September 12, 2014 · 5:34 pm

Canoe options in Iowa – for future reference

Good canoeing options offered today by the DM Register – for future reference:20140831-194829.jpg

 

The Iowa River meanders through the central and eastern parts of Iowa, protected by the Iowa River Greenbelt, an effort started in the 1980s to connect Iowans to this river with hundreds of adjacent acres of recreational and protected lands.

It means there are plenty of trees carpeting the deep river valley, where a rocky stream that isn’t much wider than 75 feet bustles through.

I recently checked out a segment, a short 6-mile trip from Steamboat Rock to Eldora.

“It has bluffs, a rocky bottom and a nice drop (or gradient). It’s a nice stretch of river,” said Sandra Morlan of Rock-n-Row Adventures in Eldora.

If you go

Here are other recommendations of paddling trips with good fall colors from Central Iowa Paddlers and Todd Robertson, the DNR’s River Programs Outreach Coordinator.

• Red Rock Water Trail at Lake Red Rock: This 36-mile trail is a great back-up plan if stream levels are too low. The trail includes rocky cliffs and a sea cave at Elk Rock State Park and a paddle-in campsite at Hickory Ridge. Eagles’ nests and migratory birds make for great wildlife viewing and fall colors are in blaze, especially around Hickory Ridge. Use caution on windy days that create big waves on the lake. As the days get colder a wetsuit may be needed.

• Middle/South Raccoon Water Trail near Adel and Redfield: The Middle Raccoon’s high bluffs and the South’s unspoiled, remote woods make these great rivers in Central Iowa for fall colors. They are also good fishing streams for catfish, smallmouth bass and walleye.

• Middle River Water Trail near Winterset: A nice trip is from Roseman Covered Bridge to Pammel State Park. The river is tight, usually only 50 feet wide, which makes for a nice tree-lined trip. The river may be swift in higher waters, but watch out for low water in fall. The covered bridges of Madison County are famous for love, of course, so bring a honey on this one.

• Upper Iowa River near Decorah: If you want to take a longer drive, it may be worth it. Although it’s not yet an official state trail, this National Wild and Scenic River is nothing short of a gem and has long topped the lists of paddlers statewide. The water is spring-fed and clear, and the rocky bottom leaves fun riffles to paddle through, all along breathtaking bluffs that rise up to 60 feet. Fall paddlers love this one, of course, because of the surrounding blanket of trees and forests and the selection of numerous outfitters to drop you off.

DETAILS:

DNR maps and brochures of Iowa water trails:www.iowadnr.gov/Recreation/CanoeingKayaking/WaterTrails/WaterTrailMapsBrochures.aspx.

For nearby outfitters to rent canoes or kayaks, go towww.iowadnr.gov/Recreation/CanoeingKayaking/PaddlerResources.aspx.

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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.)image

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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September 1, 2014 · 1:15 am

Trout Run Trail, Magpie, sugar Bowl ice cream,– Decorah

Dunn's Spring

Dunn’s Spring

Trout run trail, Decorah

Trout run trail, Decorah

Along trout run trail

Along trout run trail

We have been on a lot of bike trails in Iowa but Decorah’s new Trout Run Trail is the most consistently gorgeous. It is only an 11 mile loop but what an 11 miles.We rode along the rushing waters of the Upper Iowa, past high stone bluffs furry with trees, past picture postcard farmsteads, (the white farmhouse, red wood and stone barn, the black and white grazing cattle), through dazzling fields of tall corn and soybeans and almost psychedelic-green grass.  We stopped at the top of a high hill and looked out for miles across the rolling fields. Later we stopped at a large trout hatchery with pools full of jumping rainbow trout soon to be in Iowa steams.

For breakfast we got lucky at Magpie, a coffee house with excellent French toast and scrambled egg wraps and surprisingly swift service,  given the crowd that arrived. We also enjoyed Agora Arts,  a terrific crafts gallery; the Oneota Community Co-Op, Dunn’s Springs (the closest to Ithaca’s falls I’ve seen in Iowa), Seed Savers, and the Sugar Bowl ice cream shoppe (sitting on the second floor balcony watching the action on water street, the main drag).

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September 1, 2014 · 12:56 am

canoeing on the upper Iowa, fern hollow, rubiyat: Decorah Iowa!

image image

Fern hollow, Decorah

Fern hollow, Decorah

It is very dark and very quiet, except for the pulsing sound of crickets outside our screen windows in this charming back-to-basics, almost -off-the grid room of blond wood, ceramics, antiques and crafts. we are staying in the room for rent (via air b&b) of a family’s handmade wooden house deep in a wooded hollow (hence the name: fern hollow).

It always impresses me when I visit a place like this, that a family has made a place so uniquely theirs, making such a commitment to creating the life they want, living with the courage of their convictions. In this case, there is a strong sustainable living and ag vibe here (we peed in a toilet filled with sawdust. Reminded me of kitty litter — apparently to save on water…which is better than the option for the family staying deeper in the hollow in a restored 150-year old cabin built by the owners’ Norwegian ancestors. They have to walk in the dark to an outhouse). I feel a bit sheepish typing on this iPad but I won’t be able to post. No wifi, no cell phone calls. Which is refreshing. A ceramic bowl full of red and gold raspberries from the bount20140831-194829.jpgiful garden here was waiting for us in our room.

