When I first started this website, I lived in New Mexico with no plans to leave. I built my To-Do List based on the idea that I would be having my adventures in and around New Mexico.
The problem is, I don’t live in New Mexico any more.
Not to say that I won’t eventually get to the things I put on my to-do list, but it’s going to be a tad more difficult to do them from 1,000 miles away. That said, I need to make some adjustments to my To-Do list.
We live in Coralville, which is a scant 70 miles from the border of Illinois, and less than 90 miles from Missouri. My to-do list may include some things in these neighboring states, so my “Iowa To-Do List” may really be more of a “Midwest To-Do List.” But here are a few things I plan on doing and seeing.
Maquoteka Caves State Park
Maquoketa (pronounces ma-KO-ke-ta) Caves State Park offers ample hiking, with six miles of trails running through enormous bluffs and forests. The park offers about 13 caves that can be explored, though some of them will remain off-limits to me. Ya know. With the claustrophobia and all…
The park is under an hour and a half north east of us just outside the fittingly-named city of Maquoketa and offers other amenities such as camping and group shelters. There’s also a visitor’s center and museum, both of which check off very important boxes for me.
This will be an early spring visit, stay tuned for a trip report on that!
Amana Colonies
Settled in the 1850s by German immigrants, the Amana Colonies are a group of seven smaller villages linked by the Amana Trail.
The Germans lived a wholly self-contained communal lifestyle until the Great Depression in 1932 when the Amana Society, Inc was formed to manage the farmland, the mills and other larger enterprises, including the birth of the Amana Corporation (originally The Electrical Equipment Co.) The Amana Corporation would go on to manufacture refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners and more, and would eventually be bought by Maytag, who in turn would be bought out by Whirlpool.
Meanwhile, the community was declared a national landmark in 1965 and now currently maintains its historic charm in the way of brick and clapboard homes and large gardens.
The Amana Colonies are a short, half-hour drive west and will likely be the very first outing we make beyond Iowa City.
John Wayne Birthplace Museum
In 1907, Marion Robert Morrison was born in Winterset, Iowa, just southwest of Des Moines. Twenty two years later, that man would change his name to John Wayne and leave a legacy like none other.
After appearing in over 150 feature films over the course of over 50 years, Duke would come to be known as the strong, manly man (his height of 6’4″ certainly helped, I’m sure.)
Wayne died of stomach cancer in 1979. Nearly 30 years later, during the year of what would have been his 100th birthday, ground was broken on the John Wayne Birthplace Museum.
The museum features the four-room house where Wayne was born, adjacent to a 6,100 square foot museum.
Now look, I’m not going to sit here and tell you I’m the world’s biggest John Wayne fan. In fact, I’ve only ever seen one of his movies (True Grit) and that was only because I was interested in seeing the 2010 remake, but there is no denying that Wayne is a cherished American figure and visiting the museum is certainly a trip worth making.
Plus, it’s in Madison County, so we can see some covered bridges while we’re at it.
And More
Of course, there’s plenty more in Iowa to see and do, including other stuff that’s on the To-Do List that didn’t make it here, and I plan on adding to the list as I find more things to do.
Until then, though, make sure you stay tuned, and, as always, thanks for stopping by. I appreciate you.
-Phil