Day 2 - Cedar Falls, IA

Today offered a little more sanity. Up at 8 am for a leisurely quality breakfast at the Extended Stay .... not.  We took a walk down the street to the Starbucks - Spicy Chorizo sandwich for me and Bacon, Egg and Gouda for the Spousal Unit.  Along the way, we passed a local fun park.  It was deserted on a Friday morning at 9.30 am, but I can imagine it jammed with children licking dripping ice cream cones after the mini-golf and the kiddie rides.

Next thing I know we are crossing the mighty Mississippi - I can never get over the width of it.  On the other side?  The great state of Iowa - and home to the World's Largest Truck Stop - Iowa 80.

A few important facts about Cedar Falls:

It was originally named Sturgis Falls but was later re-named Cedar Falls after the Cedar River.  However, there is not a waterfall anywhere near the town.

There are more than 100 miles of scenic trails in the Cedar Valley.  We enjoyed part of  lovely trail along the Cedar River.  We saw a variety of birds, including a small hawk.

The Blackhawk Hotel in downtown Cedar Falls is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is the oldest continuously operating hotel in Iowa.

Robert Waller, the author of The Bridges of Madison County, is from Cedar Falls.