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Weather Ready Nation – April 3 is #SafePlaceSelfie Day!

Where’s your safe place? No matter what the hazard is, the #1 preparedness action everyone should take is to know where your safe location is. April 3 is #SafePlaceSelfie Day. At 11:11 a.m. in whatever time zone you’re in, take a selfie of your safe place and post it on social media with the hashtag #SafePlaceSelfie. Encourage others to participate, too, by asking them over social media, “Where is your safe place when extreme weather threatens?”

Howard Steamboat Museum in Jeffersonville, Indiana, pays tribute to the Howard family and their steamboat building company. The tour combines a history of the ornate Edmonds and Laura Howard mansion and the shipyard located across the street, which the Howard family owned from 1834 until 1941.

Day 13: Quad Cities to home

The weather on the last day of our trip was rather gloomy. Since the skies looked like they could open at any time, we skipped traveling on the Channel Cat Water Taxi. Instead, we started out at the John Deere Pavilion, where we checked out John Deere equipment, both modern and from the past. Afterward we enjoyed an early dessert at Lagomarcino’s, a family-owned ice cream and candy shop that has been open since 1908. Then back to the Rock Island Arsenal, to see the veteran and Confederate cemeteries, followed by a tour of Colonel Davenport’s home.

Day 12: Quad Cities, Illinois and Iowa

Day 12 was museum day for us. We started out at the German American Heritage Center and Museum in Davenport. We went there specifically to see the temporary Steam Circus exhibit, but found the rest of the museum interesting, as well. Afterward, we visited the new Bix Beiderbecke Museum. Bix Beiderbecke, a Davenport native, was a popular jazz cornet player in the Roaring 20s. We finished our museum day with the Figge Art Museum, the major art museum in the Quad Cities. Later we treated ourselves to a Maid Rite loose meat sandwich.

Day 11: Fulton, Illinois, to Quad Cities

Following a breakfast treat at Krumpet’s Bakery in Fulton, we crossed back into Iowa to visit the Sawmill Museum in Clinton. The museum is much larger than we expected it to be, and it was both educational and entertaining. We continued then down to the Quad Cities, where our first stop was the Rock Island Arsenal Museum and the arsenal visitor’s center. After checking into our hotel at the Rhythm City Casino Resort, we headed to Woodmen Park in Davenport to watch the Quad Cities River Bandits take on the South Bend Cubs.

Day 10: Dubuque, Iowa, to Fulton, Illinois

Our first stop after breakfast was the Julien Dubuque Memorial. The memorial overlooks the Mississippi River—gorgeous views—in the Mines of Spain State Park. Afterward, since I can’t resist a cave, we toured Crystal Lake Cave before continuing our drive down the Great River Road. We crossed into Illinois at Fulton and arrived at de Immigrant Windmill just before closing time. We were in luck, though. The adjacent Windmill Cultural Center was staying open later that night because of an area special event.

Midwest Wanderer explores history, nature, and culture through road trips along scenic and historic U.S. highways, byways and trails

Author: Vernon

Weather Ready Nation – April 3 is #SafePlaceSelfie Day!

Howard Steamboat Museum Pays Tribute to Early Riverboat Company

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Day 13: Quad Cities to home

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Day 12: Quad Cities, Illinois and Iowa

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Day 11: Fulton, Illinois, to Quad Cities

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Day 10: Dubuque, Iowa, to Fulton, Illinois