1st Half of RAGBRAI

 

Scott did the first half of RAGBRAI this year- from Council Bluffs to Des Moines. He spent the night in Omaha, then Harlan and spent the night at our house before rolling out of Perry yesterday morning. This year he rode with two friends who were new to the ride and I think they had a great time. 

I dropped him off at the beginning of the route yesterday and then took a little scenic trip through rural Dallas County to meet up with them and take some photos. It was pretty fun! 

 

It was fun seeing all the riders whiz past. It was still early, about 8a.m. so most were fairly calm and I heard lots of friendly good morning greetings. I finally touched base with Scott and he said the first stop was swamped and he wondered if I could grab him so food from Casey's in our town. I said sure and sped back over the gravel rounds to pick up a breakfast pizza and some donuts. We met up exactly at the same time and it was good to chat with him and his cousin who he rode with that day. 

Even though RAGBRAI didn't come through our community, it was on the way to the starting point so there was still alot of hustle and bustle on the hwy and at the gas station. It was kind of fun! The year Scott and I got married the route went right by our house...of course, we were building our house then and plus we were out of town so we missed the excitement. I hope it goes by again someday so I can sit out in my lawn chair and offer riders free water and bananas.

 

After they rode off, I headed down to our meeting spot: Valley Junction. It wasn't too busy when I got there at 11a.m. but it quickly picked up. I enjoyed an awesome organic Colombian coffee from a great shop called the Green Grounds Cafe and watched the riders roll in. It was really perfect and just the type of thing I enjoy doing.

 

They finally rolled in and we had a great lunch of pork tenderloins, homemade onion rings and cold beer.  I also had a nice chat with an author who I recognized from his interview on Talk of Iowa on Iowa Public Radio. I think he was impressed and I was happy to flex my dork muscles for someone. :o)

 

After a great nap and playing with Michael, we headed back downtown to watch the Summerland Tour and take part in the RAGBRAI festivities. The concerts were pretty awesome and we enjoyed listening to Filter, Live and Everclear. It was pretty much all hits from the 1990's! We also ran into my brother and his wife. 

We of course, documented the occasion of us going out sans child with a pretty great self portrait. 

It was a great day and now Scott is home for the rest of the week. Have you seen any riders go by? Do you know anyone doing the whole ride? It is such a fun Iowa tradition. 

Adventureland 2013

 

Last week, we made our second annual trek to Adventureland Amusement park for a day of fun. We had a little better strategy this year after our trip last year which was mainly to do the water park first. It is way back in the rear of the park and it is less busy in the morning and gets packed in the afternoon. So we we wore our swimsuits and headed there first. To say Michael had a ball would be a complete understatement. He had so much fun. He loved the slides, the splashers and the wave pool. 

 

Scott joined us around 3pm and we went on some rides as a family- the Raging River and the Log Ride were big favorites. We also went to the circus at Adventureland which was a first for me and it was pretty good! 

My parents were camping at the Adventureland campground so we went back for dinner and some rest. It is a nice campground and it is nice to get away from the park for a bit. It is just a short walk or a tram ride away from the park. We went back for the last hour the park was open and did a few more rides and enjoyed an ice cream cone (do not ever get your child the "Scooper Hero" flavor- it is sooo messy!). 

Thank you for the fun day, Mom & Dad! Let's do it again next year!  

Here is our post from last year's trip! 

Adventure Bay Tips for Families at desmoinesparent.com

Adventureland Amusement Park Tips article (by me) at desmoinesparent.com

Summer

This is summer. 

Ohhh yeah. 

We love it. 

Union Park

Michael and I headed to Union Park last week for some exploring. It has been on our summer list and I've been waiting for the perfect day to make the trek over there. It was sooo worth it and we had a blast. Union park is one of the oldest parks in Des Moines and you just feel like you have gone back in time when you arrive. I loved it. 

 

Michael has been before with his daycare, as they go on Fridays to swim and play. However, he is not going to daycare on Fridays in the summer so he only gets to go with his friends a few times in June when I'm still in school and the a few times in August when I go back. Michael knew exactly where we were going and love, love, loved the rocket slide. He calls this park, "the rocket park". We played, swam, ate a picnic lunch under the big old shade trees, rode the carousel and played some more. It was the perfect summer day.

I'd never been to the Heritage Carousel and thank you to all the friends who go every year to recommend it to me! It is a beauty and a Des Moines treasure for sure. I loved all the animals and the scenes painted on the inside. The carousel was built in 1998 as an inexpensive way for families and children to have an enjoyable and affordable experience.

 We just had the best time and will be going back for sure before summer is over!

I also started writing for desmoinesparent.com at the recommendation of my friend Kara. I wrote up a quick article after our visit to the park. Please check it out! 

Click here for Des Moines Parent Article

Pikes Peak State Park

 

We were in Northeast Iowa this past weekend visiting my grandparents. We decided to camp at Pike's Peak State Park so we could enjoy the beautiful views. The camping experience was....not great...but I will expand on that in another post. 

We did get a chance to "hike" on Saturday afternoon. It was hot and very humid due to the unsettled weather between thunderstorms. We did about a mile and a half, hiking from our campsite to the big waterfall. There had been lots of rain so the falls and streams were beautiful. The whole park was so gorgeous that these photos barely do it any justice. It had been years since I was up there and I hope I can get back again next year or even in the fall!

 

The "trail" is very easy- it is all wooden planks. It is a good hike for rookies like us- notice Scott is even wearing flip flops?? Michael had a blast running up the "stairs in the forest" and would have gone even further if we had let him. 

 

It was very hazy from the humidity but the views were still breathtaking. This has to be hands down, one of the most beautiful places in Iowa. I hope we can make it back again soon!

Strawberry Picking

Last week, we got up early and headed out for our summer tradition of strawberry picking. It is fun to me to have done this three years already with Michael (in 2012, in 2011) . Wow, time flies! He did a great job this year, picking on his own and even keeping some in his bucket instead of just eating them. He of course still ate plenty and had a nice pink strawberry ring around his mouth when we were done, but I think that is part of the fun, right?

We go to Berry Patch Farm in Nevada. It is a little bit of a drive but the drive is nice on a summer morning. It is important to get up early and go so you can beat the heat. They open at 8! 

There was a big crowd of people picking that morning but we worked our way down our row so we were out of the hustle and bustle. Each family or group is given their own row to pick and when that is done you can get another row if you want. We picked about half our row and took home 7lbs.Michael called the tiny ones "cuuuute and widdle" and the big ones "tomato strawberries".

 

Michael had a great time at the "strawberry center" and I hope these are things that make up his childhood memories of summer. The warm sun, fresh air and delicious strawberries. 

I think they are still in season this week so you better get out there if you haven't already! Berry Patch also sells at a few farmers markets in the area but they are almost triple the price of pick your own. Blueberry season should be starting soon!