There is an old saying about sometimes it is better to keep your mouth shut as to open it and leave no doubt about knowledge of the speaker. My chief word-smith has told me that I missed a day, Wednesday. So here it is.
On Wednesday (day 3), we drove to Soldiers Grove and settled into the city park campground before lunch. The city park campground is really the old downtown business district that was so often flooded out. Finally, they moved the city businesses to higher ground.
In the PM, we went to the Kickapoo Apple orchard for a guided tour by the owner. It was most interesting to listen to him tell how he markets the crop, the pricing structure and the challenges they face. In a nutshell, there is a glut of apples on the market and the market cash price for the grower is the pits. In addition, he was hit by a hail storm, so much of his crop has been damaged (not grade A apples). He showed us the cider press and the commerical sorting barn. Likewise, the wholesale price for apple cider is not good. Most of us then had an apple turnover or some other apple product and rested in the eating area. Then we loaded up on apples and returned to the rigs.
In the evening, we went to the local motel/restaurant/bar for dinner. The owner also provided us with a video of the problems that the community had as they went forward on the idea of moving the town center. Uncle Sam was not willing to help until another even worse flood came along. Then they were moved in 2 years. The new buildings are all very environmentally friendly. Most of them need very little supplemental heat during the winter.
Gene
No comments:
Post a Comment