Nightglow Window

Iowa Trip, Day Four: Wash Out

I like a little rain, but this is ridiculous. Over in southeastern Minnesota, a little over 100 miles away, it's rained more than 12 inches in the last 24 hours. News reports are saying it's flooding of "historic proportions" and four people are tragically killed after being swept away.

Things are far less serious in Clear Lake, but it's still beyond soggy. In mid-morning the pelting subsides and we walk under gray skies through the Clear Lake botanical gardens, then over to Mason City where there's a fine collection of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings. We kill the rest of the morning at the Music Man Square, because Mason City is "River City" after all. I spend the rest of the day humming, "Trouble, right here in River City. With a capital T and that rhymes with P and that stands for pool." I think I might be going a tad stir crazy.

I'm relieved, truthfully, when we finish our pizza dinner and I crawl into bed, knowing that I'm heading back to Cali in the morning. Don't get me wrong -- rural Iowa is nice and pretty and all that, but the rain has drowned my remaining enthusiasm -- and patience.

The view in the afternoon, when the sky opened up and the heavens fell for three straight hours.

Flash Flood warnings were all around us.