It’s pronounced “KWAZ-kwih-tun.”

If it’s hard for you to roll it off your tongue, the locals also call it Quasky (“KWAZ-kee”).

It’s a small town in Iowa that was first brought to my attention upon learning that legendary Chicago radio personality Larry Lujack was born there. In 2021, when I went on a road trip through Iowa (personal Facebook photo album link), I made a short detour to this town, about 10 miles from the old highway alignment, somewhere between Waterloo and Dubuque.

There’s this nostalgia thing about me that is curious about how a town someone grew up in forms the life of someone. I was wondering about Lujack on this side detour. I had read books and took a deep dive into the history of WLS radio, and this was on my mind.

I didn’t stay long. However, I did come away with knowing that the Wapsipinicon River flows through town, and there are rapids at a spot near the town’s bar. I enjoy “crackling” water rush flowing sounds, and this was a pleasing sound for me to relax to. In order to get back to the main road to see more of what I originally planned, namely the Field of Dreams in nearby Dyersville, I told myself that I would be back one day. That “one day” came five years later during a July road trip to Waterloo.

***Cody’s Road Trips Flickr Photo Album link – to see some more pictures!***

I wanted to spend some time there to hear the relaxing rapids, and have a bite to eat at the bar (since I didn’t last time). I missed a couple of other destinations due to closing hours, including the town museum and a Frank Lloyd Wright home – just gives me reason to return. When I visited five years ago, the Wapsi was at a level where the crackle of the rush sound was peaceful and high-pitched. There is a parking area and a fishing pier to park at near the rapids. However, on this day the river was high and the rushing sound was deeper.

The local watering hole is Wolfey’s, which has a patio that looks out toward the river. I had a cheeseburger and cheese curds for lunch. It’s just like any small town Iowa bar, where the locals gather and sometimes meet for card playing and such. I came away from the bar also intrigued by some of the ceiling lights. They were made of recycled glass alcohol bottles:

The Wapsi is one of Iowa’s major rivers, but it’s not one of the wider ones. It flows from just north of the Minnesota state line in the north-central part of the state, and flows in a southeastern direction to the Mississippi River near Princeton. The river also has been prone to major flooding, and much of the river’s rural path is between woodland grown from old river beds. Cut-off alignment paths are common throughout much of its stretch. While I haven’t been on it on a boat, I can only imagine it is a peaceful setting without the distractions of corn and traffic.

While I don’t have much to share about Quasqueston, I hope to add to this post one day upon visiting it again. I wanted to writing something while it’s on my mind at the moment to show you some of the repurposed glasses at the bar.

On a sort-of-related note, the town of Jesup is nearby, on the old alignment of Route 20. This is where Jurassic Park is. It’s a park with small brontosaurus dinosaur structures, kind of like those seen outside Sinclair gas stations. One of them at the park is painted like Dino from The Flinstones. I stopped just to let people know that I have “been to Jurassic Park.” It’s a reoccurring road trip joke I share with friends.

(More to come next time I travel there)