Midwest Travels 2018, Monday, August 13, 2018

A morning in Decorah at the Dug Road Inn B & B will go down in the memories of our world travel as one of the most agreeable ever.  We awake to a lovely cool 67F morning and, when coffee arrives in the dining room at 7:30, we discover that we are the only guests at this 5- bedroom home originally built in 1866 and remodeled in the 2000's for the sole purpose of being a B & B.  Now run by Chef Mattias  Kriemelmeyer and wife Claudia, this establishment is one of the most pleasing and welcoming places we have ever stayed.  Chef Mattias offered us the choice of breakfast in the dining room or on the spacious front porch; we opted for al fresco!  The pride of the Dug Road Inn is its gourmet breakfast and it is justified.  

We were served by Chef himself, starting with a properly tangy yogurt compote including fresh local blueberries, black cherries and raspberries, topped with Claudia's home made granola with a touch of maple syrup and a grating of fine coconut. Great Start!  Next the main breakfast of a crust-less quiche of salmon and feta cheese accompanied by a small salad of spinach and arugula which was topped by a thick slice of homegrown yellow tomato and a balsamic reduction.  Also on the plate was a small home baked scone, and a dollop of the most sublime Wisconsin produced Roquefort cheese with juniper berries incorporated in the cheese.  Final plate was a small peach pavlova - freshly sliced Colorado peaches (Iowa ones not yet in season) macerated in sugar for a light sauce, topped by freshly whipped cream with a merengue tucked in the center and a sprig of mint leaves to top.  This was easily the most intriguing and satisfying combination of food and setting we have enjoyed in years, and easily one of the best breakfasts ever.

Chef sat with us over coffee after he had finished serving us, telling us of how this young couple, he from Wisconsin but trained in Sonoma and practicing his trade around the country and in to the Caribbean, and she from the Island of Martinique and working in the hostel industry, came, with their two young children to land in Decorah Iowa managing and, hopefully, to be owning this little masterpiece.

We finally took our leave around 11:00 and headed east towards the Mississippi River valley and it's river road, driving north alongside the river towards our Minneapolis destination.  As we moved northward, the river side towns and scenery were changing, the farms beginning to transition from river bottom and, as we moved northwest, transitioning into center pivot irrigation rigs and dryer areas.  We left the hilly northeast Iowa area and transitioned into the glacial pocked terrain of south central Minneapolis.

Experienced travelers that we are, we managed to pull onto I 35, I 235,  and I 494 at 4:00PM as most of the working population of Minneapolis also hit these roadways.  Such planning required discovering roadwork detours and lingering at some of our sites longer to be sure and be able to join the throng.  Many missed turn offs and lane changes later, we finally arrived  at our next Hampton Inn (you would think we would have more imagination than this) at 5:00 and rested in our room for 30 minutes or so before heading out to meet our friend April Dillon at her home and journey on to dinner at nearby Redstone Grill.

We had an enjoyable cocktail and dinner, including braised short ribs with roasted potatoes and vegetables for some, and an imaginative General Tso Turkey burger with a side of garlic mashed potatoes for others.  An enjoyable and resting catch up, and after dropping April back home, we returned to the hotel around 9:00, read for a while and dozed off to a sound sleep and the end of our 3rd day on the road.

Midwest Travels 2018, Sunday, August 12, 2018

Up after a restless night's sleep around 7:00. Showered, caffinated and then down to the vaunted Hampton Inn & Suites free breakfast.  This one was  graded a D minus, not a total F because there was free food and coffee.  One of the pancake machines was out of order, of the juice offerings, the machine was out of all but cranberry drink, the sausage and biscuits were basically white paste with some chunks of meat or meat substitute, and the scrambled egg substitute cold.  There was coffee and a bagel with cream cheese!

