We left Wanatee Park on a warm (but not oppressively hot)
summer morning, traversing along several highways including US-218/IA-27, which
has the moniker “Avenue of the Saints” since it connects St. Louis, Missouri
and St. Paul, Minnesota.
Corn, corn, everywhere I looked. I learned Iowa produces more corn than any
other state. Sadly, only 1% of all corn grown
in Iowa is sweet corn for human consumption (the rest goes to feed animals
and create ethanol). Even more
distressing, 90% of all corn grown in the U.S.A. is genetically modified.
We arrived at our next destination: Margaret MacNider Campground in
Mason City, Iowa. We were surprised by
this City-operated Park. It has super
long full-hook-up sites that fit Big Boomer/Suite Retreat without unhitching.
Additionally, it offers free Wi-Fi, firepits and picnic tables at each site,
clean restrooms/showers (I didn’t use them, but I did a Rambling RV Rat
inspection), and even a laundry facility located within the tornado
shelter, all for the reasonable price of $32/night including sales tax. We were given the option to park the Jeep on
a nearby site or in the excess parking area, both within viewing distance. Margaret MacNider Campground is within walking
distance of East Park, which has lovely flower gardens, several children’s play
areas, walking/biking trails, picnic shelters, a Cannonball Locomotive (currently undergoing
restoration), 12 pickleball courts, and several other amenities.
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| The Canadian Geese Gang took over the B-ball court! |
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| The trees were displaying early signs of fall color. |
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| A dozen pickleball courts! |
As we got ourselves settled into our site, Mom discovered
a severed brake line. This is the second
one we have encountered during our 2025 summer travels. Fortunately, it caused us no problems during
our two-hour drive between campgrounds, and Dad had another spare to do a quick
repair.
Afterwards, we hopped in my Rambling RV Rat Pack Rubicon and
headed to the Grotto of the Redemption Shrine in West Bend, Iowa. Catholic priest, Father Paul Matthias Dobberstein,
created the shrine in thanks for his being healed of a serious illness. His magnificent work commenced in 1912 when
serving as Pastor of Saints Peter and Paul Church. He continued enlarging
and perfecting the shrine for the next 42 years. His successor, Pastor Louis Greving, and
church parishioner, Matt Szerensce, worked diligently to further his efforts. The Grotto’s construction and subsequent maintenance have been possible through donations, so I was happy to dive into my cheese bank to support this wonderous project. The shrine’s craftsmanship is superb, made
with all natural resources procured from around the world: coral, seashells, semi-precious stones, and petrified wood. Interestingly,
Father Dobberstein even acquired stalagmite from the caverns at Carlsbad before
the area became a National Park. Words don’t adequately express nor my photos
sufficiently depict the magnitude of beauty, symbolism, or creative detailing within the nine areas of the Grotto.
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| "Paradise Lost" illustrates Adam and Eve succumbing to Evil in the Garden of Eden. |
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| Representation of The Serpent. |
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| The Stations of the Cross. |
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| A sculpture paying homage to Father Dobberstein, creator of the Grotto. |
Though the Grotto is available to view 24/7/365, the gift
shop, rock studio, and museum (which offers guided tours) were closed
when we arrived. However, we had an
opportunity to enter Saints Peter and Paul Church (a wedding had just
transpired there) to see the Christmas Grotto. It was built in 1927 and constructed of
precious stones too fragile to be used outdoors.
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Even the gift shop is adorned with unique rock/shell patterns.
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We spent the next day in Downtown Mason City. Though a small Midwest city (population 28,000), Downtown offers great walking, biking, and cultural
activities. We enjoyed viewing the
Sculptures on Parade, in which the public votes for its favorite creation of
all those submitted each year. Then the City purchases the most popular art
piece.
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| Just a few of the dozens of Sculptures on Parade. |
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| This sculpture is called "Jam and Eggs." |
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| The Man, The Architect: Frank Lloyd Wright. |
Then we went to visit Music Man Square. Alas, this indoor replica of the river town
depicted in its namesake film/play/book was closed on Sunday. But we did have the chance to walk across
the bridge featured in the film version of “The Music Man".
