#travel iowa

[badsciencejokes]

What a Weekend!

This past weekend I was invited to Pella, Iowa from the team at Visit Pella.

 Pella, IA is East, and just a touch South, of Des Moines, IA. It's home to the largest working grain windmill in the country, which you can tour!

 Dutch culture is very strong as many of the early residents of Pella were from The Netherlands. While I was sharing my walk-through town on Instagram stories (now on my highlight reel) I received so many messages from my friends in Europe thinking I was there, too! They said the large trucks gave it away that I was still in America. ;)

 What surprised me the most on my trip to Pella was how much of a foodie destination this can be! We had excellent meals and pastries originating from Europe as well as some American classics. There was not a bad meal here to be found! (And we ate enough to be able to tell if there was...) 

 The desserts over at Vander Ploeg Bakery were scrumptious. Don't forget to get a Dutch Letter when you visit! It's a puff pastry with an almond paste. 

 We had coffee over at Iris Coffee - a scientific take on coffee! Pairing what would taste best to get you the most amazing cup of coffee. 

Big Acai Bowl had loads of smoothies and yogurt options for a midday snack or paring to breakfast! 

Van Veen Chocolates had these spectacular cookie butter dark chocolates. Had to tell ourselves not to eat them all in one sitting!!!

We had some amazing beef jerky and beef sticks at In’t Veld’s Meat Market. It was some of the best we've ever tasted! 

Liberty Street Kitchen was inside our hotel, The Royal Amsterdam Hotel . We had steak and fish and they were absolutely delicious. What really knocked our socks off was the crème brûlée! (Which we ate too quickly to get a picture of.) 

We also had some of the Pella Red wine from The Wijn House . It was a perfect way to relax while at the Royal Amsterdam Hotel after walking around town all day.

 I won't lie to you, by lunchtime on our first day in Pella my husband was already discussing when we could come back with friends and family. 

 We didn't even get a chance to enjoy all the outdoor activities near Lake Red Rock. Although I am fairly certain I will go there to enjoy the next astronomical event! 

 I really could go on and on AND ON about how much my husband and I enjoyed Pella, Iowa. Whether you're visiting Iowa, traveling across the US on I-80, wanting to go to Europe without a passport, or just looking for an amazing place to visit, Pella needs to be on your vacation dream list.  

See more of my Pella trip on the @bad_science_jokes Instagram with a full walkthrough or my little synopsis video.

[danishmuseuminterns]

My Iowa Bucket List

I like bucket lists – it’s always nice to read about people achieving their greatest dreams – climbing that mountain, bungee-jumping, all sorts of things!

I am, however, not much of an adrenalin-junkie and I have already been privileged enough to cross off a huge entry on my own bucket list – living abroad. So, why not make a bucket list within a bucket list and pursue the smaller and (mostly) achievable dreams I have while I’m here in Iowa? I think it’s a great idea, so read along for my Iowa bucket list!

See a racoon (in daylight). These lovely trash-pandas look so sweet, and while I better keep my hands to myself, I’ve been saying since the day I got here that I want to see one close up. I actually saw one at night in the car, but that feels like cheating.

See Albert the Bull in Audubon. Ever since I saw a picture of Albert the Bull on Google Maps, I knew I had to get there and see him for myself. The world’s biggest bull is made of concrete, and he is SO CUTE! This weekend, I actually went to see him in the snow along with Amelia, and he is even cuter in real life!

Go to a Casey’s. This gas-station phenomenon is really interesting and I’ve already had the pleasure of tasting their breakfast pizza, which was special in the most perfect way. For someone who lives in a city in Denmark that goes by the name “Slicetown”, I do like a good slice of pizza!

Tivoli Fest. I am of course looking forward to Tivoli Fest and the all the celebrations in Elk Horn and Kimballton in May!

Visit the Wind Mill. I have not yet been to the Danish Wind Mill (I have been to their store for marzipan for Fastelavnsboller – stay tuned for that!) as the cold have been a little too threatening for me. But it looks like some lesser cold days are coming, and then I might go by the beautiful wind mill, “imported” from Nørre Snede.