Off we head to arrive at the Des Moines Botanical garden for their 10:00 opening.  Very nice botanical garden downtown and adjoining the Des Moines river. The gardens were full and we found some plants that we may try to replicate in our own small home garden.  Not nearly as large as the Omaha Lauritzen Gardens, but less tiring for the walking, especially in the 90F heat.

Next stop, the modern Art Gallery, free entry.  This museum has an outstanding collection of modern art and is highly recommended for any visitor to Des Moines.  We enjoyed the collections, including Rothkos, Hart Bensons, Warhols, and a plethora of lesser known (to this writer) artists.  This was very enjoyable and we spent over two hours walking the halls and soaking in the cultural uplift.

Next, we hopped on the hated I-80 and headed west to Iowa City.  The reason for subjecting ourselves to the punishment of the Eisenhower Interstate System was the recommendation of our friends Marsha and Ted to visit the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and birth site in West Branch, Iowa, just east of Iowa City.  Given that Deb's maternal grandmother was a Hoover, probably a 5th cousin to the former president, we felt the pull of ancestory.  

We were pleasantly surprised, greatly enjoying the birthplace site administered by the National Park Service.  They have restored a portion of the village from Hoover's time, including his 2-room birth cottage, his father's blacksmith shop, and the Friends (Quaker) meetinghouse. The entire setting is simple and informative.  As the area closes at 5:00 on Sunday's, we did not pay the fees to visit the presidential library, for the remaining 15 minutes left to us.  We did, however scoot over to view the gravesite of Hoover and his wife Lou.  A beautiful and peaceful setting on a hill overlooking the park lands and in direct site, some 500 yards away from his birth cottage, all with a backdrop of surrounding tall grass prairie.  We did enjoy this stop, Eisenhower system not withstanding.

We left Hoover to his resting place and then headed north across the green Iowa countryside on normal highways, headed for our destination of the evening of Decorah, Iowa, nestled near the northern border with Minnesota.  As we traveled north we noted the slowly changing landscape, from softly rolling farmland to more hilly farmland.  The corn and beans all looked lush and healthy in the Sunday evening sun.  This corner of Iowa doesn't seem to be suffering from the dryness and drought we encountered in central Iowa.  

We arrived in Decorah shortly after 8:00 and found our B & B with ease.  A huge home and we are the only guests.  We lugged our luggage in and broke out the wine and Brie on the lovely front porch, watching as evening settled over northern Iowa.  All in all, a very satisfactory day of exploration, mostly easy driving, and with a good feeling about the "heartland," politics not withstanding.

Midwest Travels 2018, Saturday, 8/11/18

OK, so we aren't so great at early morning starts from home on the first day of our travels.  We were out of the house by 10:30, although, after a stop at the bank and the post office, we realized we left our passports at home, so we trekked back to pick them up - Canada beckons.

Finally on the road around 11:00, headed along highway 92 towards Winterset, Iowa, our first goal of the day.  This area of west central Iowa is Deb's ancestral home and we were off to explore her roots, especially since she is no longer coloring them (joke, dear!).  

A wonderful day to drive, good company, lovely weather, cloudy but calm, and a route that is not flooded with semi-trucks hauling goods and crowding the rest of we travelers from the road.  Iowa is looking green today, corn and soybeans flowing from all sides of the road spreading over the hilly undulations to the horizon.  Through the familiar sounding small towns, Tryenor, Carson, Griswold, Massena, Fontanelle, Greenfield and finally Winterset, county seat of Madison, home and namesake of "The Bridges of Madison County," and birthplace of John Wayne, née Marion Morrison.  We arrived quickly at the town square surrounding the courthouse.  Wonderful pink and purple flower baskets hanging from all the light posts and all the shops open.

As in most other county seats, there were the usual law offices, accountants, real estate and title company offices populating the four sides.  But something else - row upon row of little shops boasting home decorating, gifts, restaurants, antiques and more.  All were open and busy.  Almost every building surrounding the square has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and all have plaques outlining the history of each building. We spent time wandering in and out of shops, making an occasional small purchase and spending an inordinate amount of time in a real Ben Franklins 5 & dime.  A real step back in time.  Everyone was friendly and quick to tout their town.

