Travels with Debbie and Vince: Des Moines, Iowa

May 31-June 4. We are staying at Saylorville Lake and Dam, another Corps of Engineers (COE) project. The view of our site and from our site is gorgeous. We are just below the dam, which is open and get to hear the rushing water. We always have a breeze, so the chimes that Mom gave us years ago (and we take everywhere with us) is getting a workout. See the chime in photo #2. This is a fisherman's paradise, with strippers in abundance.
We ventured in to Des Moines to pickup our mail and tour the Iowa State Capitol building. It is supposed to be the most beautiful capitol in the U.S. and we can't dispute that. We also toured the Iowa Gold Star Military Museum on Fort Dodge. This museum had military displays from the Civil War through today's action. It also had planes, tanks, trucks, cannon, etc. The next day we spent the day on the Iowa Living History Farm. This farm has 2 working farms, one from the 1875 era and one from the 1900 era. They did everything the old ways, from planting and harvesting to caring for the oxen, horses, etc. There is also a complete 1850's town, with church, school, drug store, millinery store, newspaper printer, blacksmith, broom maker, etc. We also stopped at a Japanese Peace Garden. Today, we are relaxing all day, just taking it easy.