Here's Some Stuff You Probably Didn't Know About Iowa

Iowa.  It's one of those places that you just kind of know is there.  Most of us have never been to Iowa.  I have.  I saw a lot of corn there.  A whole lot of corn.  I did see some other things too.  What I did find out was that Iowa has some of the strangest attractions ever.  I've seen some whoppers in my day, but Iowa makes the most of movies, religion, terrain, corn, art, and food.  You wouldn't believe some of the things that you find in Iowa.

Now, we all know that Iowa has one of the most famous and popular state fairs in the country.  We know that there are beautiful natural wonders there.  We know that Iowa is one of those places that you drive through on your way to the Dakotas to see Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills.

There are quite a few roadside attractions in Iowa that will confuse, amuse, and intrigue you.  In Avoca, there is a Beetle Spider.  Albert the Bull lives in Audubon.  The world's largest strawberry is in Strawberry Point, and there is a giant statue of Pocahontas in Pocahontas.  That's just to name a few.  The arts and creativity are alive and well in Iowa.

Most of Iowa is pretty flat to be honest.  There are a few hilly places and Snake Alley in Burlington is one of those.  It rivals San Francisco's Lombard Street as the windiest road in the country.  It's a popular landmark and a marathon uses this location every year as it's focal point.

I'm not big on baseball, but even I loved "Field of Dreams."  Kevin Costner was great, but so is the location of the movie set.  It's now a tourist attraction and you can come and see where the dreams came true.  I guess it's true, "if you build it, they will come."  It came to Dyersville.

Father Paul Matthias Dobberstein immigrated here from Germany in the 19 century, and with him comes an interesting story.  He had Pneumonia and vowed that he would build a shrine if he survived.  He did, and the Grotto of the Redemption was born in West Bend.  It's an amazing place that took decades to build.  Just remember to be very respectful.  This is a religious site.

With Catholicism comes art and in Waterloo we find a replica of the Sistine Chapel done in spray paint.  Yes, it's in a restaurant.  The artist is Paco Rosin.  It's not the only work of art around.  Paco Rosin is a very well known local artist.

Continuing with the arts, we have Matchstick Marvels.  This is a gallery/museum in Gladbrook that is a showcase for models made with matchsticks by Pat Acton.  It's got some amazing works and it's a great little stop while on a road trip.

February 2, 1959 is a day that will live in infamy in Clear Lake.  This is the place where Buddy Holly's plane crashed.  Now, you can visit the crash site and pay your respects to this rock legend.  It's not the only plane crash site that is now a tourist attraction.  I went to one in northern Maine one time too.  If you want to celebrate the singer properly, you can visit the Surf Ballroom as well. It was the site of his last concert.

Ida Grove is full of castles.  It's that simple.  There are several different kinds and they are all around the tiny little town.  Byron Godbersen is the architect and the unique structures are something that you don't find every day in Iowa.  It's a great roadside stop, especially if you love photography.

So, there are many roadside attractions in Iowa that you never would have dreamed existed.  But, for Trekkies, Riverside is special.  This is the Adventure for Anyone to the max.  If you love Star Trek, then you know very well that Captain James T. Kirk is from Riverside, Iowa.  He will be born there on March 22, 2228.  Trekkies the world over are waiting.  Riverside has built themselves a little Star Trek museum and there are references to Captain Kirk all over town.  The town is tiny, but they have a great claim to fame.

So, if you wonder about Iowa, don't wonder.  They're creative, whimsical, artsy, religious, and very movie worthy.  If you ever want a unique place to take a road trip, check out Iowa.  Enjoy!



http://www.roadsideamerica.com/location/ia
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https://www.facebook.com/adventuresforanyone?fref=ts

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Northern Ireland has been in the news a million times in my lifetime.  For the most part, it was about the struggle between the Catholics and Protestants and the terror attacks of the IRA.  It was the focus of terrorism for a while, even above and beyond what was going on the Middle East.  It was the topic of so many things, including a Tom Clancy novel, that I was surprised when it all kind of faded away.  A guarded peace is alive and well in Northern Ireland, with the two opposing religious sides trying to get along.  It's not easy to put all that anger away and work to be a whole country.  But there's one time a year that Northern Ireland, and a lot of the rest of the world come together and celebrate.  That day is March 17th -- St. Patrick's Day.

In America we do all kinds of parades.  They have them all over the country.  We drink green beer, we wear green clothing, we eat Corned Beef, some folks do go to church, and in Chicago they dye the river green.  We have a really good time on St. Patrick's Day, but do most of us even know about St. Patrick?  They do in Northern Ireland.  This was the favored home of the Patron Saint of Ireland.

