Road Trips and Rivers

After crisscrossing the USA during previous summer vacations this year, going to both coasts, I took in scenes in the regional of the Central Plains/Great Lakes/Midwest.

First, I went once again across the inestimable geographic marked of the Mississippi River and then a short distance west.  And in West Branch, IA, I went to the Hoover Hometown Days in celebration of President Hoover's birthday.  I departed Oak Park later in the morning.  I made a quick stop at an I-80 rest stop to eat the lunch I packed, and then to shop at the World's Largest Truck Stop.

I was in West Branch shortly before 4 PM.  

The Business District of Main Street in West Branch is all decked out for Hoover's Hometown Days.

(All photos are mine, unless otherwise stated.  For this West Branch trip, all times are CDT.)

First, I looked at the historical buildings in the NPS area.  Then I went to the West Branch Friends Church for an Old-Fashioned Sing-a-long.  I was delighted to partake of music the way it was done before recordings, when people would sing and be accompanied by instruments, in this case, the piano.  The hosts invited us to open the hymnals in the pews in front of us and pick out songs for us to sing.  I opened a brown hymnal and was glad to see "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee" as hymn #1, so I requested it--please see photo directly below.

Here's the view from up front, with the easel with the sheets for writing hymn numbers.

Others then offered requests.  We took a break to hear from a woman who works at an organization that supports those affected by domestic violence in eastern Iowa.

After the hymns concluded, we went to the lower level for a pie and ice cream social.  There were so many pies available.

Lots of pie

I think this was peach pie, with ice cream, and a cup of lemonade.

Here's Peanut Butter and Jelly pie from Village Inn with ice cream.

I left after a few minutes and went to check in at my AirBnb house down Main Street.  Then I walked around town some more.  

A passerby photographed me on Main Street, with the Hoover Hometown Days sign above me.

I ended up at the Fire Station, where grilled food was being sold.  I got a pork tenderloin sandwich.  Then I got a taco from a taco truck parked along the street.  There were also Hy-Vee birthday cupcakes.

Hy-Vee birthday cupcakes were handed out on the Village Green.

Pork tenderloin sandwich

Tacos

Then I enjoyed some of the live music by the Burlington Street Bluegrass Band. One piece that delighted me was the "Iowa Waltz". I found this YouTube video of the song from another time they performed it.

The Burlington Street Bluegrass Band performs in the gazebo on the Village Green.

I also walked into the restored Prairie area by the Hoover Library/Museum.  It was wonderful to hear the wind rustling through the tall prairie grass and watch the sunset.  Here are some scenes from the prairie area at the time of sunset.

The path into the restore prairie

The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library/Museum's renovation is in progress.

The Herbert Hoover birth house with the sunset in the background

It was still and peaceful, except for the noise of traffic nearby on I-80.  Later, I went back to take a quick view of the moonrise, with its orange glow.  I was at the final part of the Bluegrass Band concert, which was done close to 9 PM.  Then I retired to my AirBnb lodgings.

The next morning, I was up a little bit before 7 AM.  After a quick breakfast, I made a short stop by the birth cottage, on President Hoover's actual birthday, and then I drove east on I-80 to Davenport and the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.  I arrived shortly before 9 AM Mass.  I was impressed by the tall soaring nature of the building on the outside and then the splendid sanctuary interior.

Exterior of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart

Close-up of the altar

Looking from the pews closest to the altar toward the back of the sanctuary

Someone at the Church photographed me inside following Mass, looking toward the altar.

I lingered for a few minutes after Mass to look around inside the sanctuary.  Then, I drove to a nearby Hy-Vee Store (please see below) for some groceries and a chicken sandwich for lunch.  

After getting gas, I got on I-74, and within minutes, departed Iowa and was back in Illinois.  I made a couple of stops at rest stops along I-80.  I was back in Oak Park around 4 PM.

Later in the month, on Saturday of Labor Day weekend, I began another road trip.  I departed Oak Park between 11 AM and 12 PM after tending to a few matters around town and at homebase.  (Please note, that in this post, most of the times are in EDT, and I note the change in time zones.)

I made a stop at 31st Street Beach in Chicago and then in Valparaiso to celebrate the birthday of my friend Bob with treats at Dairy Queen.

Around 3 PM CDT, I departed Valparaiso and headed in a southwesterly fashion toward I-65, passing through fields of Lake County.  I rode I-65 to West Lafayette.  I wound my way through there and then along US 231 through fields and small towns to Greencastle, IN, home of DePauw University, where I arrived around 7 PM EDT.  I specifically went to visit the Percy Julian Mathematics and Science Center.  I had heard that he attended this university, and having a personal connection with him through Julian Middle School, I wanted to connect with this part of his life.

Exterior

Interior

This statue inside closely resembled a similar bust of Dr. Julian in Scoville Park in Oak Park.

A display in one of the hallways includes an image of the Julian stamp.

Someone on the lawn photographed me in front of the building.

After a few minutes there, I headed toward I-70.  I got gas and then a quick dinner at Subway before getting on the Interstate and heading east.  I drove along the southern edge of I-465 and then got on I-74.  I rode it almost to the IN-OH line, and exited on IN State Route 1.  I drove IN 1 on a winding road in the dark.  In Dover, I stopped briefly when I came upon St. JOhn the Baptist Catholic Church, which, according to a sign out in front, is the second oldest Catholic Church in Indiana.  Then I continued to Lawrenceburg, the southeasternmost town in Indiana, where I spent the night at the Quality Inn there.

The following morning, on Sunday, August 31, I was up by 7 AM.  Within minutes, I was enjoying the hotel's wonderful breakfast.  

