We ate a breakfast of champions at the Geneseo Donut shop (voted best in the Quad Cities and just a mile from our campground) and chatted with the owner, Bill, about the length of day he puts in. Now, I knew that bakers got up early, but Bill's schedule is ridiculous! He has two retail stores and delivers donuts in a radius of 100 miles, so he starts baking at noon. At about four pm he goes home to catch some sleep. At midnight he comes in again to get the deliveries going and then returns home for a bit. He tries to get back to the shop at about 4:30 am to prep for opening at 5, but he's given keys to three of his farmer customers so that they can open up, get the coffee going, and start their breakfast. OMG! Near as I can tell, he has about ten hours a day to call his own.
Gotta say, though: Best Donuts in the Quad Cities!
Just north of Geneseo we spotted a combine emptying while harvesting a corn field.
Just a bit farther, another combine was harvesting soybeans. The open doors on top are where the storage bin is.
We watched the operation for about a half hour, waving to the operators as they made their turns and watching the emptying process. The long tube swings out and the grain is augured into a waiting wagon (think: the size of a semi-truck). We went on about our business after awhile, but returned the same way in mid afternoon, catching the combine finishing up the field and watching as it crossed the road and started on another field. We had pulled off the road to watch the finishing procedure when the operator decided to cross the highway at exactly where we were parked. I'll bet he smiled when he saw how fast we moved out of his way! That 35 foot wide cutter head coming at you with rattling scissor teeth is scary!
Our destination today was the home office of Antique Archeology, the business operated by Mike and Frank of American Picker television program fame. They have another store in Nashville, but this store in Le Claire, IA, was close. It is housed in a refurbished service station and garage as befits two guys who have a passion for antique automobile and motorcycle memorabilia.
The boys' van was in the parking lot, but the girls inside the store(s) told us that Frank and Mike were on the road. We also found out that Danielle works from home in Chicago, so we were out of luck meeting any of the stars of the show.
One of the tee shirts had an appropriate saying on the front!
Lots of antique motorcycles are on display in the store, some not for sale. It was amazing to see what has been found lurking in the backwoods and byways of this country!
This Indian still has the original rear tire!
I remember these! This is a 1951 Hoffman Vespa in pristine condition.
This acetylene headlight harks back to the early days of the 1900's.
Even the washroom had vintage posters on the walls.
The store goes on and on, with hundreds, if not thousands, of antiques.
This 1940 Indian, despite its rusty appearance, has an interesting story. Detailed in April of 2014, Season 6, Episode 21 "Legend of the Lost Indian", the machine was unearthed after being buried for 70 years! While picking in Springfield, Illinois, Frank and Mike visited the property of Sylvia Nieves, where legend had it that an Indian motorcycle had been buried by Mr. Dominic Carderopoli. Not knowing for sure if the legend was true, Mike offered $200 and the promise to return the landscape to original and started digging. After hours of frustration, Mike finally brought the Indian from it's grave! Mrs. Nieves wasn't entirely happy with the excavation process, but smiled after the discovery!
The two buildings of the Archaeology store house an eclectic collection of items, including these unusual roller skates.
This coin operated Pepsi machine is valued at $2300.
Laurel and Hardy keep watch from a high shelf.
The famous Skywalk is located on East River Ave in Davenport, IA. It was built to cross the Avenue and train tracks so that pedestrians could easily access the Mississippi River walkway and the Rhythm City Casino from downtown.
Overlooking the Mississippi from 60 feet in the air gave us a great view of Ole' Muddy.
As we were returning to downtown Davenport, a BNSF train rumbled under the Skyway so we could look down at the cars carrying ore and coal. Cool!
At the north end of the Skyway, a number of restaurants have transformed a blighted area into a destination. We decided to try lunch at Woodfire. This turned out to be a Five Star Restaurant, for sure. Donna ordered fish tacos, and a side of corn and beans. They were delicious (she said),
And I ordered the days special, Brisket tacos. They also were delicious, with a soft smokey flavor, but not too salty like so many barbecued meat is. One for our side, Julie.
We managed to finish two tacos and took the rest home. The food was delicious and the server was attentive without being overbearing. A good combination! We left the restaurant grinnin' from ear to ear!
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