Out of Decorah

We woke up at Hutchinson's Family Farm in Decorah, IA, this morning to a completely socked in fog bank.  We couldn't see the end of Nessie!  After all the heat of the last 4 days, this was a complete surprise.  And 15 minutes later, it was all gone and the sky was crystal clear!  What's up, Iowa? Last night, after all the weekend campers left the farm, we enjoyed a completely light free evening.  The only light pollution was from the fading sun, and billions of stars seemed to be visible.  We tried to id some constellations, but gave up after just a few because it started to get cold...and lonely...and quiet...we got scared...

Anyway, after packing up our stuff, we hit the (long, dirt) road.

And followed Hwy 150 south for 127 miles to Amana, IA.  We're staying at the Amana Colonies RV Park just north of the town of Amana and just west of East Amana; a little east of Middle Amana and several miles east of High Amana and West Amana.  We're about 5 miles north of Homestead, IA.  Now all these communities collectively are known as the Colonies, and are west of Iowa City, IA.

Founded in the 1710's by a group of Germans known as Inspirationists, they believed that God, through the Holy Spirit, would inspire individuals to speak.  This gift was know as inspiration, or prophecy.  The group was persecuted in Germany, and came to America and settled in New York state, in the 1840's where they formed a cooperative and created a comfortable life.  Eventually, they ran out of enough land to support their expanding population, and so moved to Iowa in 1855, settling some 25,000 acres along the Iowa River.  They established communities where duties were assigned by village brethren, and farming and cloth making sustained the group.  They enjoyed a slow paced life that revolved around their beliefs, attending worship services 11 times a week.  The community was completely self sustaining, with all food, medical care, and education supplied to all Colonists without favor.  Sounds great, doesn't it?

Unfortunately, in the depression '30s, low farm prices and economic despair doomed the colonies. The Amana Society was formed to manage all the farmland, mills, and larger enterprises on a for-profit basis.  The experiment ended, but the homes and ethics of the era remain to view in these quaint villages.

Donna and went into town late in the afternoon, after doing several loads of laundry and washing Nessie and the tow-truck, James.  We found the German farm history evident everywhere we looked, and also in the fact that the last restaurant in town closed at 8 pm, and didn't accept customers after 7.  Ooops.  We did find the plant where Amana appliances were made.   Now part of Whirlpool, it is an impressive facility even at night.

We're leaving here tomorrow, even though the RV park is great.  Lots of grass, many sites with fire pits, and a huge supply of free firewood from the scrap lumber discarded by local cabinet shops.  We used our Passport America card and scored a full hookup site, 70 feet long, and a pull through, for $17 a night.  What a deal!

Oh, I almost forgot.  This is the view from our site just as we left to go into town.  Gotta love these mid-western skies!