You'll find parades all over Ireland as well, with one of the biggest being in Belfast, Northern Ireland.  Parades have been the favored way of celebrating St. Patrick's Day since 1762 when the first parade took place, not in Ireland but in New York City right here in America.  It caught on and now there are parades everywhere.

So, how did St. Patrick become the saint who is celebrated today?  Well, Northern Ireland is a beautiful place with beautiful people.  St. Patrick was born in Northern England to a tax collector, however.  At age 15 he was kidnapped by some Celtic outlaws and put into slavery in Ireland.  He worked as a shepherd until he escaped.  He chose to return to Ireland with a calling to serve God, and spread the word of the Catholic Church by explaining the Holy Trinity with a shamrock.  That's the legend anyway.  It could be true.  Reportedly St. Patrick passed away on March 17th, 461.  He was proclaimed the Patron Saint of Ireland and the rest is history.

In Northern Ireland there is a St. Patrick's Trail, and it is very popular for pilgrims and tourists.  Newry is one of the stops on the trail and is a great town to visit with many ancient sites.  It has a cathedral, as do most towns in the area that is dedicated to St. Patrick.

Downpatrick in County Down is one of the most visited stops on the trail.  There is a rock outside the cathedral there that marks St. Patrick's final resting place.  People come here to pay their respects to a man who changed the way Ireland views the world.

Who could blame him for wanting to come back to this amazing place?  The land is beautiful, the cathedrals are beautiful inside and out, and the people are real and friendly and deeply religious.  It is interesting that a country so divided by religious beliefs are so devoted to a man who only supported one of those two religions.  Every St. Patrick's Day, Protestants and Catholics alike celebrate the day.  Catholics even take a pass on Lent for one day to celebrate the feast with traditional foods such as Corned Beef and Cabbage.

Armagh is one of the big stops on the trail.  St. Patrick spent a lot of his time in Armagh.  This is where he established a church, monastery, and eventually an Archbishop's House.  This was his home, and this is where he did a lot of good work for a lot of good people.

So, if you've ever wondered where it all started, it was in Northern Ireland.  It didn't really start in Ireland proper.  But, no matter what part of Ireland you live in, they all celebrate St. Patrick every March 17th.  The parade may have started in New York City, but it's the method of public celebration of St. Patrick's Day all over.  Corned Beef and Cabbage has become the staple food for the occasion; so much so that Catholics break their Lenten fast every year for that one day.  Beer is the normal drink for the occasion with a little green dye in many places.   So, you can follow the trail of St. Patrick from Belfast to Craigavon, to Newry, to Mourne, to Downpatric, to Armagh.  There are many sites to see and churches and cathedrals too.  And don't forget the view.  The Emerald Isle has some of the most amazing scenery in all the British Isles. It is also home to some amazing hiking trails. So, come for the beer and Corned Beef, but stay for the view.  Take the time to learn about the amazing saint that this holiday celebrates.  So, whether you're in Belfast at a parade, or at the parade in Chicago, Illinois where they dye the river green; take the time to investigate and celebrate the Patron Saint of Ireland.  Have a beer and toast St. Patrick's Day.  Enjoy!


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Do You Need to Find an Alternative Way to Travel?

Have you ever met someone who traveled all the time?  Did you wonder how they did it?  Did you ask them and all they had to say was that it was easy?  Frustrating, isn't it?  The thing that you need to  know is what some alternatives are, and where to find the information about them.  Fortunately, the internet provides us with information on alternatives to traditional travel.  It's fabulous.

So, you don't want to pay the price to go with a group tour and see all the normal touristy stuff, and you don't want to go on your own and pay for all the hotels and stuff.  I get it.  Resorts cost a fortune and you don't really get to see much.  Cruises are convenient, but again, you don't get to see much.  Group tours are fine, but again, you're a tourist.  Travelers and tourists are different.  Travelers want to see the world and see how other people live and see what other countries are like and see festivals in other cultures and art and technology and architecture.  The food alone is worth the fuss.

There are a lot of things going on out there.  Timeshares are the old school.  You pick a spot, invest in a property, and for a short time each year it is your place.  It's great if you want to see the same place each year.  It's a great way for a family to hit the beach each year and have family time, but it's not the way to see the world.

Travel clubs have become pretty common.  You pay a fee to join, and you can get great deals on various resorts all over the world for really great prices.  The fees are not that steep if you have the time to make it worth the price.  Just remember, you still have to pay for the property that you stay on, it's just a lot less when you're a member.

