In June, 1999, Rob and Carol planned a 2-week motorcycle vacation, traveling from Chicago to Springfield, MO, not far from Branson, MO. It was a Honda Goldwing convention, and we were excited to make the trip. Our first day on the road, we were headed down Route 34 toward Iowa, but also headed into a summer storm front. We thought we could make it as far as Burlington before the rain started, but we missed our estimation by about 10 minutes and a million raindrops!
After the rain stopped and we mopped ourselves and the bike off, we decided to call it a day and find a place to stay for the night. Our tour book showed a small town nearby called Fort Madison, just the right distance away to ride for 20 minutes and "blow dry" the bike off. We called the Kingsley Inn, an exqusite Victorian Inn, and reserved a room.
We found Fort Madison to be a lovely, charming, and exceptionally friendly town on the Mississippi River, and even cut our vacation in Missouri short so we could return to Fort Madison and explore it further. On one of our walks around town, we noticed the Albright House, looking all dilapidated and run down. It was "curiosity at first sight" followed by an enduring love and fascination. We've been nearly broke ever since!! There's always something to do and money to spend on an old house, and this one is NO exception.
So, that's our story and we're sticking to it! If you want to experience a sweet, charming, entertaining small town in the heartland, you should check out Fort Madison, Iowa. Land of trains, the Mississippi River, the Kingsley Inn, Ivy Bake Shoppe, The Manor, bald eagles, rodeos, and much more!
A a matter of fact, we loved Fort Madison so much that we had our wedding at the Kingsley Inn, because no other place would do!