July 4 at the Lakes

I grew up 30 miles from Okoboji but we didn't make the trip east very often during the summer except to go to the Conference. We definitely did NOT make the trip on July 4. Staying up to watch the fireworks was already a big enough stretch for my family without adding on the drive home complicated by "all that traffic". This year I got to see the craziness of the 4th at the Lakes in person and here's a few reasons it wasn't that bad.

• I had already learned on Memorial Day weekend to go down to the light when I want to turn left.  
• On a few Friday afternoons as I headed home from work I've been caught behind enough cars at a light that I had to wait for it to cycle through 2 or 3 times before I could be on my way. But on July 2nd and 3rd I worked in Spirit Lake so I didn't get to see what traffic was like then.
• I spent most of the 4th celebrating with my cousin Nick, and his bride, Dondi, at their wedding. which began with a 2.5 mile run at 8:00, a wedding at 1:00, followed by a reception with grilled hamburger and pork patties, potato salad, chips, ice cream, and a dunking tank which the kids throughly enjoyed. The traffic didn't affect me, but Dad said the line at the 4-way stop at Vick's corner was 1/4 mile long. In normal circumstances, 3 cars would be considered a traffic jam.
• As I got home, my next-door neighbor was headed out for a bike ride. We talked of going to see the fireworks on our bikes and I told him that one of my patients had said the best place to see them was at Des Moines beach. He went to scout it out and found a house under construction with a small dock directly across the lake from the Park. It was a perfect spot for two introverts who aren't night owls. From our vantage point we could hear the music and the announcer without having to deal with the hordes of people. (Later someone told me there had been so many people in the area of the Park that she couldn't even hear the music.) We also had a great view of the fireworks when they began. At the end, Matt thought it was one of the best firework displays he'd ever seen. I decided not to mention those at the top of my list including the show for the G-7 in Lyon, or the competitions I saw in Germany and in Clear Lake, IA. For NW Iowa, it was good. And the best part was I was home and in bed by 11:00.