I have to say I didn’t even know there was such a thing as the Quad-Cities which are Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa and Rock Island and Moline, Illinois. We came to this area to visit our friends Bobbi and Dale whom we know from Marco Island. They showed us around and really gave us a great tour.
First we went to the John Deere center which was right across the street from our hotel. There were all sorts of farm equipment, new and antique. Both Bobbi and Dale worked for John Deere and they are knowledgeable about many of the things that John Deere makes. There were also roving docents to answer questions. And of course we had lots of questions like, does the cotton picker remove the seeds? Answer, no, but they are working on it. It pulls up the plants, strips off the cotton bolls, does some washing of the cotton and compacts it into a large bin. These very large cotton bales are then taken to another facility and ginned. There’s also a big gift shop where cute presents can be bought for a cute grandchild.
We saw Deere headquarters and had lunch at the Deere country club. At the golf course they are getting ready for a big televised tournament next week.
After lunch we went to Bobbi and Dale’s house and watched a little Wimbledon. It was fun to watch with other people who enjoy tennis. Most non-tennis people find it boring.
Later we went to the Rock Island Arsenal museum. Rock Island made all sorts of munitions and everyday objects for soldiers since the civil war. There is a large display of guns, memorabilia and even a stuffed horse. There were some little boys there who were all agog at the horse and wanted to know if it was real. Of course, I was ready to kid them but then their father came along so I had to be good.
From there we went to one of the dam and lock combinations on the Mississippi River. We got there just in time to see a tugboat push some barges through and the big bridge that carries cars and trains over the Mississippi to pivot 90 degrees to let the tugboat through. It was fascinating! There were also some displays about the locks and the interesting fact that none of the dams on the Mississippi are for flood control. There is just too great a volume of water to control. The locks are solely for commerce.
We ended up our day having a nice dinner overlooking the river from the Iowa side. Thanks so much to Bobbi and Dale for making our visit memorable.