Category Archives: Agritourism

June 28, 2015 · 2:52 pm

Casa de Oro/Perry (Iowa) and bike trail from Waukee to Perry

The bike trail between Waukee and Perry in Central Iowa is about 18 miles – long and straight, cutting through classic farm country, fields of rising green corn, the occasional abandoned see-through wooden barn, a smelly hog confinement operation and a smelly fertilizer plant, a pretty farmhouse surrounded by a white picket fence dotted with orange tiger lilies. We rode in the late afternoon and early evening – returning just before 9 p.m., with the trail and the terrain all to ourselves. Or so it seemed. The light was stunning. A light breeze. Dragon flies whizzing around in front of us, hovering over the pavement. The sound of birds, frogs and crickets.

We stopped for a drink in the small town of Minburn at a depot that’s recently been turned into a little restaurant and then in Perry for dinner at Casa de Oro (after finding our usual Mexican place, Taco Villa, closed). Place was busy and the fajitas good. We’ll be back.

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Filed under Agritourism, bike trails, biking, Iowa

Tagged as bike trails, perry

January 29, 2015 · 2:50 am

ben’s chili bowl, rosa Mexicana : Washington, D.C.

Didn’t have much time to be a tourist this trip but I did go to a reception at Rosa Mexicana, which had good -you guessed it – Mexican food — near the gallery metro stop (and hotel Monaco, where my work meetings were). I also had a bowl of chili at the Reagan national airport outpost of the famous Ben’s chili bowl. Didn’t bowl me over. But it obviously lacked the more urban atmosphere of the original Ben’s.
I had hoped to go to the ramen noodle place, daikaya izakaya, my sister highly recommended, also near the gallery metro but ran out of time. Next trip.
Last night I made my requisite pilgrimage to Politics and Prose, a longtime favorite bookstore on Connecticut. Always have to buy a book there, every DC trip!

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Filed under Agritourism, Airlines, Washington D.C.

Tagged as ben's chili bowl, Hotel Monaco, politics and prose

September 10, 2014 · 1:55 pm

Iowa cabins in the woods to remember: for future use!

We stayed near a 150-year-old cabin in the woods (see pix below) at Fern Hollow in Decorah earlier this month. (We were in the newer house, in a lovely room made of wood so it felt like a cabin.)

But I was also trying to remember the name of some other options when the DM Register came to the rescue so for future reference here they are:

The Natural Gait http://www.thenaturalgait.com near Marquette, along the good-for-canoeing Yellow River. (I’d heard of this one!) It’s a wildflower farm withe horse stables and a bunch of cabines.

Whiterock Conservancy near Boone – this is the old Garst place which we stayed (in the more gentile Hollyhock Cottage, not the River Cabin) at with our kids (and wrote about for the NYTimes travel section.)

Pinicon ridge Park near Central City, north of Cedar Rapids, – four cabins along a river with one of my favorite names – the Wapsipinicon. Three have heat and AC. The River Otter Cabin is more rustic.

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Filed under Agritourism, Iowa

Tagged as cabin in woods iowa, fern hollow decorah, Pinicon Ridge park Cedar Raids, the natural gait marquette, whiterock conservancy near Boone

August 12, 2014 · 7:24 pm

American Gothic, Kevin Costner at the Iowa State Fair

Enjoyed the usual Iowa State Fair highlights at our annual outing last weekend but some new and old highlights below:

– Giant sculpture of the American Gothic sculpture near the Agriculture building, way cool. But what’s with the addition of a giant suitcase slathered with stickers from exotic destinations.

– Field of Dreams in butter – but how did I miss Kevin Costner in butter (which made the British newspaper The Guardian, which a London friend – whose a fair veteran – excitedly sent me.)

– No color photography this year – apparently it has something to do with the anniversary of the photo exhibit which began in the black-and-white days.

– Lamb instead of pork – yes, i finally talked my husband into this but found the lamb shishkabob kind of disappointing. Quality meat, not much seasoning.

– Campbell’s pecan roll – we never noticed this before but did this year and my husband gave it a thumbs up at breakfast the next day.

– Cutting edge/terrifying gizmo in the Varied Industries building – the “Aquamassage” which looked like a cross between an MRI machine and a drive-through car wash. And people were actually lying in the thing, trying it out.

– Curly fries – not new to the fair but somewhat to me. A noble guilty pleasure!

Guilty Pleasure: Curly Fries!

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Filed under Agritourism, Des Moines, Iowa

Tagged as american gothic, aquamassage, field of dreams, iowa state fair, The Guardian newspaper

August 4, 2014 · 9:05 pm

Showing off rural highlights for visitors to Des Moines

At the High Trestle Bridge near Madrid, Iowa with friends from London and Connecticut

I wanted to show off rural Iowa to my recent flurry of visitors to Des Moines. Here are some highlights:

– The Henry Wallace Homestead and The Wallace Center in Orient, Iowa. I took my friend Francine from London for lunch to this lovely place – good fresh food, beautiful setting, easy 40 minute drive from DSM.