HomeAway, VRBO, and Airbnb have become very popular.  This is your chance to swap houses, rent a unique property and so forth.  This is a great alternative to hotels.  I like it, because you can cook instead of go out.  You can blend in and not look so much like a tourist to the locals.  You don't have to deal with a staff for every little thing.  You get a little feel for the place that you are visiting.  Just make sure that you plan it down to the last detail and get all the information on the place that you possibly can.   Some people do lie on these sites, and you don't want to show up in a foreign country with no place to stay.

There are many ways to stay.  If you are a student, look into group trips specially for students.  Most of them offer discount prices that no one can beat, and the trips tend to last for weeks at a time.  This gives you a lot of time for a great price to really get a feel for a location.  In addition, if you do it right you can get some college credit for going on vacation.

Another great way to stay is to visit a monastery.  Here you get a blast of culture and get to visit other countries.  The monasteries aren't only cost effective, but the hosts are amazing.  You get a little culture, a little religion, and some great time to improve the soul.  You probably will help out a little, but it will make you feel great, and you will make friends that will last a lifetime on this one.

But, let's say you want to travel.  You don't just want to fly somewhere for a week or two.  You want to take off and see the world.  There are ways you can do it.  Traveling aboard a container ship is something that I've talked about before.  You can buy a room on the ship and sail way cheaper than on a cruise ship.  Plus, the ships go everywhere, and it's a true adventure.  They have recreational facilities on board and food options, entertainment and staterooms.  It's a lot of fun, and you get to see how some of the largest vehicles in the world run.

Backpacking across Europe is a time honored tradition which has turned into backpacking around the world.  If this is your choice for adventure, you might want to look into hosteling.  Hostels are famous for being cheap, clean and networked so that you can go from one to another all around the world and avoid the cost of a hotel room.  Some of the hostels are as cheap as $10 per night.  A lot of them do have shared bathrooms and some even have shared bedrooms.  Check on the details before you book.  There are networks devoted to this practice.

For over 50 years the Peace Corps has been one way to truly get out there and see the world.  You can join up for two years and live in another country doing work on behalf of the United States for other countries.  It's noble, it looks great on a college or job application; and who couldn't use a little help on their resume these days?  It is a commitment, but it is a way to really get out and go.

Volunteer vacations are great.  You get to do something spectacular, and it makes your travel cheap.  Some places will provide lodging in turn for your help.  Some places won't.  Check into the details before you book.  But the world is your oyster on this one.  You can go to an archaeological dig, or tag dolphins, or vaccinate children, or teach, or build houses.  The opportunities are virtually endless, and it's a great experience.  It doesn't look bad on a resume either, by the way.

WWOOF.  That's right.  This is Willing Workers On Organic Farms.  This organization is all over the world.  You can literally work your way around the world going from farm to farm with these guys.  You work for your food and lodging and you can finish one obligation and just move on to another.  They can all be booked through the one organization, so it's easy.  It's one of the most unique opportunities for travel that I've ever heard of.

And, you can just work abroad.  There are organizations and websites that will help you find a job in another part of the world and you can just make arrangements and go.  Pick a spot, figure out the work visas with the help of the organization you signed up with and go live and work in a whole new place.   There are all kinds of jobs, so check into it.

If you truly want to see the world, there are hundreds of ways to do it.  You could work for an airline or on a cruise ship, or with a travel service, or as a travel writer.  There are so many ways to travel that I can't name them all.  Travel is a choice.  If you've spent your entire life being told that you need to buy a house and work in an office and be a respectable adult; you've been lied to.  The world is a place of exploration.  Explorer used to be an occupation.  Think outside the box.  Live the life you desire.  See the world.  You can't take it with you, so why worry about owning it?  In the end all you have are your memories, so make good ones.  Enjoy!

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Do You Know Where Biafra is?

Deep in the hills of Cross River National Park  it's hard to believe that you are in the country of Nigeria.  Over the years I have learned a lot about this fascinating country.  It's just not what I thought it would be.

My college years were spent traveling with a couple of professors, one of whom was from Nigeria.  At the time I didn't know much about the place, but I learned.  Over the years, Nigeria has become well known for internet fraud, political problems, and war.  I spent a lot of time not looking into Nigeria, because it was too dangerous.  But the professor that I knew in college painted a very different picture of this country that puzzles and frightens us a little bit as Americans.  Look on the State Department website, and you will see warnings about travel in Nigeria.  We are afraid of the place, and that outbreak of Ebola a couple of years ago didn't help matters at all.

