Shae, Truffles and I spent a month in Iowa in recent months. We spent a couple of weeks there in late June/early July, then returned for another couple of weeks later in July having headed back to Nebraska in between to visit Omaha for a week
I enjoyed Iowa far more than I thought I would. It was prettier than I was expecting and there were more things to do than I’d initially given it credit for.
Here’s our best and worst things from our month in Iowa. It was written slightly different to normal – I normally fill out my parts first, then Shae does hers. This time she completed her parts first, so if you see me referring to her answers, that’s why!
Favorite Accommodation We Stayed At
Stephen – Like Shae, the Hyatt Place Iowa City Downtown. We had a nice corner room on the top floor, but the best parts were how pet-friendly it was as well as how wonderful the staff were.
Shae – The Hyatt Place in Iowa City – no competition. Staff so amazing I still think of them fondly and so much pet-friendlier than most hotels – even dog-friendly ones.
Favorite Meal
Stephen – This is tough. It’s a toss-up between the pizza I had at Cedar Ridge Distillery and the curried fried rice I got from Thai Flavors in Iowa City – both were delicious.
Shae – Either the cheese and meat board or the grilled cheese – both from Cedar Ridge Winery & Distillery. On RAGBRAI it was the steak sandwich from the Double M food truck which was so good I had 5 or 6 during the week.
Most Disappointing Meal
Stephen – I don’t remember having a meal that was disappointing.
Shae – Mr. Porkchop on my RAGBRAI ride – it’s a RAGBRAI favorite/staple and it was… eh. A pork chop.
Favorite Free Activity
Stephen – Watching Shae cross the RAGBRAI finish line. OK, so RAGBRAI wasn’t free as such, but me getting to watch her complete the challenge was.
Shae – Kissing every barn animal from the east to the west along RAGBRAI. Also, truly, the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Sioux City, Iowa was great. Honorable mention to the John Deere Museum. Biking along the High Trestle trail in Des Moines also gets an honorable mention.
Favorite Paid Activity
Stephen – Even though I didn’t ride it myself – RAGBRAI!
Shae – RAGBRAI – it ain’t cheap! But it was really fun.
Favorite Pet-Friendly Activity
Stephen – The Fenelon Place Elevator in Dubuque.
Shae – We didn’t see as much that was pet-friendly in Iowa, but the John Deere Museum is pet-friendly if they are small in a bag or stroller. But I loved that the funicular in Dubuque was pet-friendly!
Least Favorite Activity
Stephen – Being up super-early during RAGBRAI.
Shae – RAGBRAI! LOL – just kidding. Only day 5 wasn’t great. My least favorite activity was from my training – I went over to the Devonian Fossil Gorge and wasn’t impressed.
Favorite Hike
Stephen – Like Shae says below, we didn’t really go hiking in Iowa, but walking to the High Trestle Trail Bridge at nighttime was fun.
Shae – We didn’t really hike but I enjoyed the night walk to the High Trestle Trail Bridge.
Favorite Quirky Thing We Did
Stephen – Easily Matchstick Marvels – incredibly impressive works of art. I was surprised Shae hadn’t mentioned that, but apparently she forgot about it being in Iowa!
Shae – Seeing Iowa’s Largest Frying Pan as well as the Shrine of the Grotto of Redemption on a meetup town for RAGBRAI.
Favorite Memory
Stephen – Seeing Shae complete RAGBRAI.
Shae – Meeting Gideon and his mom for a photo shoot/pet with Truffles. He’s on IG and we’ve been looking forward to connecting with him for months.
I loved meeting my FB RAGBRAI group friends in person as well as making new friends. My favorite RAGBRAI memory is a toss up between sitting on Bufford – the Midwest’s Largest Steer – and completing my 100 mile day and getting my Century Patch. It was fun seeing Robert, a friend from High School, in Dubuque and riding the funicular with him.
Funniest Moment
Stephen – Some of the inappropriately-named food and drink items at Zombie Burger + Drink Lab in Des Moines. 2 Swirls, 1 Cup and Human Centipeach were two of the best/worst.
Shae – The slip n’ slide and Donkey Show – both on Day 2 of RAGBRAI. Also, going all “Lady and the Tramp” with a goat.
Thing We Most Regretted
Stephen – Not seeing even more of the weird and quirky roadside attractions dotted all over Iowa. We had a list of 20+, but only had a chance to see 8 of them.
Shae – Missing most of Des Moines. I needed to go home to Virginia, so I flew out and back that week but I missed out on most of the city because of it.
Something We Missed And Want To See
Stephen – Spirit Lake in the north of Iowa as that apparently has glacier lakes and is meant to be really pretty.
Shae – There’s meant to be a pretty river in the far north that we missed and the World’s Largest Truck Stop.
Our Biggest Surprise
Stephen – How scenic Iowa is. I’d pictured it all being flat with only corn fields to see. While that’s a reasonable portion of the state, it was much prettier and more interesting than I’d have given Iowa credit for.
Shae – How surprisingly pretty Iowa sunrises and corn fields can be – as well as the North East area near Lansing – that was our last RAGBRAI day with a ton of hills but some really beautiful scenery.
My Iowa Drinking Game Would Be…
Stephen – Take a drink every time you see a quirky roadside attraction.
Shae – Take a drink for every animal you see that you think I’d kiss! That’s a very specific NHJR related game I know.
Summary Of Iowa In 10 Words Or Less
Stephen – Prettier and more to do than I expected.
Shae – Lots of corn. If you can ride RAGBRAI – do it.
Iowa Cities We Visited In Order From Favorite To Least Favorite
Stephen – Shae got to experience a bit more of the lunch and stopover towns on RAGBRAI, so I’ll only rank the cities where I really spent any time outside of RAGBRAI – Iowa City, Des Moines, Dubuque, Sioux City.
Shae – Iowa City, Sioux City, Pocahontas (RAGBRAI), Mason City (RAGBRAI), Des Moines, Ida Grove (RAGBRAI), Dubuque, West Bend (RAGBRAI), Emmetsburg (RAGBRAI), Lawler (RAGBRAI), Lansing (RAGBRAI), Sergeant Bluff (RAGBRAI), and far below… West Union (RAGBRAI).
There’s an article in today’s NYT where the writer obsesses on her inability to have fun, and not really knowing what fun means. You guys should comment – because you know how to have fun, even in the least promising (on the surface) places like Iowa! Thanks for sharing your energy!
Thank you!