The Quad Cities area was our final stop on our way to Chicago to start Route 66. The Quad Cities include Davenport and Bettendorf on the Iowa side of the Mississippi River along with Rock Island and Moline on the Illinois side of the river. It was not part of our original itinerary, but due to the heat and humidity, we left Wildcat Den State Park a couple of days early to camp in the Camelot Campground in Rock Island so we could have electrical hookups and run our AC.
We spent all of Wednesday exploring the Quad Cities area. We started out by driving into Rock Island and parking at Schwiebert Park along the Mississippi River. After strolling the river front and a few blocks up and down 2nd Avenue, we stopped for lunch. The Shops on 2nd Avenue were not very busy, but it was midday on a weekday.
The historic downtown area is very pleasant. It looks like the town is making an effort to revitalize the area, but there are still several store fronts that are sitting empty. We hope they are successful in making it a more vibrant scene.
The Great River Trail passes through the nicely landscaped river front area. Children were playing in the water feature, cooling off from the heat. The Great River Trail or GRT is a bike trail that extends 60 miles from Rock Island up to Savanah, Illinois.
At Rock Island Ale House, Keith ordered the club sandwich and a salad, while Ann had a smash burger and sweet potato fries. The burger was nicely grilled and had a wonderful flavor.
After lunch, we drove over to East Davenport on the other side of the river. To get over there, we took 24th Street to the Arsenal Bridge. This took us briefly onto the island of the Rock Island Arsenal, operated by the United States Army. The Arsenal Bridge is a railroad bridge with a roadway underneath the rails. The height restriction was 11 feet. We’re glad we modified our WeBoost antenna so that Red Tail’s height is now 10 foot 6 inches, down from the previous 11 foot 1 inch.
We parked at the Architectural Sculpture Park in Lindsay Park. We wanted to catch the Channel Cat Water Taxi there. The water taxi makes four stops, two on the west side of the river and two on the east side. It was $8 per adult to ride the water taxi all day, getting off and on as many times as you please.
A water taxi was just leaving the dock as we arrived, so it was another half hour before the next one arrived. So we strolled through the park along the river heading north for about ten minutes before turning around. We were on the Mississippi River Trail (MRT) on this side of the river. The MRT is a long distance bicycle trail maintained by the National Park Service. The trail is 800 miles long, passing through 10 states, from Lake Itasca State Park in Minnesota, down to the Gulf of Mexico. It links together existing roads and trails into a single signed route. Many sections are not exclusive to bicycles and share the road with other vehicles.
The water taxi took us back across the river to Moline. We got off and strolled around a little bit. Just a block away was the John Deere Pavilion. John Deere, the producer of tractors and farming equipment, is based in Moline. The pavilion contains interactive tractor and machine displays. It was definitely worth at least a quick visit, even if you are not into machinery.
We were able to get back to the dock by the time the next water taxi came by, about half an hour later. The second stop was at another river front park on the east side of the river, just northeast of the previous stop. Nearby is the dock for the Celebration River Cruises paddle wheel river boat. They run about one to three cruises a day, including a dinner cruise, a lunch cruise, and a narrated sightseeing cruise. It didn’t look like there was much else to see at the stop, so we stayed on board the water taxi.
The water taxi took us back across the river to the Isle Casino and Hotel in Bettendorf. We weren’t interested in a casino, but we were getting pretty thirsty. There was a little bar, the Oasis at Isle of Capri, at the water taxi dock. So we decided to get off and have a drink. A couple of cold Cokes hit the spot. We sat there in the shade, alternating our attention between looking out over the river and looking at the TV with one of the World Cup soccer matches on it.
We hopped on the next water taxi, which was the same boat that we started on. It takes a little over an hour to make the full loop of four stops. There are two boats running so there is one coming by about every half an hour.
It was only about 4 pm when we arrived back in East Davenport. Some of the restaurants didn’t open until 5 pm, so we headed south on the MRT for a little ways, walking by the Lake Davenport Sailing Club. We thought it odd that there weren’t any boats out on the water.
We managed to kill a little more time strolling the streets of the East Davenport Village. Of course, that just made us hot and sweaty. There was still a nice breeze coming off the river, even in the streets of town. The day had mostly been pretty pleasant, despite the heat, as being out on the water with a strong breeze was quite comfortable.
For dinner, we went into the Butterfly Lounge to eat at the Caterpillar Cafe. There are two businesses that share the same space. The Caterpillar Cafe serves the food and the Butterfly Lounge serves the drinks. All that meant was that we had two bills to pay at the end of our meal instead of one.
Since we had a good sized lunch, we decided to go light for dinner. We both had the berry salad. It was a wonderful mix of fresh greens, goat cheese, candied walnuts along with strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries. It was very refreshing on a hot day.
After dinner, we went to Here’s the Scoop ice cream shop for dessert. We had spotted it earlier, which also probably prompted us to go light for dinner. Keith had his usual vanilla shake, while Ann got a waffle cone with a scoop of mint and a scoop of lavender and honey. Keith thought the ice cream was too creamy for his liking, but Ann thoroughly enjoyed her treat.
As we drove out of Davenport on our way back to the campground, there were sailboats out on the river. We’re guessing people just needed to get home from work for the evening before going sailing. As retirees, we sometimes forget that most people have jobs during the day. The ferris wheel by the river in Davenport was running and we also saw a merry-go-round. However, we didn’t stop to check them out.
Even though the Quad Cities wasn’t in our plan, we really enjoyed the day exploring the area. A boat ride, interesting strolls, and good food. What more could you ask for?
Check out our related video: Quad Cities, Illinois & Iowa
(Ann)