The Great River Road Tour September 18-22, 20 Details of the Tour Arrival Day Tuesday September 18 Moline, IL Trailer parking is at Trackside Quad City Downs in East Moline (309) 792-0202 Registration at Host hotel o Packets will be available at the Front desk o NIRG member will be available from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm to assist in getting settled Trailer parking will be available at the Quad Cities Downs OTB in East Moline o 505 Morton Drive, East Moline, IL (309) 792-0202 o Owner must sign the release of liability included in the Registration Packet List of local storage facilities that will give secure parking will be provided. Tour the Moline - Rock Island area on your own. Visit the Butterworth Center and Deere- Wiman House, the home of the Deere family. Tours can be arranged if enough people show an interest. You can also take a cell phone tour of the river front. You will get a map and you just call the number and enter the number from the map that corresponds with your location. The Historical Moline Centre Architecture Walking tour is another short tour. The Rock Island Armory Visitors Center has great views of the Mississippi River and locks. You can also visit the Colonel Davenport house. You can cross the River and take a Segway Tour along the River. Gas up your car for the driving on Wednesday. Tire kicking will be in the hotel parking lot. Meet at the Host hotel to travel to the loading area for the Celebration Belle Dinner cruise. Boarding is at 6:00 pm and we will start cruising at 6:30 pm. A 3 entrée buffet style dinner will be prepared on board. It includes prime rib, baked cranberry glazed breast of chicken, Alfredo past with vegetables, salads, desert and coffee or iced tea. A cash bar is available. After dinner you can dance to the music or just enjoy the views. We will dock at 9:00 pm. Day 1 Wednesday September 19 Moline to Galena (about 93 miles) Check out of your room and then we will start that day with a short drivers meeting before heading to the John Deere Pavilion where we will see a display of vintage tractors and unusual concept vehicles. We will start our drive to Galena, IL, after 2 hours in the Pavilion, stopping on the way at the Mississippi Palisades State Park. We will enjoy a box lunch and the great views of the Mississippi River and then proceed to Galena, IL, and the host hotel for a quick check in before we travel a short distance to tour the U. S. Grant Home. Dinner will be on your own at one of the many restaurants in downtown Galena. You can also take a Ghost Tour or do a walking tour of the historic homes of Galena. Gas up your car for Thursday driving to La Crosse Tire kicking will be in the hotel parking lot 1 Day 2: Thursday, September 20 – Galena, Illinois, to La Crosse, Wisconsin, (about 130 Miles) After the morning driver’s meeting, we will head out along the Mississippi River and the Great River Road. We will stop for lunch in Ferryville, Wisconsin. There are plenty of scenic areas in town for a view of the river, passing trains, and natural wildlife. The town has three establishments for eating: Jake’s Sportsman’s Bar and Grille, the Wooden Nickel Bar & Grill, and the Swing Inn Restaurant and Bar. There will be time to eat and enjoy the views. Continuing on, we will drive along the Great River Road to La Crosse, Wisconsin. Arriving around 2 pm, we will head directly to the Dahl Auto Museum, with over 100 years and 5 generations of family involvement as auto dealers. Hours are 2 pm until 7 pm. Admission is $4 (seniors $3). Once done there, we will head to our hotel in Onalaska, WI, and check in. At around 5:30 pm we will head to Rudy’s Drive In for dinner. Rudy’s is an old fashioned drive in with roller skating car hops and tradition since 1933. Stay as long as you like. If Rudy’s is not your flavor, there is the Freighthouse Restaurant and Pearl Street Brewery a couple of blocks away. After dinner you are on your own. Gas up your car for Friday’s driving. Tire kicking will be in the hotel parking lot Day 3: Friday, September 21 – La Crosse, Wisconsin, to Decorah, Iowa, (about 55 miles) After the morning driver’s meeting, we will head out into Minnesota and a very leisurely drive along the Historic Bluff Country Scenic Byway. Arriving in Lanesboro Minnesota around 11 am we will have time to explore the town and have lunch. Take time to explore the quaint town of Lanesboro. Walk down to the Root River, check out the architecture and enjoy one of America’s Prettiest Towns, as named by Forbes Traveler Magazine. Check out the Arts Center and the Scenic Valley Winery. Lanesboro is the Rhubarb Capital of Minnesota and a rhubarb crisp with ice cream makes a great dessert. The Chat N’ Chew, the Highland Store & Café, and Riverside on the Root are a few of the restaurants. Continuing on we will head toward Decorah Iowa. Arriving around 3 pm we will continue on 13 miles to Spillville, Iowa, and The Bily (bee-lee) Clocks Museum. This clock museum does have a link to Henry Ford. After visiting the museum, we can walk 3 blocks down the street to St. Wenceslaus Church, built in 1860. We will return to Decorah, Iowa, and head to our hotel and check in. Dinner is on your own. Decorah has a whole host of restaurants. Gas up your car for Saturdays driving. Tire kicking will be in the hotel parking lot Day 4: Saturday, September 22 – Decorah, Iowa, to Moline, Illinois, (about 180 miles) After the morning driver’s meeting, we will head out into across Iowa toward Dyersville and Field of Dreams. Dyersville is also the former home of Ertl Die Cast toys. We will visit the National Farm Toy Museum and for those interested, the Dyer-Bots doll Museum. This will also be our lunch stop. Restaurants available include: Country Junction Restaurant, Dyersville Family Restaurant, and the usual drive through fast foods. 2 After lunch we will head to the location of the Kevin Costner movie Field of Dreams. Please note, this does mean driving on a hard gravel road to get there. If you do not want to make the drive, visit the Doll Museum or walk around the town and visit St Francis Xavier Catholic Church and its 64 stained glass windows. On the road again, we will head for Moline, Illinois, and the end of the tour. We will check in hotel around 4:30 pm. Tire kicking will be in the hotel parking lot. Farewell dinner (6:30 pm) will be at Happy Joes Pizza and Ice-cream in East Moline. Driving directions and daily details will be in the Tour book that you will receive on Arrival day. This tour is supposed to be a way to enjoy your car and the company of other V-8 Club members. It is the first tour sponsored by the Early Ford V-8 Club of America. The Sponsoring Regional Groups hope that you will join us and have a good time. 3 .