Kellogg RV Park, Kellogg, Iowa
The girl ran and told her mother’s household about these things. Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban (Remember this name because he’ll come up again several chapters from now), and he hurried out to the man at the spring. (but not until he’d seen the expensive jewelry Eliezer had given Rebekah) … “Come, you who are blessed by the LORD… Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.”~Genesis 24:28-31 Rebekah’s father, Bethuel was still living. Bethuel’s father was Nahor, Abraham’s brother. But it is her brother, Laban who comes to greet the wealthy stranger. It appears as though Laban is mostly concerned with money/the trappings of wealth. And one day in the future, he will deal with Rebekah’s son, Jacob, in a dishonest manner in order to obtain wealth in the form of increasing the number and value of his flocks. The dishonesty and manipulation will be countered by Jacob. And if we continue reading about these three patriarchs of our faith – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – we learn that they are all master liars and dishonest people. And yet. In His sovereignty, God chooses to use them in mighty ways! Praise God, because there is hope for us!
Sightseeing day!
Up first, we went in search of a “wild” buffalo herd. The Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge is only about a 30-minute drive from here, so we headed over there this morning.
It was kinda eerie if you don’t mind me saying so.
We saw one car in the distance, and other than that, there was no one around! The Visitor Center is very nice and huge, but it’s closed – never reopened since Covid hit. The parking lot was full of white Refuge vehicles, but they were all parked. The asphalt trail we were on that’s supposed to be wheelchair accessible was all overgrown with weeds popping up in the cracks and things growing over the sides so much, that much of the wide trail was down to a single lane. It was still a nice walk through the prairie grasses on this beautiful morning!
See the Jeep? And the Preserve’s vehicles?
Sorry I cut off a few words . . .
Aannnnddd, we saw buffalo! Including a few babies!
They say they’re “free roaming”, but they really aren’t. I mean, how free can they be when there’s a fence around them? Albeit a very long fence?
The faded part on top says “DANGER”
We weren’t intentionally disobedient.
We just did it – – and then we spotted a car headed our way and realized what we’d done.
What if it’s the coppers?!? Ooops!
It’s much more difficult than you’d think! : )
I guarantee you we would’ve stayed inside the car. : )
Once we finished up here, we drove on to the Cordova County Park. Blaine found another trail or two here, which was kinda nice, but the real story here is a bit strange. I’ll get to that in a minute.
So now the strange story. There’s this huge man-made lake (the largest one in Iowa), the one we could see from our hike and tower-climbing. It’s 11.18 miles long and covers an area of 109.4 square miles.
Okay. That’s cool. But here’s the thing. In order to make this lake, they buried six entire towns underwater! And they weren’t ghost towns either!
I borrowed the following from onlyinyourstate.com. The article and pictures were supplied by by Kim Magaraci.
Did you know that one of Iowa’s top tourist destinations is hiding a tragic secret? Lake Red Rock – located in the heart of the state and popular for hiking, boating, swimming and fishing – was only able to be created alongside the destruction of six thriving Iowa towns.
Most Iowans know about Lake Red Rock – it’s the largest lake in the state, and a popular summer destination.
The lake was created as a flood control project in the 1960s, to save local towns and downriver destinations from terrible flooding that had become a public hazard.
Unfortunately, to create the perfect dam and reservoir, six different towns had to be flooded, and destroyed. The lake takes its name from the largest town, Red Rock.
Red Rock itself was a bustling city, with general stores, a church, and a 100 year old school house.
You can see from this photo that Red Rock was an ordinary Iowa town until the flood project took off.
Nearby Dunreath was a popular little town with a schoolhouse that closed in 1955
The town of Fifield was smaller, but still home to a general store that brought locals together for town gossip and essential food and supplies.
Today, visitors to Lake Red Rock can climb to the top of the Cordova Observation Tower, named after one of the lost towns.
From up here, you’ll have a sweeping panoramic view of the largest lake in Iowa, and you can reflect on the six lost towns beneath the surface.
Here are a few additional pictures I took from the internet that give you some more details and perspective. I was really surprised there were no pictures of the actual flooding as it took place.
That completes my recollection of anything noteworthy from today.
Oh wait!! I almost forgot!
Today marks our four-year anniversary that we’ve been living as nomads! Can you believe it’s been four years already? During that time, we’ve visited 32 States, five Canadian Provinces, stayed at 185 campgrounds, and covered 29,076 miles (just in the coach). Whew!!
And a good time was had by all!