After touring a reconstructed prairie in 100 degree heat (which was lovely except for some very irritating little flies with a nasty bite), we stopped by the Peace Tree Brewery in nearby Knoxville, which is in an airy old brown brick building, and then ate burgers around the corner at the Swamp Fox, in the town’s cultural center (which were guessing was once an old meeting hall.) Darned good patty melt! We passed a good looking ice cream stand on the way west out of town but were too full to partake. Peace Tree is open officially for samples on Thursday and Friday late afternoon and eves and on the weekends. We’ll have to return sometime.
Tag Archives: Iowa
Great Western Trail from Park Ave./Des Moines to Cumming – quiet friday
As expected, we had the trail almost to ourselves on Friday because 1) it’s a week day 2) so many cyclists were away on RAGBRAI. We had an easy 20 mile ride from Park Avenue in Des Moines to Cumming although we almost had a collision with a fast-moving golf cart when we rode through the golf course. In Cumming, we found a good picnic spot in the local park on a picnic table under an overhang. And got my friend N’s soft tire filled with air at a very cool shop that redoes vintage English sports cars (on tap – a very sweet pale green Jaguar convertible and a jaunty white and red paneled Aston Healy convertible.). Was sorry to hear that the guy who fixes and shows off vintage juke boxes in town – I did a story about him years ago – has retired.
Filed under bike trails, biking, Iowa
My first taste of Ragbrai – why haven’t I done this earlier???
I LOVED IT! Granted I only rode 37 of the 56 miles (from Slater to Altoona Iowa) on one of seven days of RAGBRAI – but I loved everything about it. The scenery – small towns with welcoming residents, from kids offering welcome sprays from water hoses to elderly people sitting in lawn chairs clapping, to farm families rooting by ringing a cowbell as we chugged up a steep hill; picture postcard perfect farmsteads, fields and fields of corn and beans; the scene – riders of every shape, size, complexion, age, attire on all kind of contraptions (a variety of bikes, upright, recombinant,old-fashioned, sleek and modern, tandems, triple-seat bikes, plus the occasional wheelchair), great food (pastafari’s pesto pasta/ariabiatta pasta with sautéed zucchini and grilled salmon outside of Alleman, terrific rhubarb/strawberry pie in Elkhart, a homemade citrus sorbet bar (which completely hit the spot when we arrived in Altoona in 94 degree heat/humidity completely dripping with sweat). Eating my sorbet bar and watching nine very cute kids do a pretty impressive musical performance where they all danced and played the drums was perfect! I met people from Brooklyn, Vancouver, Oak Park (Illinois); Oregon, all over really. I’d really love to go again tomorrow but not sure I’m physically up for it. Next year, maybe I’ll do more serious training and try to do more of the ride.
Filed under Agritourism, biking, Iowa
Day tripper – on Ragbrai in Iowa
We’re off tomorrow morning to Slater, Iowa about 35 miles north of Des Moines to tag along for a day on Ragbrai – not exactly sure what to expect but figure it’s a good way to get a brief taste of what it’s like to ride bikes alongside thousands of other people through Iowa’s countryside and small towns. We’re only riding 34 miles of the 56 mile route tomorrow but that’s a lot for my friend and I – and who knows, if we enjoy it, maybe we’ll do more next year. (My friend did the entire Ragbrai ride across Iowa last year.) In preparation, I’ve bought an inner tube in case I have any tire issues. Wish me luck.
Filed under bike trails, biking, Iowa
Places to check out along the new High Trestle Trail in Iowa
The High Trestle trail just north of Des Moines officially opens today and here are some places the DMRegister recommends checking out along it:
– Woodward: Lake Robbins Ballroom, Woodward Hardware’s Antique Toy (nuts and bolts and antique toys and other antiques)
– Madrid – Baldy’s Chill and Grill opening soon in the old American Legion building
– Slater – Snus HIll Winery, with a tasting room, a mile north of the trail along a gravel road
– The Bridge, of course: A 13-story high bridge originally built in 1973 that has been redesigned with six overlooks, four art installation/towers at each end and 41 steel frames overhead that light up in the dark.
Filed under bike trails, biking, Iowa
Authentic Italian food in Sioux Center, Iowa?
I don’t get up to northwest Iowa often – especially on a weekend – but if/when I do, I plan to check out the Backroom Bistro, a restaurant in Sioux Center run by Giovanni Romano, a native New Yorker who somehow ended up in Iowa and is making killer bruschetta, stuffed shells, veal manicotti, giambotto, cannoli and lasagna Florentine, according to a surprising story in Sunday’s NYTimes. The bistro operates out of the back of the Fruited Plain Cafe, serving meals for 50 people on Friday and Saturday nights.