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| Meredith Wilson (The Music Man) Footbridge. |
We also walked along the Rock Glen-Rock Crest historical
district, admiring the fine homes in Queen Anne, Tudor, and other architectural styles.
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| Just two of the dozens of homes we viewed... |
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| ...during our walking tour through the Rock Glen-Rock Crest historical district. |
But our
main reason for this visit to Downtown was to tour two more Frank Lloyd
Wright structures, both in the Prairie School style. Interestingly, Wright did not refer to this
style as Prairie School. He called it
“organic”, comparing it to a tree in the forest. His philosophy was that only things that
contribute to a room’s function should be included in the design.
We scheduled a tour at the Park Inn Hotel, designed by Frank
Lloyd Wright in 1908 and built in 1910 for $160,000. The
building was to be multifunctional, with a portion operating as City National Bank,
another portion as legal offices for the owners of the property, and the
remainder as a hotel. Wright achieved a
wonderfully cohesive design with levels and horizontal lines while
incorporating unique features for each building function (for example, the
hotel had large, welcoming windows, while the bank exterior had bars to resemble
a strongbox).
By 1926, the hotel and bank were failing, and the lawyers
who commissioned Wright sold the building.
Through time, the building fell into disrepair and almost found itself
succumb to the wrecking ball like the other half-dozen hotels Wright designed
through his career (including the Imperial Hotel in Japan). But the
people of Mason City realized that they had a diamond in the rough, and in
2011, a $18.6 million restoration commenced.
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| The skylight windows in the lobby are all original! |
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| Wright's use of natural lighting is exhibited by small openings within the column. |
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| As Kramer on Seinfeld would say, it's all about the levels! |
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| Law office lobby with original mahogany wood door and paneling. |
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| Law Office conference room. |
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| Wright even designed the Sun National Bank's unique door sidelights. |
We stopped at the Corner Pizza and Ale House for a
Margherita pizza (which was surprisingly tasty considering we were in Iowa). Then we went to tour Wright’s Stockman
House. At a cost of $8,000, it is a
revised version of Wright’s “$5,000 Fireproof House” that was featured in the
April 1907 edition of Ladies Home Journal that Eleanor Stockman perused. Furthermore, Eleanor and Dr. George, her
husband, were friends with James Markley, one of the lawyers who owned the Park
Hotel that Wright designed.
The Stockman home represented a middle-class Prairie School home. It featured built-in bookcases, cantilevered roof, ribbon windows, and interior walls textured by sand being added to the paint. The Stockmans did not purchase Wright’s furniture package, and the three grandchildren of the Stockmans sold most of the family furnishings after the death of their mother Ruth, the only child of George and Eleanor. Sadly, no photos are permitted of the interior of the Stockman House. Despite this tour being a bit disappointing, we had a fantastic time visiting Mason City.
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| What a bummer that we could only photograph the exterior of the Stockman House. |
The next day we left Mason City and headed to our Harvest
Host, Acres of Promise, located in Fredericksburg, Iowa. This small rural homestead has a huge, level
driveway and firm, manicured grass to provide easy maneuvering and
parking. It had fresh and delicious seasonal
veggies, honey, and raspberries for purchase.
Best of all was the warmth and kindness that exuded from Mary, Tim,
Lowell, and CC the kitten. Mary greeted
us with homemade energy bars and a smile that could light the darkest
room. The level of hospitality,
generosity, and fellowship bestowed upon us transformed us from acquaintances
to feeling like family. We have visited
many wonderful Harvest Hosts, but Acres of Promise is one of the few who have
earned my coveted Rambling RV Rat 5-cheese award, times 2! Staying at Acres of Promise was the perfect
way to complete our tour of the State of Iowa.
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Mom baked a cheesecake that we shared with this wonderful family.
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| Mary, Tim, and CC (short for Camping Cat). |
Time for me to sign off, but I'll talk to you again soon!
