Jump in your favorite car, fire up the engine, roll down the windows, turn up the radio, and put on your biggest smile. It is time to hit the road to show your support for state parks in Iowa.
The crew for Anna Rea, the 1930 Ford Model A, invites everybody to drive along for the visit to Lake Macbride State Park and Palisades-Kepler State Park Wednesday, May 11. While the tour is emphasizing vintage or classic cars, participants can join the fun in any vehicle of their choice.
People wanting to tour Lake Macbride State Park can join us in downtown Solon on Main Street at 9:30 a.m. The tour will depart Solon in time to arrive at Lake Macbride State Park by 10 a.m. The tour will do a windshield tour of the park and listen to a short presentation by park staff. Upon leaving Lake Macbride State Park the tour will proceed to Palisades-Kepler State Park. People interested in joining the tour for Palisades-Kepler State Park can do so by being in Mount Vernon at Cornell College Richard & Norma Small Athletic and Wellness Center at 835 First Street SW by 1:30 p.m. The tour will depart Mount Vernon in time to arrive at Palisades-Kepler State Park by 2 p.m. The tour will continue May 12 to Pleasant Creek State Recreation Area and Wapsipinicon State Park, see website for details.
Crew members are Kevin Szcodronski of Ankeny and Ann Raisch of Eldora. They will be leading the tour in an original 1930 Ford Model A affectionately named Anna Rea to visit all 94 state parks in Iowa.
The purposes of the tour are to show support for state parks in Iowa, recognize the contributions that state parks provide to our quality of life, celebrate Iowa State Parks Centennial, and enjoy traveling along Iowa’s most scenic roadways at a leisurely pace. Our challenge to you is to drive at Anna Rea’s cruising speed of 40 mph. This trip is also about the most fun you can have and never leave Iowa. You will visit Iowa’s most beautiful areas and meet some of our best people. Take this challenge to get a glimpse of wildlife in road ditches, have more time to enjoy barn art, wave at oncoming drivers, and beep your horn at the people along the route greeting us. We will do a lot of smiling, and hopefully put smiles on the faces of others as we travel along the way.
People can participate in the tour for as many visits to state parks as they desire. Be warned though. Once you start, you may not want to stop. There is no fee, however please contact Kevin at least a week in advance to help us better plan the tour.
Three tour loops with 33 state park stops were accomplished in October 2021. The remaining four loops and 61 parks are scheduled for 2022. More information about the tour can be found on the website: www.annareamodela.com and you can email Kevin Szcodronski by at [email protected] or phone 515-240-7668.