Go hiking. I’m a nature-lover and I do love a beautiful hike! I’ve heard there are some good hiking trails in the area, so I might try some out in the Spring!

Go to Costco. While this isn’t specifically a Midwestern thing, it is, without a doubt, something I’m considering a “must-experience” before I leave!

The Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium. Ever since I arrived in Elk Horn, I’ve heard several people talk about The Henry Doorly Zoo and as an animal lover – Sign me up! This zoo is supposedly VERY big and well-known for their conservation and animal care!

Iowa State Capitol. The Iowa Statehouse in Des Moines is especially known for its 275-foot golden dome, but also has a very big law library.

The Des Moines Downtown Farmers’ Market. This farmers’ market is rated among the top in the United States and with more than 250 vendors every Saturday from May to October - COUNT ME IN! I love a good farmers’ market and this is a great way to get a taste of other parts of Iowa!

Adventureland. As I mentioned at the top, I’m not really an adrenaline-junkie, but I can appreciate a good roller-coaster and I’ve been informed that Adventureland should be pretty fun!

Is there anything you would recommend doing while I’m in the area?  I’m definitely taking recommendations! There are some obvious Midwestern / Iowan things I’ve had to cut from my list already – for example I will not be here for the Iowa State Fair – I’ll have to come back for that!

[captainmartin20]

OMG THEE GOAT

[spirk-trek]

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending my very first Trekfest in 📍 Riverside, Iowa [future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk]

[gladyourenothere]

“Merry Xmas and Happy New Year from Mrs. Egland. Morse, IA, Dec. 21, 1910.” Morse, IA Postmarked 1910

[found-in-nomadland]

Riverside, Iowa ✨

[lamentablequeen]

@unloneliest little hyperspecific snippet of my big driving webweave that lives in my head

Night Errand - Jeremy Miranda // Iowa - Dar Williams // Late Night And Longing - Dmitri Cavander // Making the Most of the Night - Carly Rae Jepsen // Traffic - Erika Lee Sears

[whimsispence]

first stop in iowa, Des Moines!

[postcardaday]

Clayton House 227 Leclaire Davenport, Iowa

[benreyandpootisadventures]

yearning

[dailytraingirl]

does anyone want to go on a huge roadtrip with me (i can't drive) and we will go cross-country and see everything and blast music and scream along to it and the windows will be open and we will get our favorite junk food at stops along the way and we can be the tiktok guys cooking pasta on the roof of their car and we'll go the beach whenever we want and do literally whatever we want wherever we want

reblog if you want to come with me

[ratingreststops]

Lemoni Rest Area off I-35 South IA bathroom - 8/10, very clean and nice, again with the weirdly short stalls in Iowa, though. not AS short as others I've seen, but still short. Are people from Iowa shorter than the rest of the US???? food/drink - 8.5/10, very reasonable selection, and indoors. novelty - 9/10, the pac man stuff, the mosaic on the floor, and more; gorgeous! grounds - 10/10, this is only the second 10 I have ever given on the grounds. two overlooks, several walking trails, and a courtyard, overlooking a lake and two different rivers. this is the most nature/walking friendly one i have been two! there was also a fancy spigot. 💦 overall - 9/10, not a 10 because I know Iowa has some much better rest stops, but this is still the cream of the freaking crop compared to the rest of the country. how nice it is for the location+its location on the IA border+the empty room off to the side makes me think this probably used to be a welcome center but didn't get enough visitors to keep funding that part. it would be nice if that near-empty room could be converted into a space with some seating instead of being a weird & sad liminal space, though. :)

[cheaprv]

Council Bluffs, Iowa. Photo by Tim Umphreys.

[rabbitcruiser]

The Lincoln Highway, the first automobile highway across United States, was dedicated on October 31, 1913.

[nogendermoretrees]

While I'm riding the train to my next adventure, please enjoy this account of August's Great State Fair Road Trip.

[thethinkingman]

#coffee #java #mugs #novelty #gifts #thelittlethings #mornings #truckstop #iowa #iowa80 #travel #trucker #truckerslife #cdl #cdllife #bluecollar