The harsh truth is that Nigeria is an amazingly successful country.  Once run by the British, the official language there is English.  There are over 500 tribal and other languages spoken, but that is the official national language.  Nigeria is home to %20 of the population of Africa, and the city of Lagos is one of the most densely populated cities in the world with 15 million people.  Things are modern and industrialized in a lot of the country.  The discovery of oil a few decades ago put a lot of money into the economy in Nigeria.  They are the 10th largest producer of oil in the world.  They have ultra modern architecture, arts and culture, universities, museums, and since 1960 an independent government.  While they do have many communities that choose to cling to the old traditional ways; Nigeria is on the forefront of civilization.  And it all sits along the coast of West Africa.

This is a blog about adventures that anyone could have, and this one takes us to the town of Calabar, in southern Nigeria.  This city of almost half a million people has a history that's worth checking into.  It was one of the major slave trade ports in west Africa until the 1800's.  It's still a busy shipping port, and more.  It's part of what was once referred to as Biafra.  Biafra was the breakaway republic that stood up against a new Nigerian government and set off a civil war.  In 1967 war broke out in the southern regions of Nigeria between the Nigerian Government and the people of Biafra.  The war lasted only three years, but it left its mark on the country.  To this day, there are many people who still want to break away and have their own country of Biafra.

The National Museum is in Calabar, and you can learn all about Biafra as well as the years of British rule.  You can also learn about the history of Nigeria going back quite some time.  You will learn about slave trade and it's connection to America.  It's a fascinating place to visit.  And remember, I don't recommend museums very often.

One of the biggest things that impressed me about the idea of traveling in Nigeria is that they are working very hard to boost tourism.  This country also falls high on the list of friendly countries.  Calabar has many hotels and resorts to draw people in.  They are working on building a monorail to get around town and they have all kinds of man made attractions.  In December, they have Carnival, which draws a huge group in celebration.  In Calabar there is a university and regular sporting events.

Calabar and most of the southern regions of Nigeria are Christians and they have some beautiful churches to see.  The oldest in Calabar is the old Duke Town Church.  Keep in mind that if you are visiting Nigeria, the north is primarily Muslim which is why the new capital, Abuja was built in the center of the country.  They wanted to have a neutral town between the two religions for the seat of government.

Calabar has a shoreline and they have beautiful beaches.  If you want to come to the coast of Africa and lay in the sun, then this is a great spot to do it.  Calabar is also the location of ancient royalty of the Calabar people.  The Obong Palace used to be the seat of that power.

The Obudu Mountain Resort is one of the resorts that are looking to draw tourists.  It's in the amazing Cross River National Park, and you can stay in a villa if you like.  They have amazing pools, activities, restaurants and accommodations.  But, it's all about the view.  This park is one of those parks that's called a park in the clouds.  It's in the mountains, and it's rainforest.  Lush and beautiful.  Green and mountainous.  If you go for the view alone, it's worth the trip.

What will you see in Cross River?  Animals like elephants.  You'll see outstanding waterfalls.  You can take gondolas up and see all kinds of things.  You can hike or drive or ride around and see all kinds of things.

But the reason that this hits the list of Adventures for Anyone is the monkeys.  The Drill is native to Nigeria and is of the monkey family even though he looks a bit more like a Baboon.  The Drill was pushed to near extinction at one point and now the Nigerians are working very hard to protect them and boost the population.  At Cross River there is a ranch that takes care of these fabulous creatures and you can help.  You can spend the day there and help to take care of the Drills.

I love sanctuaries for animals.  They have sanctuaries for various animals all over the world, and volunteers are welcomed at all of them.  The Drill Ranch is no different.  There are two of them in Nigeria.  One is in Calabar, and there is also the Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary to the north.  Working with animals is rewarding.  I encourage everyone to give it a try.  You won't regret it.

So, take some time to meet an amazing bunch of monkeys.  Remember, they don't live anywhere else, so they are special.  While you're there, learn some history; particularly the slave and Biafra history, lay on the beach, go to a game, do some shopping, and meet some amazing people.  There's nothing quite like the animals, the museums, the resorts, and the view in Calabar, Nigeria.  Is it dangerous?  Maybe, but isn't that sometimes just part of the adventure?
Enjoy!


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http://continenttours.com/africa-tours/nigeria-tours/
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Vacation_Packages-g293824-Nigeria-Vacations.html
http://www.cafepress.com/artisticcreationsbyninakindred1
http://www.zazzle.com/imagings
http://terri-dixon.pixels.com/
https://www.facebook.com/adventuresforanyone?fref=ts
https://www.fictionpress.com/u/530752/Nina-Kindred