Iowa

Never in my life would I have thought that I would have found myself in Iowa: Fields of Opportunities. Honestly I think Iowa might be one of the only states I do not think I even know someone from. But there we were in this frozen corn land, trying to make the most of it! Our first stop was the capitol Des Moines.

Since this was the capitol of Iowa, it seemed appropriate to start with a little tour of the capitol building itself. After scurrying right through security, we found ourselves in a beautiful sculpted parlor room. The architecture design inside was beautiful and the dome was painted very colorfully.

We explored for probably about a half and hour and then started to head to the door. As we walked past the small gift shop we snatched a post card and then were given a really important tip from the cashier. The little old lady asked us if we had visited the library upstairs and said we simply could not leave without seeing it. We told her we had missed it, and she insisted it was the most beautiful library in the Nation.

We could not argue with stats like that, so we turned around and went to witness this library for ourselves. Worst case, we would just get a little exercise and you can not say no to such a sweet little grandmother.

Thankfully, granny was right! The library was so incredible. Completely open to the public there are shelves upon shelves of old antique books.

There were huge spiral staircases on both sides of the impressive library. Old wooden ladders where sprinkled around to reach the high books without utilizing the staircase. The shelves seemed endless and it would take more than a life time to read all those books.

Many of the books were educational or old laws/case studies. Apparently a lot of Iowa lawyers use this library when working on a tough case. The smell of old books lingered throughout this whole room, which made the appeal of the whole place that much more delightful.

We could have stayed there all day, and we were so thankful the gift shop lady had pointed us in the right direction. After drooling of this literary heaven, we decided to head towards another Des Moines highlight: The Pappajohn’s Sculpture Park.

This outdoor park is full of quirky little sculptures and was worth braving the cold. Some of the pieces had explanations and others were just left up to individual interpretations.

There is art every couple of 100 feet so you can appreciate a lot of different styles. Even though the park isn’t huge, they managed to pack it quite full of pieces. The park supports a lot of local pieces and Iowa artists. Even if art is not your thing, the walk and fresh air is really nice!

From the sculpture park we decided to head to what Iowa is known most for: Terrace Hill Historic Site (or the original ginger bread house). Built in 1896, this creative mansion was originally built by the nephew of Captain John Allen (the creator of Fort Des Moines).

Although this building has had quite a few different owners due to funding, it remains a well known mansion for its beauty and uniqueness. Unfortunately, we were there on a day that they were not offering tours, so we just thoroughly explored the outdoors and the gardens. It really is an impressive building.

From there we headed to the hometown of the Hebert Hoover, but we had to make a few pit stops. Iowa has a lot of quirky World Records sprinkled about. The first that just so happened to be along our path was the World’s Largest Wooden Nickle.

I was honestly unaware wooden nickles even existed, much less that there was a competition to be the largest. Located in some farmers front field, sits the worlds largest wooden nickle. It is large and it is made out of wood. The pride and joy of Johnson County was one of those funny little stops. From there we headed to something near and dear to our hearts, The World’s Largest Truck Stop!

Now this is a truck stop! It is literally like a whole mall inside there. You could easily burn a couple hours in this gigantic truck stop. There is a dentist, an orthodontists, a doctor, a chiropractor, a gym, a movie theater, a pet groomer, and so much more all within this truck stop. All your needs in one location!

There is a whole section of the mega truck stop (of course!) dedicated specifically to trucks. They have huge semi trucks on display and even ones you can climb inside. There is everything you could possible imagine to customize your vehicle and pimp your ride. It was really fun wandering through the aisles and observing the unique products. This place was definitely worth a stop! It’s the worlds largest truck stop, don’t deprive yourself.

Finally we made it to West Branch, Iowa: Home of the 31st president. His home, school, blacksmith, and a few other shops have been preserved through this National Park. They have moved the building a bit closer together to protect them and keep them closer together in a protected district.

Herbert Hoover’s house itself was quite small. You were not allowed to tour the inside due to the age and size of the tiny building. It was about the size of the average living room, and Herbert, his two brothers, and parents all squeezed into.

Just a few blocks away, was a local Blacksmith shop, that was actually functional during Hoover’s childhood. You are allowed to walk inside and there are a lot of old preserved blacksmith tools sprinkled around. The smell gives the feeling that it is still functional, even today. This shop was ran by Herbert’s father, as the town’s blacksmith.

My favorite part of Hebert Hoovers whole village, was the old one-room school house. Visitors are allowed to walk around inside, and it is fully decorated as a functioning school. The desks, chalk board, and even the hooks where they would hang there coats are still in tact. Different quotes from Hoover are written all over the chalk boards, and men that inspired Herbert are hung throughout the school room.

All in all, there was much more to see and do in Iowa than we both expected. It was nice finishing our tour at a National Park, because Daniel and I love seeing the different takes each state has on their National Park Services. Iowa, you are not that bad! From there we headed North: Chicago Bound! Thanks for reading my post this week.

God Bless,

McKayla