5 Destinations You Should Explore In Northeast Iowa

In northeast Iowa and looking for something to do this Summer? Some believe that Iowa offers nothing more than flat farm land with very little else to see but pigs, corn, and soybeans. How wrong they are! There are many attractions, for you and your family to enjoy this Summer, just waiting to be discovered. Check out some of these destinations for your Summer explorations.

1. Nobles Island Park is just south of the beautiful Iowa town of Harper's Ferry along the Great River Road. On the Mississippi River, Nobles Island has an Artesian Well that is cool and refreshing, beautiful scenery, along with a boat jetty and dock to launch your vessel. Off the beaten path, this little gem of a park is peaceful and full of natural wonders. It is also a quiet place to picnic with family and friends.

   

   Artesian Well At Nobles Island Park

   
   

   

   The Mississippi River At Nobles Island Park

2. Pikes Peak near McGregor, Iowa is always a stunning place to visit. This venue is perched high above the Mississippi River on gorgeous tree filled cliffs. Hiking trails, waterfalls, a visitor's center where refreshments are sold, camping, and picnic areas with spectacular views are just a few of the amenities that await you at this incredibly majestic park. This is a must see view across the water to Wisconsin. Take in the vast magnificent waterway where the Wisconsin River meets the mighty Mississippi.

   

   The view off of the Pikes Peak cliff.

   
   

   

   View number 2!

   
   

   

   Bridal Veil Falls in Pikes Peak State Park

   
   
3. The Field Of Dreams! If you have seen the movie then you should see the place it was made. A lush baseball field is postured, near Dyersville, Iowa, in the middle of the cornfields out in the countryside. Walk where stars have walked. Sit where Kevin Costner and James Earl Jones sat while watching players from a lost era of baseball play. Tour the house from the movie and purchase souvenirs at the visitor's store. Maybe you will even catch a game! Run the bases and pose for pictures out in the gorgeous corn fields where players appeared. Be part of the dream.

   

   The house from the movie Field Of Dreams.

   
   

   

   The Field Of Dreams

4. Enjoy Fontana Park near Hazelton, Iowa. In this park set back in the woods, you will see Bison roam. A small nature center with wolves, bear, fox, native birds, and other creatures is available for your viewing. Spend time in the picnic areas or fish near the dam of Otter Creek which flows from Fontana Lake. Stay in a sustainable cabin for a weekend, where you can be surrounded by nature at its finest.

   

   Bison At Fontana Park

   
   

   

   Bison at Fontana Park checking out the tourists.

5.  Lansing, Iowa. Enjoy discovering the birding, boating, fishing, hiking the many scenic trails, and hunting around this charming little river town tucked up against the great Mississippi River. Explore this memorable town that has been designated a National Historic District and take a trip across the substantial steel bridge that spans across to the shores of the neighboring state of Wisconsin.

   
   

Bridge in Lansing, Iowa.

Where the river and the road meet!

Explore beautiful Northeast Iowa. It has so much to offer, you never know what you will find!

A Bit Of Country Life By The Creek

Try this for a family outing! There is nothing like a summer day relaxing and fishing along the creek. Enjoy your life, you only have one!!

When Spring Attacks...And Summer Reigns.

I was lucky enough to catch these explosions of color this past Spring.

As we take time out of our busy schedules to celebrate Indepence Day on the 4th of July, let's take a look back at this marvelous display of beauty.

Let us also enjoy what awaits us in the warm summer months. Rediscover wildlife at it's finest in our gardens, parks, footpaths, and fields.

  After a long Winter, new life has returned to push away cold snow-filled landscapes and replace them with bright colors and warm air.

In a glorious attack of color, a fresh sweet aroma has filled the air to soothe the senses and give us a renewed sense of hope and calm. Fields are erupting with life-sustaining edible feasts.

Enjoy the Summer for it will be all too short and the cold will return. Take time to feel the warmth of the sun on your skin and take in the bounty that has been offered up from the ground. We will look back on fond memories of warmth and the brighter landscapes of the Spring and Summer of 2017.

Beauty Or Beast?

 There is incredible beauty in the air tonight. This storm produced near baseball sized hail when it hit Cedar Falls and Waterloo, Iowa on June 15, 2017. The back side of the storm was incredibly gorgeous with its hues of coral, pink, blue, gray, and purple. 

   Awesome colors, the rhythmic pounding beat of the rain drops, the smell just before it starts, the brief but striking illumination of the lightning as it fills the sky, and the clean fresh feeling when the storm has passed are major draws for me. Where others see only destruction, I see great beauty, even when they are at my door step. A little strange? Maybe, but I love storms. I may not love the destruction and pain they can cause, but I do love the graceful brilliant scenes they create. No painting could ever turn out as beautiful as anything that God creates.

Amazing! Is it a beauty or a beast? It is all in the eye of the beholder, I suppose. Take time to enjoy the little things.

Detecting The Yard!

I'm back in the yard again! I know it has been a while. Life has been catching up with me. I did have a chance to dig up some lost treasure in between rain storms and heat waves. 

Metal detecting relaxes me. It is, after all, digging up history. Check out the things I found while metal detecting my back yard, then grab your detector and get out there!

5 Pennies

Some Foil

1 Nail

1 Dime

1 Drill Bit

2 Can Tabs

1 Key Ring

1 Faucet Filter

1 Beer Bottle Cap

Yeah, I know. Not a huge treasure, but the fun of detecting is well worth all the time spent on it.

Good Morning World

It is a beautiful morning outside my bedroom window. Birds are singing and it is so peaceful.

What a fantastic way to wake up, watching the sunrise.

Enjoy it with me in this Time-lapse video set to music. Good morning!

Eating Healthy Is So Hard

Eating healthy is so hard when you have little preparation time and no will power. One of the ways that I have found to cure this problem is to take one day a week, usually Sunday for me, to prep ahead of time.

Cooking meat ahead of time for at least five meals is a very helpful tip since this seems to be the task that takes the most time.

Chopping and packaging vegetables that you will need for the week helps also.

Even bagging up the lunch items so the kids or hubby can grab and go makes it easier.

Already made rice or quinoa are available in the freezer section of the local grocery store.

All of these preps make life so much easier during the week and are readily available so that willpower isn't as much of an issue anymore. It all took less than an hour out of my Sunday to prepare, too! Make your life easier today and give this method a try.