Welcome to the "Great Lakes of Iowa," which include Spirit Lake, East and West Okoboji Lakes and other smaller lakes in Northern Iowa. We were pleasantly surprised to find this unbelievable recreational oasis in the midst of corn fields and pig farms. From Lake Okoboji, we spent another week RVing on Denise and Craig's driveway to get reacquainted with Little Clara Ann. Click here to send us an email. Larry and Glorine.
	The Okoboji Maritime Museum was filled with relics that made up the history of this region. Click on the picture to get a larger view.	Queen II is the largest ship on the lake. It is an exact duplicate of the Queen (built in the early 1900's), which took up to 200 passenger sightseeing around the lakes.
	A carnival lined the shores of West Okoboji Lake and featured the oldest wooden roller coaster ride in the country. We took one spin (and I mean a spin) which left both of us dizzy. What a ride!	These Great Lakes are also home to Iowa's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which included a museum of memorabilia from the 50's and 60's. Besides the Everly Brothers and the fact that Buddy Holly and other great musicians were killed in Iowa, their focus was more on all the dance halls that were so much a part of the life in the Midwest.
		Play Me!!
	Every Thursday during the peak tourist season, the community puts on a free Rock and Roll concert. Nearly all of the band members graduated from a local high school.	The night we were there, they were celebrating the 35th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley and this singer impersonnated Elvis perfectly.
	One of the things that we found interesting, but not surprising, was the age of the audience. They may be old, but they could sure Rock and Roll.	After experiencing sweltering heat of 100+ degrees plus humidity for nearly four weeks, the rains finally came and cooled everything down. It put a damper on the weekend, so we pulled stakes and drove to Prior Lake to spend more time at Denise's. Grandma got to babysit.
	Grandpa got to spend some quality time reading Clara's favorite books. She never tired of us reading the same book over and over. While she jabbers a lot, she is also starting to put a few words together.	When Clara was born, she inherited two playmates. Here she is teasing BamBam with one of "his" toys.
	Pebbles is a lot more laid back, and when she is laying down, Clara likes using her as a pillow. She sure loves those dogs.	We got company. While we were parked in Denise's driveway, Craig, Denise and Clara joined us in the RV and talked about using the RV to explore Minnesota together. Unfortunately, it was not during this trip.
	Prior Lake is filled with lake wild life, including ducks, geese, herons, rabbits, etc. But one of the most fascinating creatures are the white albino squirrels that live in the area. One day we counted four of these white squirrels. Click to enlarge this picture!	Catching up with friends. We had an opportunity to visit, dine and go walking with Rich and Nancy Pointer. Rich and Larry worked together in Minnesota and they did some work together with Boise State.

Arrived in Lake Okoboji on Wednesday, August 15 and left for Minnesota on Saturday, August 18; arrived that same day and left Minnesota for South Dakota on Saturday, August 25, 2007.