Continuing to head east from Nebraska, we crossed the Iowa state line and soon stopped at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines, Iowa. This was the fourth state capitol building we’ve visited since we began full-time RV traveling.
The Iowa State Capitol Building was constructed between 1871 and 1886 and is the only five-domed state capitol building in the nation. The central dome is constructed of iron and brick, with thin sheets of pure 23-carat gold. A lookout lantern sits atop the dome and may be reached by long and winding stairs. The capitol building is set upon a hill and offers a panoramic view of Des Moines’ downtown. We did not visit the interior of the building, but we walked around the exterior, where there are many monuments and memorials, including a Soldier’s and Sailor’s Monument; Bicentennial Time Capsule; Revolutionary War Memorial; and a replica of the Liberty Bell. 
After our visit to the capitol building, we stopped at a Walmart to buy some groceries (Pat also bought some lottery tickets; more about that later in this blog post) and drove to our next RV campground, the Little Bear Campground in West Liberty, Iowa. We originally planned to camp here only two days and camp at another destination in Iowa for two days, but after the past four one- or two-night stops, we needed a driving break; so, we reserved Little Bear Campground for four nights. Our RV site was gravel/dirt, with a picnic table and fire pit (no grill). As we set up, the water started mysteriously working again and we were able to hook up to our city water connection successfully. The only thing we did differently was shoot a blast of air from our compressed air can into the input hole for the water, but that may have been enough to move the “check valve” to allow water to enter from the outside city water hookup. Was this what resolved our issue? We will never really know.
After our arrival, Pat did some laundry and Tim relaxed. The next day, we were going to take a trip to the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, but there was no Uber or Taxi service in West Liberty (the campground manager looked at Tim strangely when he asked about Taxi service). Instead, Tim did some laundry and Pat made it a day of maintenance by fixing an errant windshield wiper fluid squirting device that was mounted incorrectly (after having the windshield wipers fixed back in January at La Mesa RV) and a kitchen drawer that had come off its tracks (Tim assisted with this repair) and replacing wall hooks in the bedroom that had broken.
The next day it was sunny and warm, and our RV site was next to the pool, so we relaxed by the pool for a few hours. 
It turned cloudy in the afternoon, so Pat took advantage of the cheaper than normal washer and dryer prices in the laundry room to wash some of the other things we needed washed like sheets and towels.
Our last full day at the Little Bear Campground was rainy in the morning and cloudy and cool in the afternoon. Tim stayed indoors to catch up on paying bills and emails, and to do some ancestry research. Pat found more things to wash and chatted a long time with the campground managers (who might have wondered at this point if we were "taking-in" washing for the townspeople). We thought that the campground managers owned the campground because they seemed to work 12-hour days and did so much around the campground, but they explained that they just started working there after they retired because they used to visit the campground a lot before they retired.
The next morning, we disconnected from electricity, water, and sewer, and drove to the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch, Iowa. This was the fourth presidential library we’ve visited since beginning our full-time RV travels. 
The grounds of the presidential library in West Branch, Iowa, are massive, and include the house where Herbert Hoover was born in 1874 and spent the first 10 years of his life, along with other homes and businesses from that era. The library and museum provide information on Hoover’s life before becoming President, as well as his life during and after his presidency.
Hoover’s family were Quakers. His father died of a heart attack in 1880, when Hoover was 6 years old; his mother died of typhoid in 1884, when Hoover was 10 years old. In 1885, Hoover went to live with an uncle in Oregon; his uncle was a school superintendent and instilled in him the Quaker’s strong belief in a good education. Hoover later attended Stanford University and began a career overseeing mining operations in England, Australia, and China; he became known as the “Doctor of Sick Mines” and made a small fortune. After World War I began, Hoover helped Americans who were stranded in Europe to return home. He then organized the Commission for Relief in Belgium, which provided food for millions in Belgium and northern France. Hoover became a Belgian hero for his work and was recognized in America for his work as well, where President Wilson appointed him as the U.S. Food Administrator to coordinate production and conservation of food supplies for Americans during World War I. Hoover was later appointed the Secretary of Commerce by President Harding in 1921. He also coordinated relief for the victims of the largest flooding of the Mississippi River on record in 1927. Because of his notoriety for these accomplishments, he was nominated for President in 1928 (even though he said he wasn’t sure he could govern) and elected President.
Hoover was inaugurated in March 1929; in October 1929, the Stock Market crashed, and the U.S. entered the Great Depression. Hoover proceeded to raise taxes on the wealthy and was blamed for ordering federal troops to break up a protest by war veterans who wanted early payment of a bonus they had been promised (it was actually General MacArthur who gave the order). These events, along with an ever-worsening economy, made Hoover very unpopular and he lost his re-election bid to Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932.
Hoover’s accomplishments during his presidency include the expansion of civil service protections for federal government workers (Tim thanks President Hoover for this); ordering federal law enforcement to focus their energies on mob-ridden Chicago (arresting Al Capone); creating the Federal Farm Board to finance agriculture cooperatives that would give farmers more power to bargain for better prices; building dams in Nevada, California and Tennessee, including the Hoover Dam; creating the Veteran’s Administration; and reorganizing the Bureau of Indian Affairs in collaboration with Native Americans. After leaving the White House, Hoover became a big supporter of Boy’s Clubs and his wife, Lou, became a big supporter of the Girl Scouts. Hoover and his wife are both buried on the grounds of the library.
We teased earlier that Pat had bought some lottery tickets ($20 dollars’ worth) at Walmart on our way to the Little Bear Campground. Turned out that one of Pat’s lottery tickets was a $500 winner! After leaving the Hoover Presidential Library, we stopped at three different convenience stores to cash in the ticket, but none had that much cash on hand. Pat finally called the state lottery agency, and they directed him to a Hy-Vee Grocery Store, where he finally cashed in the ticket! Mad spending money for a few weeks! To celebrate, we bought some groceries at the Hy-Vee.
Review of Little Bear Campground
Little Bear Campground was previously a KOA Campground, so it is a fairly nice campground. The couple that manages the campground for the new owners work hard to ensure that the campground stays in good condition and are very cordial and talkative.
The campground is located close to I-80, so it is a bit noisy at night. Little Bear has 35 RV sites with full hookups and a picnic table and a fire pit (no grills) at every site. It also has 14 sites for tents and two cabins. In addition, there are permanent sites at Little Bear Campground. Amenities include a small laundry room (with very low prices), bathroom/shower facility, pool, meeting room, and game room.
The town of West Branch is only about a 10-minute drive from the campground, where you can find restaurants and shops; however, there is no Uber or Taxi service, so not convenient for those of us without cars. Despite this drawback, it was nice to unwind and do nothing but enjoy the pool and do some laundry and minor maintenance in the RV while we were at Little Bear Campground. We usually have to make time for maintenance anyway, so this was the perfect opportunity. We probably wouldn’t return to this area again unless we have a car to get around, but if we did return, we would definitely consider staying at Little Bear Campground again.
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