Spin the Bottle

I had adamantly declared I was not going to go anywhere the summer of 2015.  I was staying home to pull weeds and pet cats.  Doug whined and did some arm twisting.  I found myself riding shot gun with him on a  four day tour of Iowa.  He called it the "Spin the Bottle Trip."

Armed with an Iowa map, Iowa Travel Guide, a directory of Iowa's Best Ma & Pa Restaurants, two bottles of water, and pictures of the cats (in case I forgot what they looked like) we pulled onto the gravel road.  Our intentions were to steer clear of interstates.  We were looking for two lane roads with interesting sights.

We traveled north through Ida Grove.  The architecture there was not the typical Iowa made in the late 1800's, but a surprising medieval flare.  There were castles and moats.  Shopping centers were designed with turrets.  I huddled in my seat expecting an armored knight to appear with his lance thrusting in my direction.  Luckily Ida Grove was a quick drive through.

Our first stop was in LeMars, the Ice Cream Capital of the World.  We were traveling with no children so ice cream for lunch was on the menu.  It was 2:00 and our stomachs were protesting loudly as we hurried into the Well's Blue Bunny ice cream shop.  We bellied up to the bar as a fresh faced teenager produced menus for us.  A three page menu.  So many ice cream choices-sundaes, cones, shakes, parfaits...   Doug opted for a strawberry shake.  We watched as real strawberries were scooped into the silver glass.  Always watching my figure I opted for a single scoop Bunny Tracks cone.  It arrived sitting daintily in crystal glass.  There was nothing dainty about the scoop.  It was a full meal.  We couldn't pass up the bunny shaped sugar cookie either.  Yum!

LeMars has 55 statues of ice cream cones over 5 feet tall.  We meandered around town searching for some.  Each was different and had noteworthy sayings pertaining to the building they were representing.

The two lane road next took us to Okoboji-Iowa's Great Lakes.  Being a virgin canoeist we thought this would be a beautiful place to break me in.  I cinched every notch in my life vest to the fullest, "I'll never breathe again," while explaining to Doug what will happen to him if I get dumped out of the canoe.

It was a peaceful paddle.  Trees soared over the water providing cool from the sun.  Boats of all sizes were docked at the water's edge.  Many had excited children jumping into the water.  Their carefree chatter carried around the lake.  Mother and Father ducks and geese paraded their babies by the tall reed grass.

The next morning the bottle pointed us in the direction of Clear Lake.  We hiked to pay our respects to Buddy Holiday at the memorial in the middle of a soy bean field.  In the town of Clear Lake we visited the Surf Ball Room, the last gig for Buddy Holiday.  Inside is a small museum for Buddy Holiday and all the entertainers that played there over the seventy years.  It was easy to imagine couples dancing and laughing on that cold February night of the plane crash.

Once again our stomachs were rumbling.  We dug out our Favorite Ma & Pa Iowa Restaurants book and headed to Starboard Market.  I think this was a mistake.  There were too many mouthwatering choices for sandwiches and salads.  Then I turned around and saw the spread of bars and cookies!  Doug would not let me have dessert only for lunch two days in a row.  Party Pooper!  We took our over-stuffed sandwiches, salads and bars (I was holding those just in case Doug had any ideas about being too full.) to the nearby park on the lake.  It was a cloudless day with colorful sail boats drifting by on the glassy water.

We pointed the truck towards the Mississippi river.  That's when I saw it!  I knew all good things came from Iowa and this confirmed it.  Reindeer!  A whole herd of them standing up to gawk at us as we creeped by with our cameras.  Behind the pens was a red house.  I knew, just knew, Santa came from Iowa!  I'm not sure how to explain the John Deere mail box.

We spent the night at a homey Bed and Breakfast nestled in the valley of the Mississippi.  We had a hearty Midwest breakfast with a couple touring Iowa from North Carolina.  They had also had ice cream for lunch in LeMars the day before.  We headed up to Pike's Peak to hike and check out the view.  And what a view!  Majestic trees stretched for the sky while the mighty Mississippi curled around them.  We could see Wisconsin and beyond.

Once again my stomach was talking to me.  We made our way to Dubuque.  My Louisiana friend, Esther, said we had to ride the cable car elevator.  It is the world's shortest, steepest scenic elevator. At the street below are many cute shops and eateries.  A word of warning if you ride the elevator-Do not move while the car is in motion!  This will stop the elevator in mid-transit and award you a scolding from the operator above.

Our stomachs were once again satisfied.  We looked for an outlet to work off lunch.  We stumbled across a State Park in Maquoketa.  The park boasted hiking trails and caves.  I told Doug, "I don't need to go traipsing through any caves.  Caves have bats and I can see those in our attic."  He assured me it would be more exciting than that.

And it was!

The day was sunny and warm.  The hiking trails were shady and cool.  We ambled down steps to the largest cave appropriately named Dance Hall Cave.  The cave was a refreshing 53 degrees.  Water trickled down the limestone formations and pooled around our feet.  There were no bats and no one was dancing in the cave but me.  The park held many different caves each with a marker signaling if it was a walk through cave or an explore on your knees cave.  The Rainy Day cave was marked with an explore on your knees cave, but was actually a walk-in cave.  I coaxed Doug in behind him.  He is however, about a foot taller than me.  That particular cave was more of a head banger for Doug.

A spin of the bottle landed us next in Iowa City.  We toured the Herbert Hoover Library and homestead.  While strolling the grounds we encountered the North Carolina couple from the Bed and Breakfast in McGregor.  Great minds must think alike.

We had another hearty lunch from our Ma & Pa restaurant guide and headed for home.  A quick scan of the map showed the Amana Colonies close enough to drive through.  I convinced Doug we should make a quick stop for dessert.   

While enjoying a scrumptious pastry the hair on the back of my neck stood on end.  The couple we met at the Bed and Breakfast from North Carolina appeared.  Were they stalking us?  Were they planning to find out where we live and kidnap the cats? 

Luckily that was not the case.  They were out enjoying the great state of Iowa just like we were.  There are many more interesting things to see and do in the state.  I'm sure Doug and I will take another "Spin the Bottle Trip."  Maybe next time he will let me bring the cats.