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Day 7: June 11, 2023 Home I Am Comment via blog |
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The true and complete history of all things Maid-Rite may be unknowable
but that the name and the sandwich originated in Iowa seems to be
universally accepted as fact. I have eaten at several different Maid-Rites
but I have never eaten breakfast in one and have no memory of ever eating
at one where it was available. When
Quad City Maid-Rites appeared in my search for
breakfast spots, I knew what I had to do. And once I saw the menu, I knew
what I had to eat. That's a Maid-Rite Omelette.
It's just like a Denver Omelette except it has "original Maid-Rite
meat" instead of ham and it costs a dollar more. I liked it. Except
for that dollar thing.
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I will never again have this view when exiting Iowa. When the bridge I am
about to cross opened in December 2021, the old bridge was closed. The new
bridge entering Iowa had opened in November 2020. Almost exactly one week
after I crossed the Mississippi River on the new I-74 Bridge, the first of
the twin suspension bridges was brought down by explosives. Watch it
here. The plan
is to have all of the old bridges gone by 2024.
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On the Illinois side of the river, I turned onto US-6 to see some of the
route we had skipped earlier in order to reach Iowa Falls on time. When I
looked out the window and saw a tractor-sized chicken, I just had to pull
over across the street to get a picture of the whole thing. It is
Paxton's Corner Coop in Annawan, IL.
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I was nearing the town of Wyanet, IL, when I spotted this off to my right
and immediately turned around. It was a
lift bridge that crossed the Hennepin Canal. Lots
of water was noisily passing through the locks but barge traffic had
ceased in 1951 so there was nothing for it to carry.
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I stayed on US-6 until it came within spitting range of I-80 near Ladd,
IL. From there it was I-80 to I-39, I-39 to I-74, and I-74 toward
Cincinnati. I made one departure from the expressway near Georgetown, IL.
I first visited Big Thorn Farm & Brewery back in 2019 on a crisp October day. I had really enjoyed it and was looking forward to returning. When it looked like I just might make it on this trip, I began thinking of a warm sunny June afternoon sitting at the Tree Bar. I made it to the Tree Bar and it was June and it was in the afternoon but it was neither sunny nor warm. No problem. The beer was good and I really enjoyed chatting with several friendly customers, my friendly bartender Sarah (on the right), and friendly part owner Anna (on the left). In short, the place was every bit as cool as I remembered. When I left Big Thorn, I returned to I-74 where I had left it and proceeded to cruise on back home. |
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