The Two RV Gypsies: Full-Time RVers
took a day trip in their toad to Davenport, Iowa
while their RV was parked in Calamus
August 20, 2017

Davenport is the county seat of Scott County in Iowa and is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population estimate of 382,630 and a CSA population of 474,226, making it the 90th largest CSA in the nation.

Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine Le Claire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk War stationed at nearby Fort Armstrong.

Located approximately halfway between Chicago and Des Moines, Davenport is on the border of Iowa and Illinois. The city is prone to frequent flooding due to its location on the Mississippi River. There are two main universities: Saint Ambrose University and Palmer College of Chiropractic, which is where the first chiropractic adjustment took place.

Several annual music festivals take place in Davenport, including the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, The Mississippi Valley Fair, and the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival. An internationally known 7-mile foot race called the Bix 7 is run during the festival.

The city has a Class A minor league baseball team, the Quad Cities River Bandits. Davenport has 50 plus parks and facilities, as well as over 20 miles of recreational paths for biking or walking.

Three interstates, 80, 74 and 280, and two major United States Highways serve the city. Davenport has seen steady population growth since its incorporation, with an exception being the 1980s, when the population decreased due to job loss. The Quad Cities was ranked as the most affordable metropolitan area in 2010 by Forbes. In 2007, Davenport, along with neighboring Rock Island, won the City Livability Award in the small-city category from the U.S. Conference of Mayors. In 2012, Davenport as well as the Quad Cities Metropolitan Area was ranked among the fastest-growing areas in the nation in the growth of high-tech jobs.

The two RV Gypsies thought about boarding the water taxi and taking a short cruise on the Mississippi River but their timing was off and they did not want to wait around for the next boat.

Below: Even though they were in their toad, not their RV, the two RV Gypsies could not find a place to park to investigate this piece of art any further, so Karen Duquette took a quick picture as they drove by. It did remind Karen of a piece they saw elsewhere a long time ago.

Below: This monument is a tribute to the Men who served the Union Cause during the Civil War. It was surrounded by beautiful flowers.

Below: A sign near the monument shown above.

The two RV Gypsies strolled across The Davenport Skybridge; a pedestrian cable-stayed bridge that spans River Drive (Highway 67) in downtown Davenport, Iowa. It connects LeClaire Park and Rhythm City Casino to a courtyard and parking ramp on 2nd Street, located right next to the River Music Experience. The bridge is 50 feet tall and 575 feet long, and was completed in 2005. It was designed by Holabird and Root and Neumann Monson, P.C.

The Skybridge was a component of the Riverfront/Downtown Davenport improvement program, River Renaissance. The total cost of the structure was $7 million. Iowa taxpayers provided $3.5 million in the form of a Vision Iowa grant, Rhythm City Casino paid $2 million, and the City of Davenport taxpayers spent $500,000 for its initial construction. The Riverboat Development Authority, the agency responsible for distributing some of the taxes collected from Rhythm City, allocated $1.3 million. The bridge's stated purpose is to serve as a tourism attraction with a unique vantage point of the Mississippi River, while also functioning as a safe way to cross the highway.

The two RV Gypsies were surprised that besides themselves, there were not many people on the bridge.

Below: Lee Duquette at the south end of the bridge, facing the river, on an observation deck with a view of the Mississippi River, LeClaire Park Bandshell, the Centennial Bridge, and the Davenport Levee, where many festivals take place throughout the warmer months.

Below: Lee Duquette at the other end of the bridge. Then the two RV Gypsies explored the downtown area of Davenport.

Below: Daytime view through the window of the Davenport Skybridge

Below: The River Music Experience is a multi-use music facility and 501(c)3 non-profit organization located on the first two floors of the historic Redstone Building on Main Street in downtown Davenport, Iowa. There are music notes in the sidewalk outside of the building.

Below: Also located on the first floor in the historic Redstone Building, in downtown Davenport, Iowa is Falbo Bros. Pizzeria. Its entrance is off of Sweetwater Plaza. The two RV Gypsies waited 45 minutes for the calzone (called Falzone). When it finally was brought to the table, the two RV Gypsies saw that the entire Falzone was pitch black - as burnt as burnt could be. The server seemed surprised when Karen Duquette said, "It is burnt to a crisp." The server seemed shocked and said, "Oh, do you want another one?"

Karen Duquette said "yes please" and they waited 45 minutes for  it, and then decided that they did not want to wait any longer, so they signaled to the server. He said, "Should I take it off your bill?" Duh of course. The two RV Gypsies noted two young girls staring at their Falzone because theirs were burnt too, but not quite burnt to a crisp, so they kept it, but the two RV Gypsies watched them make faces as they bit into it.

Below; Riverfront Parkway is located along the Mississippi River in the cities of Davenport and Bettendorf. The parkway is a bike and walking trail that extends for 11 miles starting at Credit Island on the west passing through Davenport for 7.6 miles before entering Bettendorf.

Davenport is the largest urban area on the upper Mississippi without a permanent flood wall. Despite some calls from residents for the city to build a permanent floodwall, Davenport officials say it would ruin the economic advantage the city enjoys from having a clear view of the river. Note the flood level marks on the building in the photo below.

Davenport and the Quad Cities are home to many sports teams. The Quad Cities River Bandits baseball team play games at Downtown Davenport's Modern Woodmen Park. The i wireless Center in Moline is home to the Quad City Mallards hockey team. The Quad Cities Riverhawks are a Premier Basketball League team. They play their home games at Wharton Field House on the old Marycrest International University campus. Davenport high schools are in the Mississippi Athletic Conference for sports.

Note to RVers: There is a low bridge on Business 61, downtown Davenport - be sure you know the height of your vehicle.

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