Post 7: Looking for America - Iowa, heartland of America


Iowa—wow, we really loved it; so much that we spent a week there. A beautiful example of the heartland of America. Rolling, vibrant hills of corn and lots of full, meandering creeks and rivers. Stately farms everywhere. We thought we’d leave Iowa immediately for Minnesota but so many things caught our eye: Iowa City, the former state capital, the Amana Colonies was founded in 1855 by German settlers, the Bridges of Madison County and Winterset, the birthplace of John Wayne. Last but not least, Mason City where the "music died"...Quite an amazing stop as we meander some less-traveled roads.

The IOWA flag: The only Blue, White and Red state's flag in America: A reference to the first French settlers of the 18th century.  Iowa City, the former state capital, is a cool, creative and energetic university town in the middle of corn country. Many of the students struck us as healthy and wholesome farm kids.

The Amana Colonies was founded in 1855 by settlers from Germany who were escaping persecution from the both their government and the Lutheran church. They lived communally, with almost no help from outsiders until 1933. There is a German flavor throughout and many old artifacts and buildings to see. From the French guy: "Guess what? These descendants of Germans were not so kind today to this happy-sunshine-Virginian-tourist family…It must run deep in some Kraut genes!"

"Papa, where are the cornfields? No clue, my dear! The German Amanas probably hid them!"

Next were the Bridges of Madison County, featured in the 1992 romance novel "The Bridges of Madison County" by Robert James Waller (adapted into the famous Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood movie). Note from Eloise: "Maman and papa are more romantic than Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood!" Can't agree more!

Also in Madison County, Winterset—the birthplace of John Wayne. A toast to the Duke!

Our final wonderful visit in Iowa—Mason City. We intended to stop for a quick dinner and stayed two days. Mason City has a number of cultural gems. The last remaining Frank Lloyd Wright hotel (Park Hotel) as well as a perfect example of a FLW Usonian home, the Stockman House, nestled in a neighborhood with numerous gorgeous homes in Wright’s Prairie Style. Additionally, the recipient of the very first Grammy award came from Mason City—Meredith Wilson, who wrote and composed the Broadway hit musical The Music Man (1957). Finally, just next door is Clear Lake, Iowa—where tragically on February 3, 1959 Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper were killed after a performance at the Surf Ballroom when their plane crashed into a cornfield soon after takeoff from Mason City. Don McLean’s “American Pie” immortalizes “the day the music died.”


Then we hit the road again to Minnesota. The French driver set cruise control and Highway Driving Assist (HDA), and relaxed...while the co-pilot and the backseat passenger screamed in an utter state of panic!! 😉

























































































 

Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 10, 2021 at 9:17 AM

    Love what you did with your blog!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anne D.September 11, 2021 at 4:40 AM

    OMG! I LOVE the sleeping driver picture. So glad you are having such a fun and romantic time together!

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownSeptember 11, 2021 at 8:24 AM

    With your commentary and photos you are creating a precious record you will all enjoy for the rest of your lives! Thank you for sharing this Blog and we will look forward to future posts of your adventures. Safe travels and enjoy!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Post 4: Northern Michigan and Upper Peninsula

Image
There are so many lovely and unusual things to do in the Straits of Mackinac and Michigan's UP--Upper Peninsula. 1. Sit on the bank of Lake Huron in Saginaw bay in a Simon and Garfunkel state of mind while listening to "America;"   2. Board a ferry and cross the Straits of Mackinac that connect Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, bike Mackinac Island (pronounced Mackinaw!), tour the magnificent Grand Hotel for a lovely formal lunch, pass the location of the first land engagement of the War of 1812, and visit historic Fort Mackinac, established by the British in 1780, then taken over by the Americans in 1796; 3. Cross Mackinac Bridge,   the longest one of the western hemisphere in suspended length, 5 miles long (8km) ; 4. Catch the summer sunset on the northern shore (UP) of Lake Michigan, 5. Visit Charlevoix and Petoskey, jewels of Lake Michigan's Gold Coast on the western shore of Michigan.  When they say Gold Coast, they mean breathtaking shores, soft as silk sand, delici...
Read more

Post 10 The Crown of the Continent in Montana's Rocky Mountains

Image
With its pristine forests, alpine meadows, rugged mountains, and spectacular lakes, Glacier National Park in  northern Montana  deserves the nickname of  “Crown of the Continent”.  Driving through the mountainous Going-to-the-Sun Road was a blast. We searched—and found—much of the diverse wildlife ranging from mountain goats to grizzly bears. We were fortunate to have the Hochhaus family (Allison, Eloise's friend, and her sister Sophie) joining us for four days. One thing for sure: we’ll come back to enjoy more of the 700miles of stunning hiking trails. Glacier National Park in Montana's Rocky Mountains Our base camp in Whitefish, MT some 20 miles from Glacier west entrance We only scratched the surface of miles and miles of stunning hiking trails. We shall come back! Of course, we did not miss the opportunity to ride horses in Montana
Read more

Post 5 Looking for America: Wisconsin - Madison

Image
Looking for America Post 5 Wisconsin—crossing America’s Dairyland. A continuation of gorgeous, endless miles of rolling, green farmland speckled with cows and cattle—and sheep and llamas. They all look like family farms, but not sure about that…  Madison, Wisconsin—2000-mile marker for us. Madison is beautiful, flanked on either side by the lakes Monona and Mendota. We had breakfast with our good friend Joe’s dad, Mike Hart and after, circled the stunning capital building that in many ways replicates the U.S. Capitol. The University of Wisconsin-Madison is a sprawling campus that serves nearly 50,000 students. Though large, it is dotted with numerous beautiful buildings. Midwest architecture reveals a time when Americans cared a lot about creating buildings that last—not just the structures themselves, but the timelessness of the design, the embellishments, and other details.  Stephenson Island Park, Marinette, Wisconsin And yes...dairy farms are everywhere in America's Dairy ...
Read more