Summer '22 Cross Country - Day 16
Amana, Iowa
Monday, 20 June 2022
Today is our first full day here in the Amana Colonies, so we took some time to get oriented with the local area. I was not previously familiar with the history of this 1930’s-era communal society with deep German roots, so doing a quick drive through of the historical downtown was quite fascinating.
Did I get any photos this morning? Doh! I’ll definitely do so another day.
The nearest city is Cedar Rapids about 18 miles away. We headed there late morning for some errands and lunch. Top of my list was a visit to a brick and mortar Acme Tools. Founded in 1948 as a small electric motor repair shop in downtown Grand Forks, North Dakota, Acme is today a huge online retailer of all the top tool brands. I give them way too much business but had never been able to set foot in one of their actual stores, which are only located in a few midwestern states.
The most interesting thing about the store is that it’s about tools. Period. You won’t find cleaning supplies, garden items, etc. as you would in an Ace, Lowes or Home Depot. This, I think, is what might have given Frieda some mild PTSD by the time we left. I noticed she was a bit rattled the rest of the day LOL!
To make things right, I found her a nice place to have lunch — The Map Room in downtown Cedar Rapids. When traveling, I rely heavily on Yelp and TripAdvisor to ensure we are rarely disappointed and this place did not disappoint. Our waiter, who was also working the bar, was so pleasant, kind and efficient that I thought he was perhaps the owner. When asked, he just humbly replied “I just work here.” Midwestern values. And to think of all the people who look down on places like this, from their first class seats 35,000 feet in the air, and sneer. They could learn something from the folks here. No needles, no poo, and no homeless in the streets that we could see. Imagine that.
Anyhow, I’ll spare you the food pictures because I know those get old but trust me, the burgers were spectacular. If you find yourself in Cedar Rapids, this is a must-visit restaurant that I would absolutely give five stars!
After lunch, we headed to a Super WalMart (this experience left me with mild PTSD and the need to take a shower…) to get a few household and grocery items we needed. While there, Frieda found some wonderful solar-powered fairy lights in a jar like out friends Jim and Debbie Tome had when we camped with them in Goshen.
We ended the day by going back to downtown Amana to get dinner at Millstream Brau Haus. It too was excellent.
Overall, a pleasant first full day in Amana even if it’s getting quite hot and forecast to get hotter tomorrow!
Feel free to leave some comments!
I’m originally from this area! Still have family in Iowa. Wonderful people. Enjoy!