerous American flags. The monument is a sobering reminder of the price that has been paid for freedom throughout our nation’s history. The monument included this quote by John Maxwell Edmonds, “When you go home tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow, we gave our today.” We are grateful to all who have served, and continue to serve, our country.
The Albia Freedom Rock sits on the Albia courthouse lawn. Painted by artist Ray “Bubba” Sorensen II, the rock is a Thank You to those who serve our country, either in the military or as a first responder. The artist is in the process of painting a large boulder in every county in Iowa. The original Freedom Rock near Menlo, Iowa is repainted every year.
Knoxville has the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame. We really enjoyed the display about John Gerber. He built his #15 car in 1932. By watching others and experimenting, John continually improved his car and found success on the racetrack. When he was in his 80’s, he was restoring #15 with the goal of going around the track just one more time. John’s joy of creating and his quest for a faster engine reminded us of Cy’s dad, Malcolm. Malcolm always has a project underway in his shop. He has built and raced cars and still builds and customizes racing engines for other drivers. He passed his talent for all things mechanical to Cy’s brother, but unfortunately, Cy didn’t learn that skill. Instead of spending time in the shop as a teen, she spent time with a cute guy named Bill.
In the back of a rural cemetery stand the Monroe County Pyramids. The three pyramids are made of stone, with some crumbling concrete. The largest one has stairs leading down into it. We never learned why the pyramids were constructed or why they reside in the ancient Hickory Grove Cemetery, however, we enjoyed this quirky attraction.
Lesson Learned: Every location has something interesting, whether it is a moonlit night, a patriotic display, a fast car, or something totally unexpected.
Most of the courthouse lawns had monuments to Union soldiers lost during the Civil War.