As we were heading out around 4:00, they closed off one side of the square for a vintage auto show.  The other outstanding events of the day were a miniature car show with all these small cars from throughout the Midwest driving around town, and a genealogy seminar, which was our original goal, but which was over by the time we arrived.  

We found both Deb's maternal grandparents home here in Winterset, Beverly's well-to-do father's large, two story brick home, and Roger's mother's small, two room run down home.  We then headed out to track down some graves and other locations in neighboring Peru, Iowa.  

Eventually, following our 15 minute exploration of the dilapidated Peru, and 30 minutes wandering the hills of the Peru Cemetery, we headed north towards DesMoines and our Hampton Suite for the evening.  We arrived and settled into our room around 6:00, broke out some red wine and dined on cheese, crackers, oatmeal cookies. We watched the Thomas Crown Affair (Renee and Pierce, not Steve and Faye,) and a number of episodes of Criminal Minds while reading our Kindles.  Lights out around 10:00 on our first day on the road.

Minneapolis - 8/23/14

Half of the dynamic duo was awake and stirring at 6:35 - the other closer to 8:30.  All are feeling fairly rested with very little sign of the prior evenings troubles.  Embassy Suites breakfast rocks - however, this writer would suggest staying away from such a family friendly place on the weekend before school starts.  Swarming with children on one last fling into the City for a "special" weekend before heading back to the mines!  Great way to have a curmudgeon start his day.

We headed out to IKEA, a quick 6 minute trip down the street.  We arrived around 10:30 and began the "walk."  We finished the showroom walk around 11:30 and found ourselves in front of the cafeteria just in time for lunch - what planning. After a long study of the 5 item menu, we decided on the Swedish meatball special.  We tempered this indulgence with a shared salad.

Then down to the marketplace/warehouse where we loaded up on all the crap we had spotted upstairs and a few things we hadn't known existed.  We were out of there at 1:30 and under $300.00 poorer than when we went in.  Not bad.

On to downtown Minneapolis for a search for the Birchbark Book Store, owned by Louise Erdrich.  After a few wrong turns on and off the freeway system, we found ourselves in the lovely Kenwood neighborhood, filled with older homes, a park, large lake, etc.  Walked into the Birchbark Book Store, which specializes in Native American literature.  A lovely small store where we scored a few books and a few signed copies of Erdrich's work.

Back into the chariot and off to St. Paul in search of the Common Good Books bookstore, this one owned by Garrison Keillor.  Now this is a book store! Just across the street from Macaelster College, this store was jammed with a wide collection of books, books, and more books.  We left with only 7 books, a membership in the frequent buyers club, which gives the member a 13th book after a purchase of 12, and a sign up to the email list.  The shop is located on a block that includes a juice shop, a wine and munch bar, a coffee shop, a cheese shop and all offering outside seating and a place to eat and chat - plus free parking and on-street parking.  The area was crawling with students and other liberal types  Very charming and bewitching.

4:20 and time to get on the road again, heading to our ultimate destination of the day, Redwing Minnesota.  We had a lovely drive along the Mississippi River, along the Wisconsin side, crossing back over into Minnesota at Redwing.  Redwing is an historic little town with some charming downtown stores and homes, 7 churches within a three block stretch, and trains tooting through town along the river.

We dined at the Bayside Tap and Restaurant, which turned out to be a little bar and grill with excellent steaks.  Nothing pretentious, but very friendly.  Good food and good pinot noir by the glass.

We were back in our hotel room at 7:00, reading and watching TV.  Your humble scribe reawakened at 8:15 PM from his reading chair and crawled into bed.  His mate already dozing between scenes from "Friends."  A long and very pleasant day including all of our favorite things: shopping, dining, good books, good wine, traveling the countryside, and companionship. 

