THE DUKE & RAPID ROBERT

Well as strange as it may sound, I decided to head North out of Kansas City because the weather to the South and East was horrible.  Snow to the East around St. Louis was piled up worse than it was here in Kansas City. To the south toward Little Rock and  Memphis its severe storms and tornados. So I resorted back to my original plan and head North toward Iowa.

I must say that the road crews out here seem to do a much better job of clearing the roads than they do back east. As I head north on I-35 and cross the Missouri River I find that the road is for the most part clear and dry.  There's not much to see north of Kansas City and I make good time crossing into Iowa a couple of hours later.

The only stop I had planned to make was in Des Moines, but a few miles south of Interstate 80 I see a sign for the town of Winterset.  There are two things about Winterset that peaked my interest. First it is known for the movie "The Bridge of Madison County," and second it is the birthplace of John Wayne. 

So I said to heck with a schedule and turned off of the Interstate and headed out St. Charles Road for the 14-mile trip to Winterset. On the way out I see a couple of signs directing me to the covered bridges, but these little secondary roads have not been plowed yet and with 4 or 5 inches of snow on them I decided not to chance it in my little Honda. 

So I continued on to Winterset and had no problem finding the birthplace of Winterset's most noted citizen.

John Wayne -American

In a small house on 2nd Street, Marion Robert Morrison was born on May 26, 1907. When he was 4-years old he and his family moved to Los Angeles, California. Working around the movie industry Morrison changed his name to John Wayne and landed his first leading role in a 1930 film called "The Big Trail." His big break came when John Ford cast him in "Stagecoach" in 1939.  John Wayne would go on to stare in more than 140 motion pictures, most of them westerns.

Among his best know westerns are "The Undefeated" "Rio Brovo", "Big Jake" and "True Grit" for which he won an Academy Award for his role as Marshall Rooster Cogburn.

Just down the block from the birthplace stands a larger than life statue of "The Duke." The inscription on the base of the statues simply says - "John Wayne - American."  Enough Said.

After leaving Winterset it was just a shot 10-miles drive back to Interstate 80.  Just a short distance out I-80 is the small town of Van Meter, Iowa which was the birthplace of Baseball Hall of Famer, Bob Feller. 

Bob Feller Museum

Bob Feller was one of the greatest pitchers of all time. Known for his blazing fast ball, he gained the Nickname of "Rapid Robert."  Back in the early 1980's I had the opportunity of Umpiring the Old Timers Game for the Salem Redbirds. The special guest for the game was Bob Feller.  Just being on the field with a Hall of Famer was a thrill, but to be able to visit with him after the game was an even greater thrill.  What a gentleman he was, taking the time to sign every autograph and to make everyone feel like they were special.  Player of today could learn a lot from the greats of yesteryear.

The Bob Feller Museum was closed on Monday's, how I would have like to have  been able to tour it but I have a reason to return. If I do return it won't be on a Monday.



Iowa Statehouse

From Van Meter it was on to Iowa's Capital City, Des Moines.  The Parking Gods that had been so good to me this entire trip were nowhere to be found in Downtown Des Moines. So I had to double park a couple of times just to get a few pictures of the Iowa Statehouse. 

From Downtown Des Moines it was back to Interstate 80 for the 100-mile trek east to Iowa City where I am spending the Night. Tomorrow it will be stop at the Herbert Hoover Library and then I will get a bunch of miles and hopefully spend my last night on the road in Indianapolis.