Still Experiencing Summer

On the Blog Again ...

The purpose of this summer is to make the most out of every opportunity so I don't get to another September and say to myself, "Where did the summer go???" and not have anything to show for it. So, with an ABI Convention to attend in Okoboji, the path was set for my next round of experiences, although because there were so many experiences, this will have to be a 2-part entry. :)

Tuesday, June 9

WEST BEND, IA

The Grotto of the Redemption. I had heard of it for years, but really never knew what it was. The photo or two I had seen previously really didn't give me any idea what I was in for, although the word "redemption" tipped me off that it had something to do with a religious purpose. I'm quick like that, you know.

I started weaving North West to West Bend and was disappointed when the first rain drops started falling. While I was determined to experience the Grotto even if it were raining, the thought did occur to me that, if I were ever to pray for a miraculous rain-stoppage, one might argue that it would be most appropriate en route to the Grotto. Well ... believe it or not, it stopped raining just as I pulled in to West Bend.

I don't know what the population of West Bend is, but it can't be very big. The Mapquest directions led me through residential streets when all of a sudden I turned from 2nd Avenue to Broadway and .... BAM. There it is. I still couldn't tell exactly what it was, but it was larger than life. As was the case last week when pulling in to the Agribition Center, I again got instantly excited as I was on the verge of another summer experience.

I pulled up right next to The Grotto Cafe (well, of course there would be a Cafe) at 2:55, thrilled that not only had it stopped raining and the sun started shining, but that there was a sign that read "Next tour begins at 3:00." There were just 5 of us on the tour, led by our guide Mary. who, bless her heart, repeated everything she said on the tour at least twice if not more. To her credit, I probably remember everything better than if she had only said it once.

Apparently "grotto" means "place of worship," although dictionary.com says it's a "natural or artificial cave used as a decorative feature in 18th-century European gardens ... regarded in antiquity as dwelling places of divinities." The West Bend site was a collection of 7 Grottoes, the inspiration of Father Paul Matthias Dobberstein. Before coming to Iowa, Father Dobberstein was quite ill as a young man and prayed that if he would be healed, he'd build a shrine to honor the Virgin Mary. Hence, the West Bend Grotto of the Redemption.

Here's where the road forks, as I need to present some different perspectives on this one site:

From a tourist perspective, the Grotto is maybe half the size of a football field, but made completely from stones, rocks, shells and marble from around the world, although most of the pieces were from all over the U.S. It's an impressive work, even if it's not your particular 'style.' Since it's a tourist site, it shouldn't be surprising that there's not only a Cafe, but also restrooms, museum, rock studio, campground and, of course, a gift shop. It's one of the things in Iowa you should see because ... well ... you just should.

From an artistic perspective, the Grotto is ... well ... borderline tacky, but impressive, nonetheless. Truly. Admitting to subjectivity, I'm not sure I could call the Grotto beautiful, but I will say that it's intricate, well thought out, and an obvious display of painstaking work. It's certainly visually interesting, and you're drawn in to see every nook and cranny. The variety of rocks and shells used for the majority of the grottoes are intriguing.

And, yes, there's certainly a religious perspective. The Grotto was a series of conflicts for me. While I certainly appreciated much of the symbolism and the accounts of Creation, the Nativity and the stations of the Cross, I also struggled because I believe some of the accounts depicted in stone fall short of the full truth. One example is in the Grotto with Moses holding the 10 Commandments. On either side of Moses are two other figures. One is a young man who is asking (words written in stone) how he can have eternal life. The other figure is Jesus, who responds by telling him to follow all the Commandments. However, that's where the Grotto ends - instead of completing the story where Jesus confronts the young man with not just his inability to sell all he has to give to the poor, but with his focus on the temporal rather than the eternal. Coincidentally, we just studied Matthew 19 in church a few weeks ago.

Grotto: suggested $5 donation for adults. I bought a $3 booklet in the gift shop explaining the history and the different portions of the Grotto, and I bought an ice cream cone in the Grotto Cafe. 2 hours from Ames - it's worth the trip.

