Last Friday I was telling you that I wanted to get away for the weekend, but wanted to go somewhere I’d never been before. I printed out a map of Iowa and pondered. I saw Clinton, and thought, “Hmm, might be fun.” Then on Saturday I was talking with Brian Marshall, and he suggested Clinton. So I went!
I took off late Saturday morning on Highway 30. Part of why I love taking little trips is not only for the destination, but for the drive. Driving in my time machine, cruising the highway with the tunes CRANKED. There’s nothing quite like it. The trip from Cedar Rapids to Clinton took about and hour and a half.
I rolled into town and checked into my hotel. I was excited to get downtown to see the river, so that’s where I went! It was GORGEOUS outside. 60 degrees and sunny. TONS of people walking along the waterfront. Seagulls were out, and it felt like I was by the ocean.
After putting out the vibe along the waterfront, I got back into my time machine. I wanted to say that I went to another state, so I drove across the river into Illinois for like 10 minutes. I snapped these two pics on my way back into Iowa.
I went back to my hotel after a few hours of exploring. I ordered some Chinese food for dinner, then made my way over to the Wild Rose Casino & Resort. With all of my addictions, gambling was never one of them luckily. I only played $20 on slots, and came out even. I even made that $20 last 2 hours! It was fun. I think I drank all of their coffee, too.
The next morning, my plan was to drive through Dewitt, then up through Maquoketa for different route back. My coworker/friend, Shawn told me to visit Dewitt, because he grew up there. It was a very rad little town!
Another town I had yet to see was Maquoketa. Again, I found the vibe very pleasant. I just love the downtown sections of these smaller towns. Lots of historic buildings. I always try to picture what it looked like in the beginning. History is my jam. The older, the better.
I continued home on Highway 64 through Anamosa, which I’ve been to MANY times, because I LOVE that town. I eventually rolled back home to Cedar Rapids feeling very happy about my travels. Can’t wait for the next adventure! There’s so much to see in our state! As you know, I’m always looking for suggestions on where to head next!
Keep kicking ass!