We had a nice easy float on the upper Iowa river on a spectacular day. It finally stopped raining so everything is very green and the sky was finally bright and blue with huge puffy white clouds above green but yellowing fields of tall corn. We hired a canoe for two hours at one of our usual spots – chimney rock. All good except for some obnoxious rowdy fellow canoeists – but hey it’s Labor Day weekend. Paddling past the high stone bluffs and grassy banks, we saw an eagle soaring high above us and blue egrets flapping and little goldfinches darting here and there. Lovely.

Dinner in Decorah at rubiyat was excellent. Such a pretty town full of beautiful old homes, a very well kept downtown with brick storefronts almost all filled with small independent businesses, some mom and pop types that have been here for years, plus good galleries, a food co-op, a diverse smattering of restaurants including my favorite name for a soft serve ice cream stand : the whippy dip!
Now if you will excuse me, I have to leaf through a photo book about tree houses that I found on our book shelves.

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August 29, 2014 · 7:20 pm

Okoboji in the NYTimes travel section

Good travel story on Okoboji and the Iowa Great Lakes in the NYTimes (which unforunately I didn’t write – but could have if I wasn’t so busy riding my bike through northwest Iowa on RAGBRAI last June!)

see: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/31/travel/in-iowa-an-oasis-of-family-vacations-past.html?ref=travel

 

IF YOU GO

Where to Stay

Fillenwarth Beach (87 Lakeshore Drive, Arnolds Park, Iowa; fillenwarthbeach.com; from $160 in summer).

Crescent Beach Lodge (1619 Lakeshore Drive, Milford, Iowa; crescentbeachlodge.com; from $370 in summer).

Where to Eat and Drink

West O Beer (503 Terrace Park Boulevard, West Okoboji, Iowa; westobeer.com). Microbrewery and taproom.

Restaurant 1856 (Central Emporium, 144 Lakeshore Drive, Arnolds Park, Iowa;restaurant1856.com). Modern American cuisine, sunset views.

The O’Farrell Sisters Restaurant (1109 Lake Shore Drive, Okoboji; parksmarina.com) has been turning out breakfasts and lunches for nearly 70 years.

What to Do

Arnolds Park Amusement Park (37 Lake Street, Arnolds Park; arnoldspark.com). The Legend roller coaster is $8 a ride. Some attractions, like the Tipsy House, are free.

University of Okoboji merchandise is available at the Three Sons (902 10th Street, Milford; thethreesons.com).

A version of this article appears in print on August 31, 2014, on page TR9 of the New Yor

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August 25, 2014 · 5:15 pm

A little corned beef to pass the time at Midway Airport (Manny’s Deli in Chicago)

imageI was not pleased to learn that my 2.5 hour wait at Chicago’s Midway airport for a connecting flight  last week had grown to 3.5 hours (due to weather delays) but I was delighted to find an outpost of Manny’s – the famous Chicago deli that I have meant to visit, after strong recommendations from my son and stepdaughter – right by the Southwest gates at the airport. I had a fantastic corned beef sandwich on rye for a late dinner!

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August 22, 2014 · 1:41 am

Finding my way around a place I used to live: Stamford

Stew's

Stew’s

New England scene, Trumbull

New England scene, Trumbull

I easily found the house I lived in some 28 years ago, although it has clearly been restored to its former glory (before five 20-somethings, including me, rented it). There it was, all tarted up on Interlaken Road, just off High ridge Road and exit 35 of the Merritt Parkway. But I was soon lost in downtown Stamford, whose skyline has radically changed since my days as a reporter there. I never did find the Stamford Advocate. I am pretty sure it is not where it once was. Oh well. I moved onto to SoNo (south Norwalk) and it took me awhile to get my gap bearings there too although I finally remembered Washington street was the old heart of the renovated area! which has now spread beyond to several other blocks.

Fortunately Stew Leonard’s, the mega supermarket/ kids funhouse is much the same and the place still makes me smile with its kitschy Chuckie Cheese-like figures dotting the food displays. fortunately the food looks as good as ever and my suitcase is full of bagels, bialys and a Cronut or two (part croissant, part donut). oh and two cans of bumblebee tuna, which I can’t seem to find anymore in Iowa. Myra and I had a good lunch at Valencia lucheria, a taqueria  in Norwalk…I had an arepa with pork (sort of a deep I ate is called. it’s Venezuelan.

Ye olde house...Stamford

Ye olde house…Stamford

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August 20, 2014 · 10:44 am

Good eats in New Britain, Fairfield, Monroe Connecticut

Fairfield beach with Myra

Fairfield beach with Myra

Work brought me to the central Connecticut city of New Britain but I arrived hungry and in a hurry after an early morning flight from Iowa. Looking for a place to grab a quick bite before a 2:30 pm meeting, I was prepared for something like Subway. Instead I got lucky and stumbled upon a terrific homey deli called Angelo’s where I had an excellent tuna sub, a safe and dull option given all the other good options (Stromboli sandwiches, loaves of bread slathered with pesto etc) but it did the trick.

In Monroe last night with BFF Myra and her lovely daughter Emma (shout out to Shane, are you reading?) We had a delicious meal on the patio of Tula...good sandwiches, pasta, salads, flat breads.) I had bucatini alla amitriana (sort of a red sauce version of carbonara with out the cream but with the bacon.)

The next night we picked up salads at Chefs Table in Fairfield and had primo seats, on the beach in Fairfield. Perfect night with old friends.

Beach picnic with Myra and David, Fairfield.

Beach picnic with Myra and David, Fairfield.

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August 12, 2014 · 7:24 pm

American Gothic, Kevin Costner at the Iowa State Fair

fair2014photo (85)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!

Guilty Pleasure: Curly Fries!

 

 

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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

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

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

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