MALLARD, IA

So ... there's nothing really to Mallard, Iowa, except for one excellent welcome sign.

13 miles away from West Bend, and directly on the way to Okoboji. C'mon ... friendly ducks? You'd take a couple photos, too.

OKOBOJI, IA

The Iowa Lakes; I've been there 3 times now and I still don't know which is East Lake and which is West, but the Okoboji area still seems like Iowa's playground. Fortunately Tuesday and Thursday - the 2 days I was actually outside a bit - the weather cooperated. The rest of the time I was inside for the conference anyway.

But while I've been to Okoboji before, I never took the time for a few of the local experiences, so now was my opportunity.

First, the Arnold's Park Nutty Bar. I mean - it's ice cream, covered with chocolate and nuts. Hard to imagine I would have passed that up the other 2 visits, but now I can say I've officially had one of my own. I'm a big fan of ice cream, so I'll give it a thumbs up, but I will admit it wasn't the end-all of ice cream novelties.

Second, I wanted to see more of the Abbie Gardner Cabin State Historic Site. A friend had taken me by there a couple years ago, but I didn't get to go inside and learn more of the story until this trip. Abbie Gardner was 13 years old when she witnessed the Spirit Lake Massacre; after a series of events where settlers had murdered native American indians in the territory, the Wahpetuke attacked the Gardner family and kidnapped Abbie Gardner in 1857. Led by Chief Inkpaduta, the Wahpetuke led Abbie and a few other women they kidnapped along the way hundreds of miles west of The Lakes area. Two of the women were killed, but ultimately Abbie was ransomed to another Indian tribe, and a rescue party from the Lakes area retrieved Abbie. Years later, Abbie returned to the area with her husband and reclaimed the cabin where her family lived and were killed, turning it in to a museum for visitors who wanted to hear what happened during the infamous Spirit Lake Massacre.

Hats off to Mike who was working in the visitors center right next to the Cabin, where he was on hand to show a video telling about the events leading up to and including the Massacre, and answer any questions about the Gardner cabin. In fact, Mike was the narrator of the video, too. He was a "Grizzly Adams" type guy who was obviously thrilled with anyone who came in to visit the center and cabin. I learned later that Mike is also on the City Council. I asked him a couple questions about the story and cabin and couldn't stump him. It's fun to meet people who love their jobs.

There's a monument built a little ways from the cabin and center honoring the rescue party and memorializing what happened on that site. If you're in the Lakes area, it's worth the visit, but make sure you check the hours the cabin and center are open (with budget cuts the hours of operation have been reduced). Admission is free, but donations are accepted. :)

The only other thing I wanted to experience in Okoboji is to ride the rollercoaster at Arnold's Park, one of the 'classic' wooden coasters still running and thrilling children of all ages. Well, I met my friend Ann to walk over to Arnold's (amusement) Park, and she took me through the "Tipsy House" which is a building filled with sloping floors and roofs and the only way to walk through it is to stagger on like a drunk and to fight to regain equilibrium. It was surprisingly challenging and fun, even though it took me a moment to walk 'normally' outside the house. However, when I got out, there was a bit of a line for the coaster. Add to that, I hesitated at spending $7 just for the one ride, and Ann also had to return to her office. I resolved to return right when the Park opened in the morning. Famous last words. Unfortunately, the next morning it was POURING rain, and only got harder as it neared the time I needed to leave town. So - while the Arnold's Park Coaster wasn't on my original list of planned 'experiences,' it is the first one I haven't been able to check off. However, I know this wasn't my last time to Okoboji. I'll be back. :)

Onward ...

A couple months ago, I saw a multi-page travel brochure for South Dakota in the newspaper. At that point I thought - hey, I should see Mt. Rushmore. That was just slightly before I decided this would be the Experience Summer. As I plotted my travels, and then realized I was already going to be headed northwest when going to Okoboji, I wondered how crazy it would be to just shoot on over to the Black Hills for the weekend after my conference. Well, stay tuned for the next blog to find out just how crazy it was!