Hawkeye Point (+43.46, -93.3900)

This spot, just over 3 miles south of the Minnesota border, is listed as the highest elevation in the state of Iowa. It is located just east of Iowa highway 60, northeast of Sibley, Iowa. 
If you search for “Hawkeye Point” in Google Maps, it is listed as a Mountain Peak. You will be sorely disappointed if you want to see a peak, or even a big hill. Geographically, Hawkeye Point is a rise near a silo. 
 Osceola County has done a good job of making a metaphorical mountain out of a molehill. There is a nice mosaic at the site, and signs pointing to other states’ highpoints. They also have a bulletin board sharing information about other interesting places in the county. 

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For those that prefer the highpont in a state to look like a hill, I would suggest traveling about 15 miles southeast from Hawkeye Point to Ocheyedan Mound.

Ocheyedan Mound (+43.4029, -95.5217)

Ocheyedan Mound was thought to be Iowa’s highpoint until 1971. It is 15 feet lower than Hawkeye Point, but rises high above the surrounding countryside. The mound used to be higher, but until 1909 people removed gravel and sand from the top. 
The mound is technically a glacial kame, formed by retreating glaciers during the last ice age. 

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For more information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawkeye_Point
https://www.mycountyparks.com/county/Osceola/Park/Ocheyedan-Mound.aspx
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocheyedan,_Iowa

Clear Lake, Iowa (+43.1400, -93.3900)

The Surf Ballroom is a nightclub in north central Iowa, near where I-35 enters Minnesota. It could have been torn down long ago except for its important place in musical history. It was the location of the last concert put on by Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson) on February 2, 1959. After the concert, Holly, Valens, and Richardson took off in a small plane piloted by Roger Peterson. Six miles northwest of the airport, the plane crashed into a field, killing all its occupants. The musicians were all young: Holly was 22, Valens was 17, and the Big Bopper was 28.

For its size, the Surf Ballroom has a tremendous amount of information related to roll-and-roll history. There gold records, handwritten lyrics of the song “American Pie” by Don McLean, and signatures of musicians that visited over the years. It is an oldies paradise.

A non-profit organization runs the site now, For a suggested donation of $5 USD, you can take a self-guided tour of the building. Plan on an hour; unless you are a sentimental baby boomer, which will take you longer if you read all the historical information.

Buddy Holly Crash Site (+43.2200, -93.3744)

After experiencing the Surf Ballroom, the real Buddy Holly fans could also visit the site north of Clear Lake where Holly’s plane crashed. It is a short 11-minute drive, 6 miles north. You can park along the road at the corner of Gull Avenue and 315th Street. You will see memorial glasses near the intersection, and can walk west about a quarter mile to where there is a makeshift memorial along the property line. Pause for a few minutes, remember the musical talent that was lost in that field (e.g. “That’ll Be the Day”, “La Bamba”, “Chantilly Lace”), and grieve the possibilities of what could have been if all of them had survived that fateful night.

For more information:

https://www.surfballroom.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surf_Ballroom

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_the_Music_Died

To hear the songs mentioned:

Grand Rapids, Michigan (+42.9595, -85.66)

Foster Park is a small triangle of grass located southeast of the downtown area of Grand Rapids. There are no playgrounds or picnic tables. But this park does include one historically significant thing: a copy of a statue named “The Hiker,” sculpted by Theo Alice Ruffles Kitson. This statue was dedicated in 1928, and commemorates the Spanish War of 1898-1902. The base’s plaque mentions Cuba, Porto Rico, and Philippine Islands. When I took history back in the 1960’s, we learned about the Battle of Manila Bay and how that pretty much ended the war in the Philippines. However, the natives in the Philippines kept fighting the United States for years.

The original of the statue is located at the University of Minnesota ROTC building in Minneapolis. There were at least 50 copies made.

References for further study: The Hiker (Kitson)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hiker_(Kitson)

“How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States” by Daniel Immerwahr

Niagara Falls, NY and Ontario (+43.08,-79.071)

Niagara Falls have been a popular tourist destination since the early 1800’s. The Niagara River is on the boundary between New York and Ontario, running south from Lake Erie toward Lake Ontario. The falls are lighted up at night.  The tourist shops in Niagara Falls, Ontario, are the epitome of souvenir shops.

My grandparents visited in 1935 with their family (B&W photo), and we were visiting there in 1980 (color photos).  Neither of these were honeymoon trips, which were popular in the early days of tourism.

Calico Skies Vineyard and Winery (+43.308, -96.506)

If you’re like most of us, you have a mental image of all of Iowa being very flat and containing only fields of corn.  But this is incorrect! In the most northwesterly county of Iowa lies the small town of Inwood. Take US-18 west out of town, and you go down into the Big Sioux River valley (boundary with South Dakota). Before you leave Iowa, you will be be surprised to find a vineyard and winery on a hillside along Highway 18.