Tomorrow it is up and out, traveling south to Iowa and then cutting across the state, westward, taking in Deb's ancestral area around Winterset and Madison County.

Minneapolis - 8/22/14

Up at 6:30 to shower, coffee and face the day.  The Baymont Suites beds were OK, the pillows not, the shower surprisingly competent. We stepped out of the room and were nasally assaulted by the stench of either sewer gas or someone's backed up toilet. Ew.

The free breakfast comprised of some fruit, a waffle machine, biscuits and gravy, and assorted pastries.  Acceptable, but the downer was that the coffee machine was out of order.  We had b&g and a waffle, downed some juice and grabbed extra coffee packets from the front desk.  We brewed new coffee in our room and headed out - left LeMars at 8:30, headed for Minneapolis along highway 60. This was a great dual carriageway for most of the trip.

We took a side trip to Iowa's highest point, the middle of a cornfield in north central Iowa, just south of the Minnesota border.  Corn towering over the  car, and grasshoppers flying into the windshield.

Around 11:30, we stopped at a McDonald's for our obligatory road trip fast food break and pressed on to our destination. Road construction detours delayed our arrival at MSP until 2:00.  We pulled into Terminal 2, parked in the garage, and walked right into the Customs office for our appointment.  Surprise!  Their office moved on July 1 to Terminal 1, so on to the Metro train, then to the tram then to the moving walkways to travel over to Terminal 1.  We arrived at the check-in for our 2:45 appointment at 2:25.  They were running behind due to staff vacations and we finally got in around 3:15.  I was photoed and fingerprinted. They told me I passed and my card would be in the mail.  I am now Global Entry qualified. Woo-hoo!

On to Embassy suites.  We checked in and dropped our bags, calling April Dillon to confirm we had arrived.  At 5:15, we headed over to April's to pick up our chair and have dinner.  The chair was more than we had hoped - just perfect. April prepared sea bass on the grill, a couscous and current salad, and a cold tomato and watermelon salad dressed with a mild vinaigrette.  All was delicious and was followed by a warmed peach and brandy dessert over ice cream.  A wonderful meal and great company.  April's hospitality was perfect, her home lovely, her new kitchen remodeling enviable.

We headed back to the hotel and arrived around 9:30.   We read and Deb crawled into bed to watch TV.  By 10:30, she was moaning and groaning with stomach distress.  Needless to say after a few hours of worshiping the porcelain deity, she finally dozed off and slept fitfully.  Mark was fine, so it wasn't the food (or his iron gut overcame the enemy.)  Hope Saturday's planned activities are not impacted.

Minneapolis - 8/21/14

Left Omaha at 7:00 PM (expected departure time of 5:30) and made one stop at the USPS to drop off a return package.  Then on to I-80 headed to I-29 and north. 

Pleasant drive, and a gorgeous, quilted pillow sunset.  We departed I-29 at Sioux City and joined US 75 headed to Le Mars, IA, the "ice cream capital of the world."  Deb logged on to the hotel app and booked us a room with king-sized bed at the Baymont Suites, at under $100 for the night.

After a slight detour (wrong turn) we arrived at 9:15.  No king sized room, except smoking, so we settled for a double set of queen beds.  Settled in, cracked a bottle of wine and finished our sandwiches and pretzels.  Turned on the TV and ended up watching a rerun of "Friends" and International House Hunters - just like home but much less comfortable. 

Abby called to break the bad news that new cat Benjamin Mittensyahou had evidently escaped in the morning when the girls were leaving the garage.  No where to be found.  Both Abby and Darcy are heartbroken at the loss.  They reported the loss to the Humane Society, as the missing feline was "chipped" but no collar.  Hopeful but also facing the possibility of permanent loss.  Sad.

Turned in after 10:00 and slept fitfully.  Up at 6:30 on Friday to face a day of travel.