WILLKOMMEN!

Amana Kitchen Sink & Schnitzel's Ecke

From the Amana Colonies.  This has been a fun day.  Laton enjoyed the Cutlery Shop but was not thrilled with the Quilt Shop, the Kitchen Sink, the Book Store, the Antique Store but I rewarded him with a stop off at the Brewing Company.  We had our linner (late lunch, early dinner) at the Colony Inn.  The food was served family style and we had cottage cheese with chopped chives, sweet & sour kraut, salad with a very good buttermilk dressing, fresh rye bread, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, chicken schnitzel and fried chicken.  We were so full, all I wanted was a nap, but we were good and walked it off shopping. The architecture here is really interesting.  We were going to stay at the Amana RV park but the camp host was so rude, we left.  During linner we stumbled on a well-kept secret.  You can park behind the inn and use an electric hook up for $6. So that is where we are parked for the night.  There is a large field right outside our door so we can easily walk the dogs.  It is very quiet and peaceful in this wonderful colony/community.

Iowa!

We decided to travel southwest to Iowa and will eventually drop down into Missouri and then start across Illinois in the next couple of days.  We stopped for Wisconsin cheese on our way today.  The Carr Valley Cheese Factory had the most amazing selection. We walked out with Cranberry Cheddar, Horseradish Cheddar and some Cranberry Chipotle Cheddar.  We passed on the 10-year old cheddar because we still have some excellent Tillamook Cheddar and how much cheese can 2 people eat? 

We have stopped at Maquoketa Caves State Park.  The caves are closed but the campground is open and we are the only people here.  It is beautiful and the dogs are having a great time.  Maggie played Frisbee with us and we loved every minute of it.

We are planning on visiting the Amana Colony tomorrow.