July 18, 2015, Saturday, Des Moines, IA
Day 79

Morning drive of 140 miles to Altoona, a suburb of Des Moines. Checked into the Adventureland RV Campground. Afternoon visit to the State Capitol, a beautiful building with not one but 5 domes.  The guided tour took us up a small spiral staircase of 130 steps to the inside base of the main dome. No surprise that the a/c did not reach that high. Next was the Des Moines Art Center, another free museum with a/c on another hot afternoon. However, the exhibits were not worth the price of admission. Is it really art if my grandkids (ages 4 and 1) could do as well? A lot of wasted canvases and other media in my opinion. I rate the museum a must not see, unless one is looking for a/c on a hot summer day. The “art” was quickly forgotten at the next stop, the Jasper Winery.  Tasted 7 wines and bought a white and a red. Supper at Malo, a Latin American restaurant. Meal included a fish taco and a sweet corn taco with a side of hominy.  Rosemary had a grilled fish taco with lobster slaw and a portabella taco with grilled asparagus on the side. Good meal.

 

July 17, 2015, Friday, Counsel Bluffs, IA (Omaha, NE)
Day 78

Morning drive of about 185 miles from Sioux Falls, SD, to Counsel Bluffs, IA, a town on the border and across the Missouri River from Omaha, NE. Checked into Bluffs Run RV Park at the Horseshoe Casino. Crossed the river to spend the afternoon in Omaha.  The heat was back, and at 96 degrees we passed on the botanical gardens and went to the Joslyn Art Museum.  With free admission and a/c it was a great museum.  Even so, we enjoyed the exhibits which included some of Rosemary’s favorites, the French impressionists.  There was even some art work of Rembrandt (not a French impressionist). Next was an exploration of the Old Market District in downtown.  Quite a large area of shops and restaurants in very old buildings. Supper at Ahmad’s Persian Cuisine consisted of Fessen Jun (boneless chicken in a walnut pomegranate sauce) and Tehran Chicken (tenderloin of chicken marinated in saffron, lime and 12 Persian spices). Wonderful! Afterward, we walked through the Heartland of America Park and Fountain.  The fountain periodically shoots a 250 foot high tower of water the spray of which we found out travels far. Then onto the riverwalk and over the Bob Kerry Pedestrian Bridge, a 3000 foot suspension bridge over the Missouri River from NE to IA. Pretty neat to be in 2 states at the same time (see photo).