Breakfast

Morning sunshine in the hotel's parking lot

Around 9:15, I was in Avila and headed eastward along US Route 50.  Just a few minutes later, I was in Ohio.  As I drove, I caught glimpses of the Ohio River.  Upon reaching central Cincinnati, I wound my way around onto a bridge over the Ohio River and into Kentucky.  After a little bit of directional uncertainty, and help from a passing motorist, I arrived at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption for 10 AM Mass.  As I slipped into a pew, I was in awe of the morning light that was pouring through a window high above.  Just days after the tragedy in Minneapolis, the priest offered an insightful homily in which he mentioned that God's love overcomes hatred, a line from the Eucharistic Prayer for reconciliation.

Light pouring into the sanctuary

Looking toward the back of the sanctuary

A fellow attendee photographed me inside looking toward the altar.

I asked someone I saw in the nearby Cathedral parking lot, who kindly photographed me in front of the Cathedral.

Alpha and Omega in the rose window.

I got this view of the Cathedral from a gas station about a block away.

I lingered for a while around the Cathedral after Mass.  I was delighted to see a display of relics behind the altar, including one of Carlo Acutis, who was a week away from canonization on that day.

Once I left the Cathedral parking lot, I drove south to a nearby Kroger for a few groceries, including a sandwich for lunch.  After getting gas, I drove north to the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge and left Kentucky and returned to Ohio.  I drove around for a few minutes and found a parking space, and then went to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Museum, which had a free admission day for the 5th Sunday of the month.

The main entrance of the museum

First, I went to the 3rd floor terrace, which had great views of the Cincinnati Riverfront looking over to Covington, KY.  There was a flame prominently positioned there, evoking the lights put in windows to indicate safe houses for those following the Underground Railroad to freedom. Signage indicated that it would continue to burn until slavery is ended throughout the world.

Looking toward the southwest

A fellow visitor photographed with the view toward the south over the Ohio River toward Covington.

The flame

Then I went to see the museum's introductory video near the entrance.  It set the context for how Cincinnati was at a crucial crossroads on the Ohio River, which made it a significant location on the Underground Railroad, situated at the border between slaveholding states and free states.  As the video progressed, it turned its focus toward the Civil Rights Movement.  The one issue I had with the video was that it claimed to connect the Civil Rights movement with the LGBTQ movement by showing Jim Obergefell, who, despite being a significant figure in Ohio, should not have been connected with the struggle against racism, nor the museum's mission.

Upstairs on the third floor was the main exhibit that focused on the history of slavery and the abolition movement.

Recalling the Middle Passage

I believe that the press on display resembles what William Lloyd Garrison used.

The Bible of the Rankin family, who were involved in the Abolition movement

Toward the end of the main exhibit is a display about the Sectional War of the 1860s, above, and a display about the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments of the US Constitution.

There was a reconstruction of a house for the enslaved.

I also saw an exhibit specifically on the Underground Railroad, with two different video experiences in small theater-like spaces.

Display showcasing a safe house

Sometimes the runaways hid in a cart like this one.

A display of people who were influential in the Underground Railroad.

A timeline display of US history, slavery and abolition history, and Underground Railroad history

In this display is a quotation of Harriet Tubman reacting to reaching freedom.

Artwork in the exhibit

I finished at the museum by 4:30.  I walked back to my parking spot and drove a few blocks to the Cathedral of St. Peter-in-Chains.  I was eager to see it since Robert Casey transitioned from Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago to Archbishop of Cincinnati earlier this year.  I lingered for first part of Mass.  I was intrigued to see prayer candles available for purchase inside a vending machine.

Interior

This vending machine sells candles that can be lit, like the one I lit in the photo below, appearing to the farthest right.

Side altar

Here's the outside of the Cathedral.  Next door to it is Cincinnati City Hall.

Someone I asked in the parking lot kindly photographed me posing in front of the Cathedral.

Around 5:30, I was on my way back home, picking up I-74 that, within about 30 minutes, brought me back to Indiana. At Indianapolis, I exited the Interstate to drive through the central area and reconnect with the National Eucharistic Congress from the previous summer.  Then I got back on I-65.  Near Lafayette, I stopped for dinner at Bob Evan's, always a highlight of a road trip.

I got a sampler dinner platter with, left to right, turkey, ham, and pot roast with mashed potatoes, gravy, carrots, and biscuits, along with a strawberry lemonade-type drink.

Near Roselawn, I stopped for gas before entering the outskirts of the Chicago Metro Area.  Near Crown Point, I saw fireworks in the distance. 

Final mileage upon arriving back at homebase

Rivers have served as important geographical markers and have shaped history.  I enjoyed the opportunity to go on these two road trips in the Great Lakes/Midwest Region to appreciate the history and the role of rivers.  Herbert Hoover is distinguished as the first US president born west of the Mississippi River. From the fields of Iowa, he rose to prominence and used his visionary thinking to help make an impact through humanitarian work. It was special to be back in the setting from where he came on his birthday weekend.

The Ohio River has also played a significant role in US history, and the Underground Railroad Freedom Center shows how it was a gateway for enslaved poeple to freedom, and how the Underground Railroad was part of a movement to advance freedom more broadly in society.  As the museum showed, Cincinnati, by its geographical location, contributed much to this movement toward freedom.  The terrace was probably my favorite part of the museum, giving me a sense of the geography of the location, and the burning flame was a great symbol for how Cincinnati played an important role.

Cincinnati is clearly a crossroads location, and it was special to visit two different cathedrals in one day, just minutes apart.  These trips were another way to appreciate the geography of the USA and its broader significance.