The Events of Monday, August 16, 2010

 

          Iowa. What is there to see in Iowa? Cattle and corn. So Jim lit on the idea that we should visit the Iowa State Fair. We checked the website and the dates corresponded exactly to when we would be there. So we made the decision to visit. Little did we know that the Iowa State Fair was named in the New York Times best-selling travel book 1,000 Places To See Before You Die and it is also included in the recently published, 1,000 Places To See in the U.S.A. and Canada Before You Die. The kids are so glad to be able to check this off our bucket list.

          We woke up early, hoping to get to the Fair before the crowds. But we needed gas and propane. We were hoping to camp at the Iowa State Fair Campgrounds, and need propane to work the generator to work the A/C as the hot and unpleasantly humid weather has continued to follow us. We found propane at three different locations, but they didn’t open until 11, noon or 1pm, so we decided to take our chances and head off to the fair. We were four miles away when the traffic started to back up. Luckily we were able to find someone to direct us to the campground and soon left the congestion behind.

          The Iowa State Fairground Campground is a unique experience. It boasts over 3,000 sites, 1,800 with full hook-ups and 600 with partial hook-ups, plus tent sites. Iowans register for spots years in advance and will even spend up to a week in the parking lot just outside, paying $10/day for the privilege, just to score some prime real estate when the first-come, first-serve time comes a few days before the fair. We had been hoping to arrive early enough in the day to at least score a spot. As we pulled into the driveway leading to the campground, a camper on his way out waved us down. Our hearts sank. Was he saying the campground was full? No. He was leaving a day earlier than he had planned and wanted to give us his spot, and he wouldn’t take a dime for his generosity. (When Jim commented on the generosity of Iowans, he asked where we were from. When Jim answered California, he jokingly replied that in that case, the deal was off.) It took us some time to find the overflow lot and we never did find the slot he had described to Jim, but we found a relatively level spot (a real challenge since the entire campground is built on a hill) under the shade of a large tree. By this time it was nearly 11 o’clock. So we made camp, leveling off Harvey and pushing out the slide outs, and made lunch. Then it was off to find the fair. We were actually closer than we thought and soon we were there. We had all dressed in our blue Taylor Travels shirts, which always attracts attention (thanks, Mark Carey!). When the ticket-takers found out we had come ALL the way from California JUST to see their fair, we were warmly welcomed. A few minutes later, we were perusing the fair map, trying to decide what to see first when a lady came up to us. “Are you the folks from California? Welcome to Iowa‼ We hope you enjoy the Fair.” Real friendly folk here in Iowa.

          We made our way through the Cultural Center and viewed the exhibits there. Then we paused for lunch, strategically locating ourselves in the shade where we could eat our lunch and watch the high dive performance. Then we headed off in search of air-conditioning. It is amazing to me how few buildings were actually air conditioned. We watched cattle judging and tramped through the cattle, horse and sheep barns. We had to remind the kids to watch their step.

          We saw the world-famous Iowa State Fair Butter Cow, and then we sampled some local food—ham and pork, soy crackers, and eggs on a stick! Caitlin found these hilarious and took pictures of them.

          Then we made it to the 4-H exhibit hall. Ahhhh, welcome air conditioning. I don’t know if we stayed there a long time because of the air-conditioning or because of the quality of the exhibits. It was pretty amazing what these Iowa kids accomplished. I mentioned to Jim that the kids were getting tired of walking, so if we could find a performance to watch that would be nice. The next thing I know we are sitting for a cookware demonstration. But, to Jim’s credit, we were sitting, in the shade, near some fans and we did get fed a healthy salad, and sampled some delicious cooked vegetables (with all the nutrients left in per the pitch) and some good chicken. Now that we had eaten healthily, it was time to go in search of some real fair food.

          Jim opted for a “hot beef sundae”--what else do you try in the middle of cattle land? It was a bowl of mashed potatoes, shredded beef, gravy, and shredded cheese, topped with a CHERRY tomato. The vendor promised it would fill him up and it did. Ben opted for a pulled turkey sandwich to try something new, and was a little disappointed with his selection as the bottom bun was soggy and it didn’t quite fill his bottomless pit. The girls and I chose foot-long corn dogs. We finished off the meal with some Kettle Korn (need to get in those veggies), but decided the Kettle Korn at the California State Fair was better.

          Then it was off to see some more exhibits and visit the vendor building (all air conditioned – strategic planning‼) Next we went to the Midway. We strolled through all the rides and the kids took note of which ones they wanted to ride. As we walked, we noticed the smell of burning tires and heard the roar of car engines. The Midway overlooks the Grandstand, where they were having car races. Jim opted to buy himself a Margarita and watch the races through a fence while I took the kids around to their rides. The races were on a dirt track, so during the stock car races, Jim noticed his legs being hit by small pebbles. Then during the Formula 1 races the air grew thick with dust and he felt he was have a dirt shower. When the kids and I caught up with him, we were all ducking our heads and squinting trying to keep the dust out of our eyes. Then it was off to find our “Fair Desserts”. This took a bit of searching, as we all wanted something different. Finally, we settled at a table. The humidity was oppressive. Jim thought it was hotter than during the day when the sun was out. Then, suddenly, without any warning at all, the sky just opened up and we were in the middle of an Iowan downpour. Everyone was yelling and running for cover. But soon the hot Californians were out dancing in the rain and enjoying the free “shower”. (Check Caitlin’s shower blog.) The rain slowed after a bit and then stopped and we headed back to the RV. When we arrived I checked my pedometer and found we had walked 19.5 miles that day.

          Harvey was quite warm and there wasn’t much of a breeze. We couldn’t run the generator for the A/C even if we had propane because it was after hours. So we all downed a lot of cold water, wiped down with cold washcloths and headed off to bed. Lindsey and Abby were so hot in the over cab bed that they decided to sleep with their wet washcloths. About an hour after midnight, the rains started anew and the breeze picked up and everything began to cool down and I was finally able to fall asleep, pleasantly exhausted after a day at the Iowa State Fair.