June 24-26 - 2018 Elk Horn, Iowa

Sunday, the 24th, we moved 240 miles/385 km from Independence to Elk Horn, Iowa.
When we first started out last fall, I thought we would go through Iowa on our way east. That would make Iowa our first state, outside of Minnesota, on the trip. Well, I forgot to confer with the head navigator (Mary 😊), and she took us directly into Wisconsin (and I have blamed her for it ever since 😊).
That way Iowa became state number 48!

There are two towns in the US that you could call the Danish Capital (hovedstad) of America.
One is Solvang in California. We did not go there because it was too far out of the way and because we had heard from Thomas and Daniel that it wasn’t really that great.
The other town is Elk Horn, Iowa. We went there Monday (the 25th). It is a small town with only 600 people. Danish last names are all over the place, and the town is full of references to the Danish connection. Together with the neighboring town, Kimballton, they brand themselves as the Danish Villages.

One of the main attractions is a Danish windmill. Build in Denmark in 1846.
A local person got the idea of getting a real windmill from Denmark.  Most people thought he was crazy,
but eventually he found support for the idea and within a year they had the $100,000 they needed.
In 1975 they found an old windmill in Nørre Snede, Denmark and in 1977 it was up and running in Elk Horn (actually capable of making flour). Unfortunately, the wings are off right now for restoration, but the rest of the mill was open.

It has been a while since we have seen a Danish flag

Another attraction is The Museum of Danish America (formerly The Danish Immigrant Museum).

A small, but very nice museum. It has a good variation. Stories about Danish Immigrants, Danish history, facts about Denmark. Important facts like our form of government etc., but also less important like our love of coffee, famous Danes (Victor Borge, Morten Andersen, H.C. Andersen etc.), famous Danish companies (Lego, Mærsk, Vestas etc.), an attempt to explain why we supposedly are the happiest people in the world (and at the same time being the most taxed people in the world 😊) etc. etc.

I never really understood how 5 Nordic countries,
so far away from where coffee is grown,
keep ending up as the most coffee drinking in the world.

There is an exhibition about the political and military relations between the US and Denmark over time.
And lots and lots of artifacts (genstande) either from Denmark or with relation to the Danish culture.
 
In Kimballton they have a nice little park with a fountain that has The Little Mermaid as the centerpiece, and around the park there are small bronze sculptures of different H.C. Andersen fairytales.  
 

 

We found a nice State Park close to Elk Horn. Sunday, we put the camper on Craigslist (Ca. Den Blå Avis).
Our timing isn’t the best since most people probably already have made their purchase for the season,
but not much to do about it. We will probably end up going to a dealer and get whatever we are offered.
But just in case somebody wants to see it within the coming week we decided to stay here an extra day and do some preparations before we give it the big overhaul in Minnesota.

Written by JJ