You never know where you’re going to find the good stuff. Last week I had a dreary visit to downtown Clinton, Iowa, a dreariness amplified by my own weary mood, as I searched in vain for unique stores and signs of street life. This week in Clinton couldn’t have been more different. After a morning
So I’m backtracking through familiar territory right now, visiting motels, B&Bs, etc. to get a look at rooms and verify rates as I finish the chapter for the loop north of the Quad Cities. I am not very excited about this part of the project. I am also trying to figure out what kinds of stores
Part of the reason I love being on the road is that I get to check out a lot of music. Even though I’m not a music critic – hell, I don’t have a lick of formal training in music - when I come across musicians that get me excited, I want to share the
Moline, Illinois was settled by morally upright migrants from New England, people whose families had been in America for several generations, God-fearing Protestants who appreciated the value of a good day’s work and railed against the evils of drink. Given the pleasures to be found in downtown Moline today, those founding Moliners must be
When I lived in La Crosse 20 years ago, I was a part time house sitter for a co-worker who lived in the country. A couple of weeks ago, as I was driving back toward La Crosse from Winona while dodging severe storms and heavy rain, I began to think about that house and wondering
We’ve had some crazy weather this spring – nasty thunderstorms, tornadoes, epic floods - could the locusts be far behind? In St. Louis our streak of unseasonably cool days came to an abrupt end around Memorial Day, as we were forced into summer mode with a blast of heat and humidity. Further north, warm weather has been
