On Friday we drove from Des Moines to Springfield, Illinois, another state capital. We stopped at the Hoover boyhood home and Presidential Library on the way, but I've already written about that. Saturday, after a filling breakfast of pancakes cooked at the RV, was spent seeing the state capitol and visiting various sites related to Abe Lincoln. Illinois calls itself "the land of Lincoln" and that is especially true in Springfield, where he was married, practiced law, and lived for 25 years.
The capitol building is very impressive. The guide claims it has the tallest dome of any state, which we discussed a little bit because we thought Texas also claimed that. Looking back, we think maybe Texas just boasted that their dome was taller than the dome in Washington, DC. They seemed to take pride in bettering the federal government and didn't care so much about other states.
Who do you think that is over Matthew's shoulder? Yep, Honest Abe.
The dome is very unusual. Many states have gold or maybe copper on their domes. The Illinois one was a shiny silver. The guide said it's made of zinc.
The inside is very impressive. Typical marble, very ornate, etc. Every capitol was beautiful in its own way so it's hard to really compare and contrast, but we thought this one and the Kansas state house were perhaps the most beautiful
I believe this is the senate. Very ornate. The guide said parts of "Legally Blond" was filmed here because it so closely resembles the US Senate.
House of Representatives.
These are some images from the main rotunda area. There are statues of Lincoln and Douglas. There are also interesting three-dimensional images/sculpture around the walls of the dome. This was unique for us.
During part of the tour we were in a hallway with pictures of former governors. The guide said, yes, even governors who have spent time in jail get their picture on the wall. She said four of the last eight governors have spent time in jail. However, one, Rod Blagojevich, was impeached, so his picture would NOT grace the walls of the capitol. Directly across from a parking lot from the capitol is this monstrosity. This is typical office space in the 1960s, I guess. I don't think people will want to tour this in 100 years!
Springfield is a very historic city, in both early times and
modern times. Route 66 went through the city. We were struck by this
because on our southwest trip we were frequently on Route 66 or some
remnant of it.
After a nice lunch at a local microbrewery, we wen to the historic Lincoln home, a National Historic Site. Matthew and Beth are standing behind old cameras, the type used to take the famous images of the Lincoln house.
Ta da. The house.
Bill happened to meet Mrs. Lincoln and a random friend on the street. With his background in psychology, Bill very subtly asked Mrs Lincoln about her mental health. She said she was briefly institutionalized and would probably now be considered manic-depressive. (Editor's note: Three of her sons and her husband died! That would depress anyone! In later life, her remaining son, a lawyer, had her declared insane and burned her papers.)
Some of the furniture are period pieces but some were part of the Lincoln home.
Matthew was able to get another Junior Ranger.
From there we went to the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.
We were able to get a nice group portrait in front of the White House with the family. There's a suspicious-looking character over Matthew's shoulder. I hope they don't let him in the White House!
The museum had excellent displays of Lincoln's early life and also his time in the White House. There was an interesting video that depicted the Civil War in terms of where the boundaries were an battles took place. It also showed the casualties. The Union had almost 100,000 more casualties than the Confederacy. In the video, one second of time showed a week's progress of the war. We were glad to have taken the time to visit the museum.
The next day, Sunday, we drove back home. Although it was raining, we were happy to see the Welcome to Ohio sign.
And finally, home in Gahanna!
Looking back, we spent 27 days on the road, driving about 2,400 miles. We saw 8 capitols and 4 presidential libraries. Matthew was able to get 7 Junior Rangers. It was a great trip and we want to thank the people who have followed our adventures by reading the blog. Matthew's Notes: When in Rome do as the Romans
After our Lincoln and Omaha adventures, we started heading home, but not real fast. We crossed the Missouri River into Iowa a drove across about half the state. From what we could see from I-80, the state lives up to its reputation as a corn-growing state, but we were surprised to find quite a few hills.
We took a small side trip to Elk Horn. This is a farming community settled by Danes. They brought some of their building ideas with them.
On this trip we've seen some "wind farms," but not as many as when we were more west. But Iowa does have a fair number of wind mills (of the generating electricity kind, not the Danish kind). We even saw some piece parts being hauled by trucks. And a blade was installed at a rest stop. These things are huge!
Our faithful traveling companion, Chuie. He's very patient about staying in the RV (with the AC on) while we go out sight seeing.
The Iowa capitol building is in Des Moines. It's very unusual, with not one but five domes!
Looking up, under the rotunda. Very impressive.
On the second floor there is a glass floor. X marks the spot where there is a perfect echo.
Supreme court chamber.
There is a model of the battleship Iowa (currently a museum in Los Angeles), with the actual ship's bell.
An Iowan who became President, Herbert Hoover.
The governor's office.
The building is very ornate.
The ceiling/walls of the rotunda.
House of Representatives chamber.
More from inside the rotunda.
The five story law library.
Bill was able to go about half way up the rotunda. This is looking down at Beth and Matthew on a couch.
For lunch we followed our tour guide's suggestion and went to a burger place with a Zombie theme. Go figure. It was very popular. I had the Elvis burger - bananas, peanut butter, bacon, cheese, and fried egg. Awesome!
Here are some images of down town Des Moines. We wonder if there are so many connecting walkways because of harsh winters. Seems like a good idea.
They seem to have hospitals for (almost) every denomination!
In the evening we went to a rodeo at the Iowa state fairgrounds. Bill was able to revise his role as a farmer in The Music Man this past February. It was a big part, but not as big as these two!
The rodeo was for junior high school students. They did most of the things the adults do. This was a national championship rodeo and there were boys and girls from many states and Canada. There was even a rider from Hawaii!
This guy's in trouble. The idea is to twist the steer's head so he flops on his side, not on top of you!
It was difficult to photograph the bull riding because they were moving so fast.
Here's a video.
Headed east from Des Moines - Hoover home and presidential library
The state house guide told us about the Hoover home and presidential library in West Branch, just east of Des Moines. We stopped in. It's a national historic site and Matthew was able to get another Junior Ranger.
Hoover's birth home, a very small cottage.
Hoover's father was a blacksmith and farm implement dealer.
One room school house.
Hoover was a Quaker and raised in a Quaker community. This is the meeting house (men's side). Hoover was orphaned by the time he was 12 and he was raised by a relative in Oregon. But he loved his early years in Iowa.
The presidential library gave lots of information on Hoover's life; his early years, his schooling at Stanford, his employment as a geologist looking for gold and coal miles in Australia and China, and his humanitarian work after World War I.
Of course, he's best known for being the president during the stock market crash and the start of the depression. His policies were unable to turn the economy around.
In later life he became something of an elder statesman, working tirelessly for the Boys Club and helping to restore Europe after World War II.
The library was not on our itinerary when we started the trip but we were happy we stopped in to get a better appreciation for Hoover.
Matthew's Notes: When in Rome, do as the Romans
Zombie Burger is creepy.
The rodeo is pretty epic.
The tall grass prairie is a really relaxing place to be.
