IT’S OFFICIAL!
We
left Minneapolis after breakfast on Thursday morning. The drive south was pleasant, and we arrived
in Cedar Rapids by mid-afternoon. The
Air BnB where we had stayed the previous winter after Jackson’s birth wasn’t available. That was disappointing, as we had really
liked that place. Instead, we got a new
Air BnB just outside of downtown. It was
adequate and the location was suitable, but it wasn’t as cozy as the previous
place. It still worked out fine for two
nights.
On
the way down we passed through a violent thunderstorm. Incredibly, the storm seemed to follow
us. I went for a run on the greenway
that follows the Cedar River shortly after we arrived. I thought that I could finish my run ahead of
it, but I was very wrong. The black sky
and abundant thunder and lightning convinced me to turn back early, but I still
got soaked.
Jackson’s
birth parents, Tuesday & Cameron, along with Tuesday’s daughter, Penelope,
stopped by for a visit that afternoon.
That night Christy and I went to the Map Room for dinner. What a cool place! They specialize in gourmet burgers with an
international theme. I rarely eat
burgers, but they were compelling here.
In fact, it was tough to pick one.
We really enjoyed the Map Room, and we will absolutely go back there on
future visits.
We
enjoyed a lazy morning on Friday. Late
that morning we drove to Waterloo, outside of Cedar Falls, for the adoption
finalization. The judge was very nice,
and the entire process only took about 30 minutes. Afterwards we stopped at a brewery in Cedar
Falls for a late lunch.
We
returned to Cedar Rapids later that afternoon.
I did a bike ride on the greenway and did a side trip to the top of
Mount Trashmore – a landfill that is the highest
point around. It’s nicer than it sounds,
with a network of trails and a good view of downtown Cedar Rapids and the Cedar
River.
That
night we went out for Mexican food with Tuesday, Cameron, and Penelope and
celebrated. We enjoyed spending our
final evening in Cedar Rapids with them.
I
got up early the next morning and did a bike ride on the Sac and Fox
Trail. It’s a pleasant, popular rail
trail along Indian Creek and the Cedar River.
I started at the Indian Creek end and made it within a mile of the
Prairie Park Trailhead before running out of time. One section of the trail was technically
closed due to construction, but I was able to get through. Highlights included Iwana Rock along Indian
Creek and an unusual wildlife sighting. Actually, I’m not sure if I even saw Iwana Rock, but the
name is so awesome that it has to be considered a highlight. The wildlife sighting was some sort of rodent
near the Cedar River that I failed to get a photo of. I’m not sure what it was – perhaps a
Muskrat?
I
returned to the Air BnB and we packed the car for the
long drive home. We stopped at Brewhemia for a late breakfast on the way, which was
great. That is another place that we
will return to on future visits.
The
journey home was smooth. We spent
Saturday night in Louisville and finished the drive on Sunday.
It
was a good trip overall. We got a lot
better at camping with Jackson with practice.
Most of the hikes were really nice, and Christy
got to go mountain biking a few times.
The only real disappointment was the lack of major wildlife
sightings. We spent over a week in
northern Michigan and Minnesota without seeing a moose! The highlight of our time in Cedar Rapids was
getting to visit Tuesday, Cameron, and Penelope. Hopefully we will get to see them again next
summer.
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Please remember to Leave No Trace!