Sunday, April 7, 2024

2024 Road Trip - Day 27 Des Moines IA to Naperville IL

 April 6 2024 Las Vegas

Click here for:

Mon March 11 Day 1 Toronto to Fort Wayne
Tue Mar 12 Day 2  Fort Wayne to St. Louis
Mar 13 Day 3  St. Louis
Mar 14 Day 4  St. Louis MO to Tulsa OK
Mar 18 Day 8 Las Vegas
Mon Tue Mar 25 - 28 Day 15-18 Las Vegas see Weekly Recap Route 66 Coffee
Sat Mar 30 Day 20 Las Vegas see Weekly Recap Brioche






A very brisk chilly morning as we checked out in West Des Moines today!

We headed into Des Moines, quiet on a Saturday morning. At first we planned on having breakfast but then decided we'd rather eat on the road so it would serve as brunch.

I We wanted to see the Pappajohn Sculpture Park.

A self-made entrepreneur, visionary philanthropist, and generous champion of Iowa students, John Pappajohn used his success in the business world to make the greater world a better place.

John Pappajohn immigrated from Greece at the age of nine months. He grew up in Mason City, Iowa. His father died when he was 16 years old…and it changed his world. He worked his way through college and alternated working and attending school with his brothers. It took him six years to get his degree. He attended Mason City Junior College (now North Iowa Area Community College) and then graduated with a BSC degree in business from the University of Iowa in 1952.

Pappajohn was one of the nation’s earliest and most successful venture capitalists—elite investors who provide capital to emerging companies. His shrewd business instincts and knack for striking a deal were legendary, as was his work ethic. Even in his 90s, Pappajohn could be found in his Des Moines office seven days a week, driven by the same entrepreneurial spirit that helped him launch more than 100 companies over the course of his 50-plus-year investing career.

But Pappajohn always set his sights on something greater than just the bottom line. A close friend once said Pappajohn only made money so he could give it away. Indeed, he and late wife Mary donated to philanthropic causes around the world, with a particular fondness for higher education and the arts. 

P.S. we've been to Mason City IA!


We've seen many Plensas! Click here.








We had just seen a Keith Haring exhibit at the AGO in Toronto a few days before we left.


















Done by Robert Indiana, the same artist who did the iconic Philadelphia sign which we saw in 2009.













T 8 by Di Suvero. We saw his piece The Calling in Milwaukee in 2016.
Toronto has his No Shoes and also has Flower Power.




Brunch, lousy service! Dixon IL



Pit stop. 
Fugitive slaves usually passed through Iowa on their way to other free states farther north or to Canada where Britain would protect them from being recaptured. The majority of Underground Railroad activity in Iowa took place in Fremont and Mills counties, where fugitive slaves traveled from western Missouri.










World's Largest Truck Stop, we should have stopped!
Iowa 80 features a 67,000 sq ft (6,200 m2) main building, parking for 900 trucks, 15 diesel fuel pumps, and also has a dedicated pump for dispensing bulk diesel exhaust fluid. Four-hundred and fifty employees staff the megaplex. The facility features separate entrances for truckers and regular commuters.



Electronic tolls in Illinois - not sure how much it cost at the moment. Our first time seeing these although they are common in Europe.






Our stop for the night - Hilton Garden Inn.



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1 comment:

  1. Iris FlaviaApril 8, 2024 at 1:28 AM

    Thank you for teaching me about Pappajohn!
    LOVE the great art.
    And thank you for the underground-post.
    Wow on that truck stop.
    Oh, yes, I remember those tolls on our way to Spain. At least the roads were in a good condition...

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