– From the Wallace compound we went to Greenfield where I made my second visit to Ed & Eva’s – a craft shop in the beautifully restored Opera House that continues to impress and a second visit and tour of the beautifully restored Hotel Greenfield which had recently hosted some Europeans lured to the area by the third wind of the Bridges of Madison County (first the novel, then the movie, then most recently the Broadway show.)

– The aforementioned Bridges of Madison County – took my friend Myra from Connecticut to Roseman Bridge on a lovely summer day and all was quiet and peaceful. But who would have guessed we’d bump into a couple from Pisa, Italy? They didn’t speak much English (nor we much Italian) but we had a lovely chat and photo session.

– The North Side Cafe in Winterset for lunch – mufalletta, chicken-and-avocado sandwich, seafood bisque, sweet potato fries, cherry pie. Yes we waddled out of there but with leftovers in hand. Still love the mix of locals – an older couple, the man in bib overalls, sitting side by side in a booth, silent, looking out the window – and city slickers (like us, I guess.)

– The High Trestle Trail Bridge – this time we found a much closer access point to walk from – a dirt road just west of Madrid – and had the bridge almost to ourselves on a Monday. Spectacular view!

Two yanks and a lady from Pisa (guess which one) at Roseman Bridge in Madison County Iowa

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Filed under Agritourism, Des Moines, Iowa

Tagged as bridges of madison county, ed and eva's greenfield, greenfield iowa, henry wallace homestead, high trestle trail bridge, madrid iowa, north side cafe winterset, pisa italy, roseman bridge, rural iowa, wallace center orient

July 24, 2014 · 9:58 pm

Ragbrai 2014 Day 2 Okoboji to Emmetsburg highlights

Playing catch-up here, after returning to Des Moines from three days of riding RAGBRAI. I had a good excuse for not posting – cellphone didn’t work much of the trip, the system was overwhelmed by the thousands of Ragbrai riders passing through various small towns.

We had a great three days of riding. In Okoboji, we stayed at a beautiful home with friends on West Okoboji Lake (along Lake Shore Drive, which is full of beautiful lakeside cottages and mansions.) They drove us in the evening to Arnold’s Park and insisted we eat at the best restaurant in town, Maxwell’s – which was indeed very good and owned by a Londoner, to boot. who stopped by our table to talk London with my Londoners Francine and Russ. I had excellent salmon, Russ was happy with his halibut and francine with her pasta with beef tips and mushrooms. Place was hoping, as was most of the area. (Lunch at Taco House was okay.)

On Monday morning, our host very kindly drove us the 8 miles to the start of the ride – and we had a good day of riding, 41 miles. The weather was hot and humid and the wind was very intense at times but scenery lovely. We had coffee and a pastry at an overwhelmed coffee shop in Milford – then on for some church pancakes in a field east of Okoboji.

Before we even hopped on a bike, we did some shopping at Three Sons in Milford (photo above), which turned out to be a half a block from our team’s campground. The discounts on the top floor are well worth a visit!

Francine, Russ and Betsy, Arnold’s Park, Ragbrai 2014

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Filed under Agritourism, bike trails, biking, Iowa

Tagged as arnold's park, emmetsburg iowa, maxwell's arnold's park, milford Iowa, Okoboji, ragbrai, three sons okoboji

July 17, 2014 · 11:06 pm

How to act like an ag expert on Ragbrai! Use handy podcasts from Iowa ag dept.

Iowa farm, 1875.

I’m often asked agriculture questions by my out-of-town guests here in Iowa and when my husband, the family ag expert, isn’t available, I have to wing it (or bluff it). I’ve gotten better with time but still I am amused to see that Iowa’s ag secretary is providing podcasts to answer Iowa ag questions during Ragbrai. Now this may come in handy – especially with our Ragbrai-riding visitors from England. More below!

PODCASTS TELL STORY OF IOWA AGRICULTURE ALONG 2014 RAGBRAI ROUTE

DES MOINES –Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey announced that podcasts showcasing Iowa agriculture along the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa ® (RABGRAI ®) route are available to listen and/or download.

The podcasts are available at www.iowaagcasts.com or through iTunes by searching for the keyword “Iowa Agcasts”.

“The beauty and fertility of Iowa’s land is very evident this time of year and these podcasts will highlight the importance of diversity of Iowa agriculture as riders travel across the state,” Northey said. “Agriculture is so important to our state and we hope RAGBRAI® participants and others will listen to these podcasts and learn more about all that is happening on the farms across Iowa.”

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, together with many partners, created one podcast for each leg of the ride. Each podcast has an interview of one or two local individuals involved in agriculture. This is the second year for the podcasts.

The podcasts are unique in that they show the diversity of Iowa’s agriculture. Listeners meet a woman leader in agriculture, a dairy farmer in northwest Iowa, Mr. Pork Chop, who got his nickname from 25 years selling Iowa Chops at RAGBRAI®, and more.