From chilly nyc (and missing cobra at the Bronz zoo) back to snowy Iowa
Didn’t expect snow when we landed at 10 this morning in Des Moines. Hope it melts soon. I got up at 3:45 a.m. for a 6 a.m. flight from LaGuardia.
Yesterday we braved the Bronx Zoo – and my friend who had the idea conveniently neglected to tell us that an Egyptian cobra had gone missing from the Reptile House. No joke. Which may explain why the place was so empty. I thought it was the cold weather and a March Monday. The good part is we had the place almost to ourselves – and we did not chance upon any cobras (although we did see some snakes, safely behind glass enclosures.)
I wandered around the charming narrow backstreets of the Meatpacking District, passing by various foodie havens included The Spotted Pig (restaurant) and Murray’s (cheese shop) for a few hours before meeting my brother and his lovely wife at Barbuto – a fashionable restaurant on Washington and 12th Streets. The crowd was a little too self-consciously fashionable for me and the ambiance a little too stark (post car-garage interior) but the food, by bigname chef Jonathan Waxman – was terrific. And the company, the best! My brother loved the roasted chicken, which had skin that was crispy without appearing breaded or battered or even fried. I had pot roast atop creamy white polenta that I initially mistook for mashed potatoes. Delicious. The side order of potatoes appeared to be prepared similarly to the chicken – very crispy but also not greasy and served with fresh dusting of Parmesan and sprigs of Rosemary. Yum.
Filed under DINING, New York City, Uncategorized
Old Crow Farm for rescued junk – in Central Iowa
Okay – so here’s the scoop on Old Crow Farm which I found out by trekking to Earlham Iowa today. The three-times-a-year sale that used to happen at the Old Crow Farm is no more I was told. Which was a bit disappointing. It’s been replaced by a soon-t0-be once-a-month sale at Old Crow Farm’s new in-town location, a former 1900’s hardware store that now goes by the name “Rescued Junk” and that’s just what was in there today during the grand opening. Place was packed with people – and there was cider and sweets to mark the occasion. The rescued junk was okay – not as much stuff as I expected, mostly salvaged metal furniture and knickknacks – old tool kits, stools, signs, the kind of old things that were lying around your grandma’s house for years, that need fixing up. The store will be open the next two weekends (Thursday-Saturday) 12/9-12/11 and 12/16-12/18
Filed under antiques, Iowa, Uncategorized
Social B&B networks – the ultimate test:Iowa
Granted, my criteria for the usefulness of Social B&B networks is a bit Iowa-centric – but be that as it may, the only network I could find that included listings for places like Des Moines or Lawrence Kansas is…..airb&B.com
So good for them – and me. Interestingly, since the NYTimes story on these sites ran last Sunday, the number of Iowa options has grown from about 7 to 12. Not all have what I consider to be all-important photos of the lodging – and at least one of the photos was off-putting (two women standing in a worn and cluttered living room with a sagging couch draped in an old quilt. No thank you.)
But there are some great-looking options – a farm house in Cumming outside Des Moines ($30 a night); a beautiful cottage with a front porch overlooking the Mississippi in Dubuque ($100), a 19th-century restored cabin in Decorah ($100), some intriguing vintage trailers ($75) in the woods outside Sioux City owned by some artists and a pretty “historic home” in Iowa City ($55). There’s also an odd Quonset hut dwelling in Dickens, Ia (in northwest Iowa near Spencer) that apparently doubles as an artists’ studio/gallery space. ($50)
Filed under b&b, Des Moines, Iowa, LODGING
The High Trestle Trail – central Iowa
We have now ridden the entire 20 miles of the High Trestle trail – and it’s a nice addition to the trail offerings in this area. Earlier we did the Ankeny to Slater portion. Yesterday we did the Slater to just past Madrid bit – and it was a pleasant trail through wide open cornfields, with a few portions canopied by trees. Just past Madrid the smooth concrete trail goes native – becoming a bumpy gravel trail that leads for about a mile to the Des Moines River and the new High Trestle Trail bridge which is really great. It’s not done yet but we were surprised that we could walk – and even ride if we want – across it. We parked our bikes at the edge and walked onto the bridge to catch the glorious view of the broad river and tree-covered banks, with the occasional motorboat speeding underneath the bridge. A young couple rode their bikes east across the bridge and reported that there was a gravel trail/road on the other side, to date. How great it will be when the bridge opens and the trail going further west is paved!
We had a nice picnic in a pretty little town park in Madrid, near the public library. No one there, just us and the flies.
Filed under bike trails, biking, Iowa
TakeBetsywithyou 