Calico Skies opened in 2011. They have a beautiful building near the vineyard, and use it for wine tasting and special events (like parties and wedding receptions). But this is a working vineyard! They grow grapes onsite, and make the wine right there. We went on a tour in June 2016, and hope to return for another winetasting in the future.  The wine choices were good, with excellent taste.

Give it a try!

For more information, see their website: http://www.calicoskieswine.com/

USS Silversides Submarine Museum (+43.230,-86.332)

As my family members would quickly tell you, I am drawn irresistibly to historic markers or anything that has historical significance. But, until this April, I never had seen a treasure that is located less than an hour’s drive from my home.  This treasure is a museum dedicated to the USS Silversides, a WWII sub floating in the channel between Lake Michigan and Muskegon Lake. I’ve been to Pere Marquette Park countless times, but never drove the half mile to go into the museum.  Do not make this mistake!

The museum gives a nice history of WWII and how submarines were used in the war. The exhibits are extremely interesting to Baby Boomers who grew up hearing the stories and movies (such as “Run Silent, Run Deep”).

Along the pier are two ships: the USS Silversides and the USCGC McLane (a 1920’s era Coast Guard cutter that is directly in front of the sub).  With your museum admission, you can also tour both of these ships.   The sub is a slight challenge to knees, with a lot of bending to get through the waterproof chambers. But this makes your experience more realistic.  The cutter is easier, although there are ladders to get between decks; at least you have windows to look out.

References: https://silversidesmuseum.org/

For a history of the Silversides, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Silversides_(SS-236)

Father Marquette statue (+43.049, -91.151)

In 1673, Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet were the first Europeans to see and explore the upper Mississippi River. Marquette is prominent in Great Lakes history. He helped found Jesuit missions in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (Sault Ste. Marie and St. Ignace). While there, he heard rumors of a large river to the west. He joined an expedition of Louis Joliet to find it. They took canoes along the edge of Lake Michigan to Green Bay, traveled up the Fox River to its source, portaged to the Wisconsin River, then followed it to where it emptied into the Mississippi. This junction is just downstream of present-day Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. In 1910, St. Mary’s Academy in Prairie du Chien erected a statue of Marquette on a pillar. It later was moved to the grounds of the Prairie du Chien Chamber of Commerce (along highway US-18), near the banks of the Mississippi River. Curiously, Marquette is facing east, so he has his back to the river.

The plaque at the base of the monument is labeled “Father James Marquette, S.J. who discovered the Mississippi River at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, June 17, 1673.”

 

References: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Marquette www.wisconsinhistory.org 1920 photo

Holland, Michigan Centennial Park (+42.787, -86.108)
The Tulip Time Festival has been held since 1929, with the exception of the World War II years. New tulip bulbs are planted each year along the streets. Klompen (wooden shoes) dancers perform for the audiences. In my lifetime , I had never been to Holland for Tulip Time events, until this month! This year, we saw the Klompen dancers practicing their dances. One girl had her poplar wood shoe break in half, so ended up dancing in her socks. It was a worthwhile experience. There is much more to the festival, but at least I have had a start…

In the northern part of Holland, in a former swamp along the Macatawa River, is Windmill Island. It is the home of a 250 year old authentic Dutch windmill from the Netherlands which was moved to Holland in 1964. The windmill was fixed up, and is currently used for grinding grain. Tours are available. In the second photo, you get an idea of the size when you see the people on the deck that goes around the mill.  My picture is overexposed to show some of the varieties of tulips that are in the fields.

References:
http://www.tuliptime.com
http://www.cityofholland.com/windmillislandgardens
www.cityofholland.com/windmillislandgardens

Grand River, Riverside Park (+43.000, -85.672)
A good place to start the 43rd parallel journey is close to home, at the Grand River. This is the largest river in Michigan, and much of its lower watershed is close to the 43rd parallel. Riverside Park (a.k.a. Comstock Riverside Park) is obviously by the side of the river, upstream from downtown Grand Rapids. It is a popular destination for North Enders. More will follow about the park later. Suffice it to say that the Canada Goose population also enjoys Riverside.

I have always enjoyed reading maps and studying geography.  We learned about the Equator, North and South Poles, Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, Prime Meridian and International Date Line.   We knew that the 45th Parallel was halfway between the Equator and the North Pole, and were proud that it went across Michigan near the tip of the peninsula just north of Traverse City (where M-37 ends).

However, it was not until a few years ago that I realized how much of my personal life has been spent near the 43rd Parallel. Every house I have lived in is within a quarter degree of this line; in fact, my current residence is within 250 meters of the line.

I hope to explore more of the world along the 43rd Parallel. I will try to limit this blog to locations ranging from 42.5 degrees North to 43.5 degrees North. This gives a band of 69 miles width around the world, which should give plenty of choices to explore. My goal is to personally see some of this geography, and to share what I learn.