Nomad Life - Day 160

Like last Sunday, I didn't plan to drive anywhere today.  Bonus: I slept very well and didn't even think about getting up until 0630.  After my eyes were open, I spent time reading, doing Duolingo exercises and finishing puzzles.  At 0745, I went to breakfast in the lobby of the Super 8 (Davenport).  Sadly, there were very limited selections and the pancake machine was broken.  Eventually, the staff fixed it for me (the only guest in the dining area).  After finishing my "meal", I returned to my room and spent the rest of the morning working on finances, planning for upcoming lodging and continuing work on the digitization project.  Meanwhile, it was snowing outside so I deferred my plans for outdoor fun.  At around noon, I ate "lunch" (snacks).  When I was ready to leave the hotel (1330), I came outside to about an inch of snow and temps in the mid 20s.  I used US-61 Business (with one mistake that took me on to US-6) and US-67.  Before long, I crossed the Mississippi River on the Centennial Bridge.  It was strange to think that this was my first time on the east side of the River since September 2025!  Using IL-92, I explored the waterfront area of Rock Island (IL) and, at 1355, parked in lot by the river that was next to the Schwiebert Riverfront Park.  Not completely sure that my car was sitting in a good place, I walked around nearby and found bike trail that followed the top of the levy.  There were SO many waterfowl!  This gave me the impression that there must be a parking lot for that somewhere nearby.  Before moving my car, though, I explored historic Rock Island downtown area.  After that, I moved east "up river" and found a better place to leave my car (Botanical Gardens) before I resumed my walk on the Quad Cities Riverway.  During this part of my day, it was snowing steadily and there was a light breeze.  I backtracked to downtown Rock Island, then checked out the bridge to the Rock Island Arsenal (didn't cross) before continuing my walk upriver.  The bike path was isolated between two tall fences (one for the river and one for industrial properties) and I was itching to get off the trail by the time I reached Sylvan Island.  During this time, I was impressed by the behavior of the partially frozen Mississippi River.  There were lots of birds on the water and in the trees above and there were several small islands scattered nearby.  After checking out Sylvan Island (I even crossed a pedestrian bridge to reach it), I started looking for a way out of the green space.  I noticed a John Deere statue in the parking lot for the island and, after maneuvering through sides streets that connected lots of manufacturing and farming businesses, I finally reached a main street.  By this point, I could why this place is popular with the politicians during the Caucuses - lots of Labor, Agriculture, etc.  As I walked west on side of the road, I ended up on the edge of a major railyard.  Near the old Depot (for sale!), I found a monument to the construction of the first railroad bridge across the Mississippi River.  I reached my car (after walking four miles) at 1545 and decided to cross the River into Davenport.  The bridge I chose took me across the property of the Rock Island Arsenal but I couldn't access it (gate closed).  I parked right near the north end of the bridge to Davenport and got a great photo of the "Welcome" sign.  Nearby, I spotted the Great River Brewery and decided to go in there for some beer tasting (1600).  It wasn't too busy so I decided to order food (panini-like sandwich & Caesar salad).  The nice lady bartender was a wealth of information and she pointed out that the Quad Cities was the only place where the Mississippi flows West to East, has the longest "Roller Dam" and (as I'd seen in town) boasted the first bridge across the Mississippi River.  After finishing up my drinks and dinner, I (re)crossed the river to Rock Island again.  On the way (1730), I stopped briefly at Fort Armstrong (built in 1816) - there were nice views there of the bridges along the river (they were lit up for the night, even though it wasn't dark yet).  I arrived at my goal, St. Pius X Catholic Church, at 1745 and was one of the first parishioners in the building.  When Mass began (1800), there still weren't many people.  The priest appeared to be from somewhere in Eastern Europe and he gave a good Homily.  The service was over by 1845 and I exited the church to find it was snowing much harder than it had been earlier.  Carefully, I drove back to Davenport using surface streets and the Centennial Bridge.  Before long, I was backtracking on Business US-61.  By this point, my gas tank was nearly empty so I stopped for (cheap) gas at Stop N Go before heading back to my hotel room (arrived at 1910).  I spent the rest of the evening relaxing and watching movies and finally went to bed at 2215.  Glad I got a better feel for the Quad Cities today!