Gambling & Grotto: An Odd Mix at the Grotto of the Redemption in West Bend, Iowa

“So you are on the sinners and saints tour,” laughed Rhonda. You could draw that conclusion. While passing through Iowa, we parked the coach for two nights at the Wild Rose Casino. From the Casino, we drove our Toyota to visit the Grotto of the Redemption. Gambling and a Grotto – what an odd mix!

It happened because of a mere mention of my agate hunting adventure along Lake Superior. This conversation with a manager of the Wild Rose Casino prompted her to recommend a nearby attraction. “If you enjoy agates or stones in general, you must visit the Grotto of the Redemption.” We had seen the roadside sign along Highway 18 earlier and passed it. Now on this hot summer afternoon, I reconsidered. The temperature in the coach was rising and my casino budget was dwindling. The time seemed right for an outing. My expectations of this attraction were low. Little did I know that visiting the Grotto would leave me feeling like I hit the “jackpot”!

Often called the “Eighth Wonder of the World” and a “Miracle in Stone, the Grotto of the Redemption spans a full city block in West Bend, Iowa. It is the largest religiously inspired grotto in the world. The Grotto is actually a composite of nine separate Grottos; each portrays a scene spanning the life of Jesus from His birth to His resurrection. The highest point of the Grotto rises forty feet. This mountain commemorates the 13^th Station of the Cross – Jesus is taken down from the cross. His limp body lays cradled in Mary’s arms in a sculpture patterned after Michelangelo’s famous Pieta. This is just one of the many Italian Mosaic and Carrara marble statues that adorn sacred place.

More than its size, more than its lifelike statues of the Holy Family and other Biblical figures like Adam & Eve, Moses, and heavenly angels, the minerals and stones used to construct the Grotto make it a geological wonder. One man – Father Paul Dobberstein (1872 – 1954) started construction of the Grotto in 1912 to fulfill a promise he made to God. For 42 years, Father Dobberstein labored setting the rocks and gems into concrete.

According to Rhonda Miller, Director of the Grotto, Father used materials considered to be “junk” at a time. Farmers and landowners were happy to have Father haul the stuff away. That “junk” represents a vast collection of minerals and stones – petrified wood, stalactite and stalagmite, malachite, jasper, quartz crystals, sea shells, and other gems invaluable today. An entry on Wikepedia sets the value of the Grotto gems at $4.3 million. In reaction to that number, Rhonda commented, “Bill Gates couldn’t build it. We can’t rebuild it. The materials aren’t available. The Grotto is priceless.”

The Grotto is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its geological value is world renown for rock hounds and artists. Architects study its construction. The non-religious visitors find it a “peaceful place.” The Faithful visitors move closer to Christ after they experience the Grotto. Rhonda Miller says she annual visitation to range between 25,000 – 30,000 people. Guided tours are available May through October, and anytime by appointment. I caught part of a tour but spent most of my time looking at the dazzling minerals and stones, each one unique, each one crafted by the hand of God.

In this sinners and saints tour, I took a gamble visiting the Grotto. It paid off big time!

July 19, 2009

Grotto of the Redemption

300 N. Broadway

West Bend, Iowa 50597

800-868-3641

www.westbendgrotto.com

RVers should note that the Grotto has a

campground with 80 sites available for RVs.

Electrical hookups are at each site.

There is an RV dump station available too.

Christmas Grotto in West Bend, Iowa

When experiencing the Grotto of the Redemption, one could easily overlook the adjacent church. Inside Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church are two things you must see during a visit.

The Christmas Chapel is constructed of ornamental rocks and gems. It contains a Brazilian amethyst that weighs over 300 pounds. This nativity scene is considered to be one of Father Paul Dobberstein’s finest works. He completed the Christmas Chapel in 1927 using materials he considered too delicate to withstand conditions that would affect them if placed in the outdoor grottos.

A wooden altar stands 22-feet high in the sanctuary. Hand-carved out of bird’s-eye maple, this altar won first place at Chicago’s World Fair in 1893.

After admiring the Christmas Chapel and altar, you can light a candle and spend some time in quiet mediation inside this peaceful church.

July 19, 2009

Grotto of the Redemption

300 N. Broadway

West Bend, Iowa 50597

800-868-3641

www.westbendgrotto.com

Must Be Iowa!

I simply sent a photo from my Verizon phone to the kids and they immediately knew where Ed and I had arrived with the Prevost. The shot of the green corn field gave away our location.

“Iowa!” came confirming the text messages. “Makes me shudder!” I replied.

Both Chris and Suzie remember our family trip in our first MCI bus conversion motorhome. Some ten years ago, we traveled to Ames, Iowa to attend a Family Motor Coaching Association Rally. This is a trip we will never forget and can only now laugh about the experience.

We were so new to the world of RVing that we didn’t have a tow dolly. No problem…Chris at 16-years-old and eager to drive would follow “Dolly’s Pride” (the MCI) in “Zippy” (the Honda Acura). We’d have a run about car and Chris could feel the thrill of his first road trip. We communicated by CB coach-to-car cruising west from Pittsburgh along Interstate 70. Miles flew by and our caravan held tight until we approached Indianapolis. Chris radioed information to Ed about turning on the beltway around the city. Ed confirmed then promptly missed the turn.

We heard Chris ask, “Where’d you go?” Then, we lost radio contact with him.

Immediately, I began to worry about my son – only 16-years-old, with a brand new driver’s license, somewhere off in Indianapolis. Surprisingly, Suzie reacted to this situation. The brother she claimed to find annoying and acknowledged frequently with a hateful sneer was her new best friend. “We lost my brother!” She cried big tears. “I love him. We need to get him back,” she pleaded. Her tears made me cry too as I hugged her tight.

What seemed like an eternity later, Ed turned the bus around and retraced the route to the turn where we lost Chris. We used the CB to call out to him and finally, got his reply. We found him sitting in “Zippy” calmly waiting for us at the roadside rest area.

Full hook-ups were not an option for us when our family caravan arrived at the Ames rally. We ended up boondocked in the parking lot of a veterinary school. Running the generator gave us power to run the air conditioning. This helped cool the coach a bit; but when we shut down the generator, the inside temperature climbed to suffocating temperatures. No breeze blew through the windows. In desperation, I left my bed, crawled over the kids sleeping on the front couch, and opened the coach door to feel the night air. I crouched there trying to get cool, then eventually laid down on the cold granite floor with my head practically sticking out the door. When the kids discovered me in the morning, they felt sure I’d suffered a heart attack or been murdered in the night. Ed didn’t see this spectacle of his wife laying on the floor with her head and arms dangling out the door. Iowa in July is hot as hell!

The rally exhibit area provided some relief from the heat by day; but it could not relieve the boredom of two kids – 16 and 11 years old. With some hesitation, we gave the kids permission to drive “Zippy” around Ames to see if they could find something amusing to do for the day. When they met us later, we expected to hear about their adventure. Instead they retraced their route on a map showing us the roads they traveled. All the roads were lined with corn and every road ended at a corn field. “We saw corn, corn and more corn!”

Now, we all just need a photo of a corn field to trigger the memory of this 1999 Chevy Chase –style “family vacation” and know with certainty “Mom’s in Iowa!”

July 19, 2009