Motor Mill Area

From Brush Creek Canyon my husband and I drove on to the ghost town of Motor, located east of Elkader, Iowa.  Its focal point is the six-story limestone grist mill building which towers over the Turkey River.  Remnants of a now non-existent bridge can be seen in this first photo.   

 

We strolled down Motor’s one and only thoroughfare.

The interior of the mill was not open for touring.

 

Once past the mill, we glanced across the river and noticed a wagon drawn by mules….standing there stubbornly refusing to cross a river that has no bridge!  Actually, there is a riding trail on that side of the river.

Nestled against the hillside was the old limestone cooperage:

Behind the cooperage, we noticed some stone steps leading up the hill.  On such a beautiful day, why not take another hike, they seemed to beckon!

Up the leaf-covered trail we traipsed.

This sign soon informed us that we were walking through an “oak savanna”---a sort of wooded prairie area.  Click the photo to enlarge it.

Near the top of the hill was an old quarry site.  We tried to envision stonecutters at work and how they might have transported the limestone blocks down the hill to be used for construction of the Motor buildings.

At the top of the hill we were rewarded with a nice view, looking in a somewhat northerly direction.  I should carry a compass along on these trail walks.

A little ways down the road past Motor is a campground.  It looked like a nice peaceful place and if I were a camping person I’d probably like to stay there.  Once past the campground, the road became a one-lane track.  This final photo was taken through the windshield.  It’s SOOC and hopefully helps to show what an absolutely gorgeous day it was!