“Opportunities through this podcast to be able to hear some of the things that you’ll see on your route. Be able to understand pieces of it, probably raise some questions about what’s going on out there as well.” Northey states in his introductory podcast.

The 42^nd year of RAGBRAI® begins July 20^th and goes until July 26^th. To see details of the route, go to www.ragbrai.com.

-30-

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Filed under Agritourism, biking, Iowa

Tagged as agriculture, ragbrai

November 3, 2013 · 4:54 pm

Rooting for the Hotel Pattee and the Whiterock Conservancy – Perry/Coon Rapids Iowa

The DM Register has a good profile of the new owner of the Hotel Pattee – a one-of-a-kind gem of a boutique hotel in Perry, Iowa, about 45 minutes west of Des Moines. Here’s hoping he succeeds! In another Register section is a story about the Whiterock Conservancy – a developing tourist attraction about 30 miles west of Perry in Coon Rapids that will offer trails for mountain biking, hiking and horseback riding (more below – it would be great to visit on a perfect fall day like today in Des Moines where the autumn foliage is spectacular this year!). Put these two together and maybe there’s a successful weekend travel package (which has been part of the issue with the Hotel Pattee…since there are limited things for tourists to do there).

In 2000, when I wrote a story for the NYTimes travel section Historic Hybrid in Iowa, NYTimes 11/26/2000 about a stay at the historic Garst Farm in Coon Rapids (which now falls under the umbrella of Whiterock Conservancy and is still a lodging option from what I can glean from the website whiterock conservancy website ) we went on a very memorable 2.5 hours horseback ride with our kids. They were very little (ages 8 and 7) to be riding on such big horses by themselves so I was a bit of a wreck but they survived. I ended the account of our trip with a visit to the Hotel Pattee. It can be done!

Another good activity option near Perry is the High Trestle Trail with it’s awe-inspiring 13-story high bridge, hidden in the middle of nowhere, spanning a glorious river valley.

WHITEROCK, CROSSING A THRESHOLD

Next summer Whiterock will embark on the construction of our long-planned 35 mile backcountry trail!
The entire new backcountry trail will be open to walkers and hikers as it meanders among the forested slopes above the Middle Raccoon River. Sixteen miles of the trail will be a winding single track designed specifically for mountain bikers. bicycle rider Another seven miles will be for equestrians.The final twelve miles will be double track shared by all users, including those using low power vehicles to allow those with mobility restrictions the opportunity to enjoy nature. horses and riders Trail users will also be able to access nine miles of other existing trails which connect to downtown Coon Rapids and many more miles of river upstream.

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Filed under Agritourism, bike trails, Des Moines, hiking, Iowa

Tagged as coon rapids iowa, garst farm, high trestle trail, hotel pattee perry iowa, new york times travel section, Whiterock Conservancy

September 23, 2013 · 7:23 pm

Good times/little sleep at Lake Red Rock’s Wallashuck Campground in Iowa

Wallashuck campgrounds, Lake Red Rock, Iowa. Pitching our tent.

Friends talked us into camping with them last Saturday at Lake Red Rock, outside the pretty Dutch Iowa town of Pella, and we’re glad they did. It was gorgeous there and perfect weather. My only issue was sleeping in a tent – which I haven’t done in several years, for good reason I learned. Even though we brought padding, my bum back couldn’t get acclimated to the still-hard ground beneath my sleeping bag. I finally gave up at about 4 a.m. and sat in a lawn chair outside our tent, wrapped in my sleeping bag, reading a magazine with a flashlight under a full moon and waiting for dawn which, when it arrived, was very welcome. I walked down to the late through a clearing in the woods and found the lake lovely – still, very pale blue with mist rising, only me and the geese paddling and crying out.

Eating half – yes, just half – of a Goldie’s Pork Tenderloin sandwich

We stayed at Wallashuck campground which was smaller than some of the others and nice and quiet and shaded, with easy access to a bike trail riding the lake which we rode in both directions, including to the city of Pella where we just missed getting the city’s famed fresh bologna at one of two markets in town (both closed at 4) – the only other place I look forward to bologna is in the western Kansas town of Lucas. But we did get some good sweets at one of Pella’s Dutch bakeries! (coconut and date macaroons at Jaarsma Bakery. We’re not Dutch Letter fans, an S-shaped flakey pastry filled with almond pastry, which is their real claim to fame). En route to Pella, we passed a cute b&b, The Cheesemakers Inn which I gather is run by the same folks that make gouda cheese sold at the Des Moines Farmers market (Frisian Farm.)

On Sunday, we drove to the nearby Neal Smith Prairie Life Center, looking for trails to bike and roaming buffaloes. Didn’t find either. We stopped in Prairie City at Goldie’s and tried one of its famous enormous pork tenderloins, most recently featured in the New York Times (I think we sat next to the same people when we were there!) NYTimes eats in Iowa It’s not my thing but I gave it a go – opting for the pork tenders (slightly less caloric because there’s no bun.) Cute place in former brick gas station on the edge of a quintessential small rural town in Iowa.