Our Journey across the midwest has eventually brought us to the American Heartland state of Iowa.
Like many other states in the US, Iowa is packed full of the “world’s biggest” things, yet after looking a little further we found some more treasures that are sure to delight all those eager to come across something wacky.
So come along for the ride and discover what is so weird and wacky about Iowa.
This is one of our favorite movies and since the site is only five hours away from our home, we’ve been there three times. The Field of Dreams is unlike any other place we’ve visited. It’s just like the movie said – “If you build it, people will come.” – and they do. Over 60,000 people visit here every year from all over the world and when they walk out on to the field, it’s like one big community. There’s usually a pick up game of baseball going on which you can just join in. Need a picture? Or a pitcher or a catcher? A glove or a bat? Someone will be happy to oblige. Sit in the bleachers, the same ones used in the movie. Disappear into the corn. It’s all there. There’s also a letterbox cache right on the site. You can find it on Atlasquest, the letterboxing web site, by searching in Dyersville. There are also a half dozen geocaches close by.
The ball field was built on the Lansing farm in three days during the spring of 1988. The film was shot that summer. There are information panels on the site that talk about the filming, such as how they picked that particular farm. The stories of how they got a field of tall green corn in the middle of a drought and setup the final scene with all the cars lined up are particularly interesting.
I spent a week in beautiful Des Moines, IA. We took a twenty-six mile side trip to Perry to see Henry Nelson’s amazing electric machine. The cabinetry is a work of art. Unfortunately no one knows how the machine produces electricity. Henry Nelson died unexpectedly before unveiling his invention. Currently, the current does not flow. While at the museum, we asked for recommendation about a place to eat in town. We were given a few, but chose Carla’s Cafe. It consisted of a dining counter with a few booths and tables. The cook was in the middle of it all and continually chatted with the customers. Both the food and the atmosphere were a delightful experience.
Directly outside of DeMoines there is a living history farm and town. Three working farms show life in the 1700, 1800s, and early 1900s. The 1700 farm shows how the Ioway people lived and what crops they grew. Their wigwams were covered with layers of thatch, keeping the interior temperatures at a comfortable 50ยบ F even during the coldest winter night. The 1800 farm demonstrated the pioneers who settled Iowa. They had planned to live in their log cabin houses for only a few years, but many extended their stay.