Dubuque Day 2

 This morning started with light breakfast at our rental. Yogurt and some fruit.

Today's destination is Maquoketa Caves State Park, located about half an hour south of Dubuque. The park features 16 marked caves, along with numerous smaller ones scattered throughout. The first cave encountered is Dancehall Cave, where after stooping to walk beneath a long ledge, it expands into a vast cavern with a stream flowing through. The experience is breathtaking. This cave allows for a walk-through exploration. Exiting on the far side reveals that the cave actually passes beneath the road and parking area. Makes you wonder of unseen caves lying just beneath the surface as we travel.

After exploring Dancehall, we embarked on the trails to discover all 16 caves. The paths were not well-marked, which added to the challenge. Some caves were mere dugouts, while others were extensive, narrow tunnels. It was an enthralling park, one I would highly recommend! It seems others share this sentiment, as we were surprised by the crowd on a Wednesday. Perk - Iowa State Parks are free!

After searching for the final cave—which turned out to be a letdown considering the effort we put in—we settled at a picnic table and enjoyed some crackers, cheese, sausage, and grapes. Sheltered from the sun and with a gentle breeze, it was a beautiful day!

On the way back to our rental stopped off at a comic book store Kurt had found. I had asked him a few times while town if he wanted to go and he always said no. I guess I wore him down as he finally said yes. 

Freshened up after yet another sweltering day, we made our way to Catfish Charlie's for dinner. It's a cute little spot situated right by the water. I opted for the Walleye BLT while Kurt chose the Blackened Walleye. In a surprising turn, he even sampled the red beans and rice (not to his liking, but kudos for the effort!). Aside from the beans, the meal was scrumptious!

We did a little more exploring of the breweries downtown. Went to Jubeck Brewing. They had the road out front blocked off and a couple guys singing. Not the greatest musicians I have ever heard but still it was fun. Oh, and good beer!

Kurt decided he would like something other than beer so walked down to Dolph's. This was a neat little complex with multiple bars, a comedy club, an arcade, pizza place, and not sure what else. They had a courtyard you could smoke in and sold cigars so it was a good find! We sat out in the courtyard and watched Caitlyn Clark and the rest of her team play some basketball (this town loves their Caitlyn!). They had open mike night so below the massive screen there were a couple guys performing. It was mostly the two of them and they were pretty good. There was one lady that went up and sang a couple times, not super impressed but A for effort!

As always - another great vacation day!

Side note - this is the entrance to the rental. We were on the top floor...