Let the Troll Adventure Begin Summer Adventure #4

 I really wasn't expecting more than a fun day with good company when Kristin, Abi, and I took a road trip to Clinton to see the Thomas Dambo trolls.  I had seen people posting their troll pictures and thought it might be fun to check them out and then have lunch at 7 Hills South.  The best tip I had was to stop at the Sawmill Museum first.  I thought one of the trolls was located in the building. We weren't the only ones who thought one of the trolls was in the building.  It was a good stop because they gave us the location of 3 of the trolls and information on how to figure out where the fourth troll was located. 

It was time to find some trolls.  The first one we located was Helmut, who appeared to be carrying a tree in a flower pot.  He was near the Mississippi River, so we also enjoyed the view of the river.  It was amazing how huge this troll was, and how creative the artist was. Keep in mind these trolls are made out of recycled wood and put together by volunteers.  Some of the parts are made in Dambo's studio and shipped.

Next was Warren, who was taking a nap in a building.  I was telling the others about an article I read that the Clinton fire chief deemed it a fire hazard.  He is working with the troll committee to add things to make it not so flammable.  There is a volunteer working in the building, I assume, to make sure people don't do something they shouldn't. It wasn't hard to see how it would be a fire hazard with all the branches leading to Warren and then as you left the building.  Warren took up most of the building, at least one room. Still, Warren was pretty peaceful.

Then we drove to the arboretum to find Marvin.  He was taking a nap under a tree with plenty of shade.  I stood by his foot, and it was as tall as me.  I don't know why, but I decided he was my favorite, maybe because he was outside enjoying the shade.  

The trolls were definitely cool, and the fact that so many people were out troll hunting was a bit of a surprise.  I really wasn't expecting to see so many people.  We kept running into the same people at each of the trolls.  We met a couple at the arboretum who came from West Des Moines; the husband had seen the troll in Elk Horn, Iowa, a small Danish community. The weather was great the day we went, and the excitement and joy people had about the trolls was refreshing.

We decided to take a troll hunting break for lunch at 7 Hills South; it was formerly a church.  It was beautiful inside, and they even kept the pulpits.  I don't know why that made an impression on me, but it did.  The food was delicious.  Once we had renewed energy, it was time to figure out where the 4th troll was located.  You have to decode a message using the images from the necklaces of each troll and enter them on the troll map decoder. The troll map is located on Thomas Dambo's website.  

We found the 4th troll, Enchanted Branches, much different from the 3 other trolls.  Enchanted Branches had a different sort of charm, and it was fun to explore and crack the code to find its location. That Nancy Drew in me was starting to come out.

Since going to Clinton, I have had a curiosity about the trolls.  So I watched a couple of videos about the artist Thomas Dambo to learn more about him and the troll movement.  There are trolls in other states and other countries.  He wants to have a troll in each state. There are groups on Facebook, and yes, I joined two of them.  Honestly, they are very helpful in learning more about the other trolls.  I had no idea that there were trolls outside of Iowa.  There is also a traveling display of trolls, which I now know I have missed twice, once at the Morton Arboretum and once in Omaha just this year.  I highly recommend troll hunting; it is good for the soul.