Pella Tulip Festival - Day 4

As we left West Des Moines this morning, we enjoyed seeing an entire row of blossoming Bradford pear trees right next to the hotel. We noticed the land got flatter the farther north we drove. In West Bend, we toured the Grotto of the Redemption and heard the story of Father Dobberstein. Near death from pneumonia while in seminary, he prayed and promised that if he
recovered, he would build a shrine to Mary. He did recover and was sent to the parish at West Bend. Here he began a lifelong work of telling a story in stone. The grotto is built out of petrified wood and an incredible variety of rocks - malachite, azurite, agates, geodes, jasper, quartz, topaz, calcite, stalactites and stalagmites - collected over many years. Father Dobberstein worked without a blueprint, often late at night. When people would notice that his hands were bloodied from the hard work, he would say that there was no redemption without a little blood. Most of our group had seen the Grotto before but enjoyed hearing again the story of God's redemption and seeing the beautiful varieties of rocks. Before leaving we had an included meal with homemade rhubarb torte for dessert. Then it was homeward bound, ready to enjoy tulips and other spring flowers in our own back yards. -Laurel Johnson, Tour Director